Case Studies

Case Study: 37% Lighter Trolley Cart for FleetPride — Validated in Ansys

The Challenge

FleetPride's axle trolley carts were overbuilt. At 210 lbs, they were hard to maneuver, fatiguing for staff, and costly to fabricate. The goal: cut weight significantly without sacrificing the 1,000 lb rated load capacity or durability.

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What We Did

We modeled the existing cart in SolidWorks and analyzed it in Ansys using its actual materials — ASTM A36 steel for the square pipes, ASTM A500 for the remaining structure. The simulation showed exactly where the design was over-engineered.

Over six design iterations, we resized members, optimized cross-sections, and removed redundant material — re-verifying every change in Ansys.

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The Results

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PARAMETER	ORIGINAL	OPTIMIZED
Weight	210 lbs	132 lbs (−37%)
Rated capacity	1,000 lbs	1,000 lbs — maintained
Ansys test load	—	2,500 lbs (2.5× rated)
Max equivalent stress	—	9,357 psi
Total deformation	—	0.005 in
Materials	ASTM A36 / A500 steel	ASTM A36 / A500 steel
Design iterations	—	6

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The final design passed Ansys verification at 2,500 lbs — two and a half times its rated load. Even at that load, maximum equivalent stress was just 9,357 psi (roughly a quarter of A36 steel’s 36,000 psi yield strength) with total deformation of only 0.005 in — confirming a robust safety margin before any prototype was built. FleetPride gets a cart that is easier to push, cheaper to fabricate, and just as strong.

Have an over-engineered product? Contact us at cadcam.org — simulation-driven optimization can make it lighter, cheaper, and stronger.