A stress plot is an output. The engineering question comes first. Are you checking whether a gripper bracket yields, whether a fixture deflects too much for the process, or whether a design change improves stiffness without an unacceptable mass increase?
Those questions can require different models and acceptance criteria, even for the same CAD assembly. A useful FEA request connects the model to the decision the project team has to make.
Describe the failure or performance concern
Start with a plain-language question and a measurable criterion where one exists. “Check the bracket” is less actionable than “Assess the bracket under the defined operating load and report displacement at the locating surface.” State who owns the acceptance limit and what happens if it is not yet known.
Strength and stiffness should not be confused. A structure can remain below a material strength limit and still move far enough to affect alignment, sealing, or a process tolerance. If the functional concern is displacement, identify the location, direction, and reference used to evaluate it.
Provide the model as it is meant to work
Send the governing CAD revision, material definitions, thicknesses, and information about joints and contact. Identify parts that are purchased, simplified, or represented with estimated material data. Include the mounting arrangement and the surrounding structure needed to understand load transfer.
A fixed support in a model is an assumption about restraint. It should not be selected merely because it makes the solver run. If a mounting plate or joint can deform in a way that affects the result, discuss whether that behavior belongs in the model or in a sensitivity study.
List load cases separately
| Input | What to record |
|---|---|
| Operating load | Magnitude, direction, application area, and source of the value |
| Tool and part weight | Included masses and their locations |
| Motion effects | Agreed accelerations and whether an equivalent static or dynamic method is appropriate |
| Interfaces | Supports, joint assumptions, contacts, and relevant preload information |
| Acceptance | Strength basis, displacement criteria, and any separate fatigue or stability questions |
Do not add every maximum load together without checking whether they can occur at the same time. Equally, do not omit a credible operating condition because the preferred case produces a cleaner result.
Check whether linear static analysis fits
SOLIDWORKS describes linear static analysis through assumptions about linear response, elastic behavior, and loading that does not require dynamic effects to be represented. Large deformation, changing contact, material nonlinearity, or significant transient behavior can require a different approach. See the SOLIDWORKS explanation of those assumptions.
Ask the analyst to explain the chosen method in the report. A model should not be described as covering fatigue, impact, buckling, or every operating event unless those questions were actually included and evaluated.
Review evidence beyond the maximum stress
Request a mesh-sensitivity check for the result that controls the decision. A sharp idealized feature or a concentrated restraint can produce a stress singularity: the reported peak may keep increasing as the mesh is refined. SOLIDWORKS discusses this behavior. It requires interpretation, not simply reporting the largest number on the legend.
The report should identify geometry and material revisions, load cases, boundary conditions, modeling assumptions, result locations, and limitations. Include displacement and reactions when they help explain whether the model behaves as intended.
For an illustrative acceptance review, a fixture may satisfy the agreed stress criterion but exceed the allowed movement at a datum. The useful conclusion is then a specific stiffness issue under a specified load—not a blanket “pass.” Spinula uses SOLIDWORKS for structural FEA and defines the study inputs and deliverables with the customer.
