CAE Services Corporation

Most people involved in the plastics industry have heard of Gas Assist Injection Molding (GAIM), but only a small percentage has actually put it to use.

Definition Flow analysis provides the ability to accurately simulate the filling phase of the injection molding process.

CAE Services Corp., Batavia, Ill., has introduced Mold-Vac 20,000, the highest performance model in its line of mold-evacuation systems for injection molding.

Many times when I'm talking about processing with a client, I've gotten the question, "How did you come up with that fill time?" Usually, my answer is, "I do what is right for the polymer." What is right for the polymer usually boils down to a couple of things when it comes to filling speed - flow front temperature and shear rate.

Do I have enough water?

When an injection mold is made, one of the most important factors in determining the success of the molded product is how much shrinkage should be considered.

In another tech tip (When is Material Substitution OK?), we addressed the issue of substituting materials for simulation purposes.

In the injection molding world, everybody has an opinion about how molds should be gated – how many, where should they be located, and what size and shape should they be?

Wisconsin Tool and Mold Company (WTMC) is a mold maker and injection molder that primarily serves the medical and electronics industries.

Often times, we get requests from clients to perform warpage simulations on parts/molds, but they want to ignore the contribution from the mold cooling design. 

There are several inputs that are required to run a simulation - part model, mold model, material properties, and processing conditions.

One of the most confusing topics in the area of plastics injection molding simulation is the subject of model types.  When you hear somebody talk about moldflow analysis, you may hear the terms midplane, dual domain, Fusion, true 3D, or tetrahedral mesh thrown around.  What do all of these mean?

Did you know that there are anywhere from five to ten different material data sets that are needed to run injection molding simulation?

A moldflow is a moldflow is a moldflow.

OK, so I need to have a moldflow analysis done. What's next?

The process of completing a moldflow analysis in many ways depends on the objectives of analysis, which is why it is so important for the client to clearly communicate their objectives to the analyst.

Just about everyone in the plastics injection molding industry has either heard of flow analysis, or seen it done.

One of the qualities of being an excellent analyst is being certified.

One common question we get from people that have never seen a moldflow analysis is, "How does this all work?"

CAE Services Corporation, a Moldflow consulting engineering firm, recently conducted several Moldflow analyses on a custom grille part.

DefinitionCo-injection analysis is an ideal molding process for using recycled materials or achieving specialized cosmetic and structural objectives.

DefinitionMoldCool provides the ability to accurately simulate any number of cooling designs in order to optimize part quality and productivity.

DefinitionInjection-Compression analysis simulates all major process control schemes for a total evaluation of candidate materials, part design, mold design, and process conditions.

Flow Front Temperature - The mid-stream temperature when the flow front reaches each point.

Flow-simulation software is an invaluable tool in the world of injection molding.

Founded in 1991, ASH Industries ( Lafayette, LA) specializes in part engineering for manufacturability, mold manufacture, thermoplasticinjection molding, component integration into assemblies, DOE, IQ/OQ/PQ, clean-room assembly, ultrasonic welding, epoxy bonding, pad printing, hot stamping, custom packaging, and drop shipping.

Sheboygan Falls, WI-based Bemis Contract Group, a division of Bemis Manufacturing, prides itself in bringing the latest injection and extrusion technologies to a select group of industry segments.

Moldflow Corporation introduced Gas Assist Analysis to its suite of software modules about 15 years ago.

Charles Industries, Ltd. is a privately held, diversified manufacturing and high-technology company with headquarters in Rolling Meadows, IL and five US manufacturing centers.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, MI, Guardian Automotive Corporation is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of float glass and fabricated glass products.

Average Part Temperature - The average plastic temperature across the whole element thickness, calculated at the end of cooling time.

Clamp Tonnage - The resultant value of the pressure distribution over the entire part.

Definition:Warpage analysis provides the capability to determine the effects of part design, material selection, mold design, and processing on the warpage of a molded part.

Deflection Results (X, Y, Z, Total) - The deflections of the part relative to the reference plane defined when specifying the boundary conditions for the warpage analysisReference Plane – Defined by three constraint points, this is a plane relative to which the warpage deflections are measured.Material Orientation – The material orientation direction for each element.

In tough economic times, facing hungry competition here and abroad, molders cannot afford to ignore preventable problems that slow cycles, cost machine downtime and mold maintenance, and waste material on reject parts.