Frequently Asked Questions
What is SonoAnalyzer?
SonoAnalyzer is a finite element analysis (FEA) tool for designing and optimising ultrasonic components — sonotrodes (horns), transducers, and assemblies. It calculates the resonant frequencies and mode shapes of your design, allowing you to verify that the operating frequency, amplitude uniformity, and modal behaviour meet your requirements before committing to manufacture.
Version 3 runs entirely in a web browser. You define the geometry and material properties, submit the analysis, and view the results — including animated mode shapes — without installing any software.
Why online?
FEA meshing and solving are computationally intensive. Running the analysis on a server means:
- No installation required — works on any device with a modern browser, including tablets.
- More computing power — server hardware typically outperforms a laptop for this type of calculation.
- Always up to date — improvements are available immediately without downloading updates.
- Results are cached — if you re-open a saved project with unchanged geometry and settings, results reload instantly from local storage without re-running the analysis.
For users who prefer to run locally — for example for privacy, offline use, or integration into existing infrastructure — self-hosted options are coming in mid-May.
What has changed from Version 2?
- Browser-based — no desktop application to install or update.
- STEP file import and multi-part geometry — previously available in Version 2 Pro only, now extended to Base plan, and with limited support on the Free plan.
- Queue — submit a job and close the browser; results are waiting when you return. Version 2 required the application to remain open for the duration of the analysis.
- Convergence testing — automatically runs the analysis at progressively finer mesh densities to verify result accuracy.
- User variables — named parameters that can be referenced across multiple geometry fields, updating all linked dimensions simultaneously.
- Tune — automatically adjusts a selected dimension to hit a target frequency.
- Optimise — varies one or more dimensions to maximise or minimise a selected objective such as uniformity or stepup ratio.
- Project files — Version 2 used
.sa1(settings) and.saz(results) file formats. Version 3 saves both to a.sa3file. Saved files are not forward or backward-compatible.
How do I define the geometry?
Geometry is defined in the Geometry panel on the left. Each part of the assembly is added as a separate tab. Parts are joined end-to-end in the order they appear; drag the tabs to reorder them. Each part independently selects its material.
The shape type is selected from the dropdown, organised as follows:
Basic shapes
- Cylinder — defined by diameter and length.
- Cone — defined by input diameter, output diameter, and length.
- Profiled block — rectangular cross-section with an arbitrary profiled length.
Sonotrodes — parametric sonotrode profiles implemented as custom scripts. Additional and custom sonotrode shapes are available on request.
- Exponential — exponential taper between input and output diameters.
- Stepped — stepped profile with a defined transition between two diameters.
- Profiled — arbitrary rotationally-symmetric profile defined by a series of diameter/length segments.
- Radial — disc or ring geometry for radially-vibrating components.
- Cap screw — slotted cap screw sonotrode geometry.
Other
- STEP file — import any solid geometry from a CAD system (Base plan and above; one part on Free plan).
Click Redraw to update the 3D view after changing geometry. The mesh is regenerated automatically before each analysis.
How do I set material properties?
Each geometry part has a Material dropdown. You can select a preset or define a custom material.
Presets include common engineering materials (steel, aluminium, titanium, ceramics) and PZT piezoelectric materials. PZT presets use simplified isotropic properties suitable for preliminary design — for detailed transducer modelling, define a custom material using manufacturer datasheet values.
To define a custom material, select "Custom" from the dropdown and enter:
- Density (kg/m³)
- Young's modulus (GPa)
- Poisson's ratio
Custom materials are saved with the project file. Named custom materials can be stored for reuse across sessions (Pro plan and above).
What is Cut geometry and how do I use it?
Selecting Cut from the material dropdown on a geometry tab defines that part as a subtraction rather than an addition. The shape is cut from the geometry defined by the preceding parts, allowing internal features such as slots, holes, and recesses to be modelled without requiring a CAD import.
For example, to model a slotted sonotrode face, define the main sonotrode body first, then add a further part with the slot dimensions and select Cut as the material. The slot is removed from the sonotrode geometry before meshing. Fast redraw displays your cut geometries superimposed on the solid geometry to help with alignment.
How do I run an analysis?
