Engineers have a lot on their plates. As manufacturer's reps, it's our job to help make that burden a little easier by providing expert engineering design assistance, design tools and product comparisons. We all want the best possible solution for building projects, whether it be a small commercial office building, a large hospital or several university campus buildings. So, to make the job a little easier, here are a few free tools and apps you may find helpful for your next design project.
- Bock Water Heaters AccuSize Water Heater Sizing Program: Input operating parameters, fixture types, fuel types and more to calculate demand and determine energy required for your building water heaters and storage tanks.
- Conversion apps: There are a variety of apps on the market suitable for IOS and Android users. They can help design engineers quickly convert measuments, pressure, torque, flow and more. Try Convert if you're an Apple user and Unit Converter if you're a fan of Android.
- The Engineering Cookbook: This is a free tool from the Loren Cook company available in PDF format and as a free app. This is a handbook for the mechanical designer which offers information on fan basics, system design, duct design, motors and drives, heating and refrigeration and formulas.
- Franklin Control Systems Product Selection Wizard: Answer a few questions regarding your application and the Selection Wizard will generate a list of products based on your answers.
- PsychroApp: This free psychrometric calculation tool is an app from Munters that lets you calculate the thermodynamic properties of moist air more accurately than using psychrometric charts.
- Pure Humidifier Load Size Calculator: Fill in the form to determine load size and to help you select the right humidifier for particular applications.
- Raychem Tracecalc Pro: This a Windows desktop heat-tracing system design software. It will guide you through a step-by-step process to obtain the best heat-tracing solution for your project. It also provides pipe heat loss, number of circuts, electrical loads, maxiumum sheath temperatures and more.
- Raypak SureSpec 4: This is a web-based sizing application tool that can be used to estimate water heater requirements.
- Shipco Pumps Product Selector: This pump and motor selector allows you to select the unit application (non-vacuum, water pump and air pump) and then the pump flow rate and discharge pressure to select pumps. You can also download pump curves in the selection app. The Shipco site also offers a variety of calculators and apps to help you with sizing pipes and valves, unit assemblies, NPSH and steam tools, steam regulators and more.
- Spirax Sarco Steam Tools app: This app offers easy access to steam table and saturated steam pipe sizing tools. Additionally, you will have access to steam engineering tutorials, product literature and more.
- Syncroflo Online System Selection Software: This sizing guide helps make the specification of water pressure booster systems an easier job for engineers. Answer a few simple questions for a recommendation for a booster system.
- Taco Comfort Solutions Software: Taco Comfort Solutions has a lot of apps and software to provide assistance for engineers.
- Download the new BEST (Building Efficiency System Tool) sofware here to help engineers compare different styles of HVAC systems.
- The Taco Load Tool allows for interactive calculation of heating/cooling loads.
- The Taco HS2 Software helps engineers design and compare HVAC systems, eliminate recalculation time for changes, calculate plant total loads and flows, size pipe and equipment, select and schedule equiopment and make design changes easily, all while reducing errors.
- TacoNet, the premier product selection and specification tool for Taco equipment.
- Taco CAD wizard: CAD files are available for Taco products in English or Metric units.
These are only a few of the free tools available to mechanical design engineers to make your job (life?) easier. What are your favorite design tools?