Designing equipment intended for use in the bulk material handling industry is no simple task. Engineers need to consider day to day operating conditions as well as unpredictable loadings such as user error/misuse and erratic weather conditions. Simulation software can optimise machine design and gives engineers the capability to decrease project budgets/timeframes and minimise the loss of raw materials through reduced equipment maintenance and wear. Traditional design methods involve “rule of thumb” guidelines based upon knowledge acquired through collective experience which, although “tried and true”, raise several problems: Hand/spreadsheet calculations are repetitive, every time a design change is made these calculations must be re-evaluated. This manual process requires significant time investment over the duration of a design project as the design progresses through multiple iterations….