Set your geometry and material properties, then choose the number of modes to calculate. More modes increases run time but covers a greater frequency range. It's best to use the smallest number that will predict all resonant frequencies in your selected range. SonoAnalyzer will warn you if the value you use is too small so you can re-run the analysis.
Two run options are available:
- Calculate — runs immediately and streams results to the browser. Suitable for quick checks; subject to shorter time and memory limits.
- Queue — submits the job to run on the server. The browser can be closed; results are available when the job completes. Use Queue for finer meshes, more modes, or larger geometry.
Progress is shown in the status bar. Once complete, results appear in the Results panel.
How do I interpret the results?
The Results panel lists all calculated modes by frequency. Each mode shows:
- Frequency — resonant frequency in Hz.
- Type — automatically classified as Longitudinal, Flexural, Torsional, Radial, or Other.
- Stepup — ratio of output to input displacement amplitude (for sonotrodes).
- Uniformity — how evenly displacement is distributed across the input / output surfaces.
- Purity — how close the displacement is to purely axial motion across the input / output surfaces.
Click a mode to display the animated mode shape in the 3D viewer. Use the amplitude slider to adjust the visualisation scale. From the Field type selector choose Material ID, displacement or stress. The colour map shows a value range for your selection.
For typical longitudinal-mode sonotrode design, look for a longitudinal mode at or near your target frequency with good uniformity and appropriate stepup ratio.
What are mesh settings and when should I change them?
The mesh controls how finely the geometry is divided for FEA. Finer meshes give more accurate results but take longer to compute and use more memory.
- Mesh size — base element size in mm. Reduce for higher accuracy; increase for faster results on simple geometry.
- Curvature refinement — number of elements per curve. Higher values improve accuracy on curved surfaces.
- Element type — Quadratic (default, most accurate), Quadratic modified (more robust for difficult geometry), or Linear (fastest, least accurate).
For initial design exploration, default settings are usually sufficient. Refine the mesh for final verification, particularly if the geometry has tight curves or thin sections.
What is mesh convergence and how do I use it?
Convergence testing verifies that your results are not significantly affected by mesh density — i.e. that the mesh is fine enough to give accurate frequencies. The Convergence tool (available on all plans, subject to job time and memory limits) runs the analysis at progressively finer mesh sizes and plots frequency against element count, allowing you to identify the point at which further refinement gives diminishing returns.
What are user variables?
User variables allow you to define named parameters (for example, a diameter or length) and reference them in multiple geometry fields. Changing the variable updates all fields that use it simultaneously. This is particularly useful for parametric studies and for maintaining relationships between dimensions — for example, keeping the step location of a sonotrode at exactly half its length.
User variables are available on all plans.
How do Tune and Optimise work?
Tune adjusts a single selected dimension to bring a target mode to a specified frequency. It iterates the analysis automatically, converging on the required dimension value.
Optimise varies one or more dimensions to maximise or minimise an objective — for example, maximising output uniformity or stepup ratio at a target frequency. Multiple parameters can be varied simultaneously within defined bounds.
Both tools are available on all plans, subject to the job time and memory limits of your plan. Queue is recommended for optimisation runs as they typically require multiple successive analyses.
How do I save and reload my work?
Use the Save button to download a .sa3 project file containing your geometry settings, material properties, and FEA results. To reload, use the Load button or drag the file into the browser window.
Results are also cached locally in the browser. If you return to a project whose results are already cached, they reload without re-running the analysis. The cache is shown at the bottom of the left panel.
Can I model a complete transducer assembly?
Yes — on a Pro or Max plan add multiple geometry parts and assign appropriate materials to each. A typical transducer assembly would include PZT ceramic parts, a back mass, and a front mass or sonotrode, each as a separate part with its own material.
Note that bolt pre-stress and electrical boundary conditions are not modelled. Stress results show dynamic stress due to vibration only — pre-stress from the stack bolt is not included. The analysis uses purely mechanical material properties, which is sufficient for frequency and mode shape prediction but not for detailed electromechanical coupling analysis.
What browsers are supported?
Any modern browser supporting WebGL2: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari (version 15+). Chrome or Edge is recommended for best performance. The application requires an internet connection to run the analysis; the 3D viewer works offline if results are already cached locally.