Rodrigo Formas brings agricultural perspective to EAB

Rodrigo Formas sits on the SIMCenter’s External Advisory Board, a group of volunteers from various industries that meets bi-annually to help guide SIMCenter initiatives. Formas represents John Deere, where he works as an analysis and simulation manager, leading a simulation team of about 45 people with capabilities in structural analysis, heat transfer and fluid dynamics, discrete element modeling, hydraulics simulation, multibody dynamics and Multiphysics. 

Formas was led to his career in agricultural engineering and engineering mechanics by his passion for working in mechanical systems and his desire to live in the mid-west. After earning his bachelor’s degree in physics at the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Valparaiso, Chile, Formas moved to the United States, where he earned a second bachelor’s in agricultural engineering, a master’s in physics and a master’s in engineering mechanics from Iowa State University. 

At John Deere, Formas now works to expand the company’s use of simulation, a tool that is vital to the organization. “Besides the obvious benefits of optimized prototypes through simulation and associated shorter time to market, our field testing is highly subject to environmental conditions, such as weather, crop quality, etc., which can easily derail field testing plans for an entire year,” Formas said. “Making sure our prototypes are sufficiently optimized through simulation for function, durability and form makes us able to rely less on field testing iterations.” 

As a SIMCenter External Advisory Board member, Formas enjoys the opportunity to collaborate with other EAB members from industries with similar simulation needs. He also enjoys helping to promote opportunities for simulation skill development in young engineers and undergraduates. “There is very little young talent in the areas of engineering simulation,” Formas said. “Places like SIMCenter help develop awareness and provide opportunities to senior undergraduates about the fascinating world of simulation.”