Autodesk Moldflow Analysis

Our injection moulding simulation service uses the latest 3D solid mould filling, cooling and warpage technologies from Autodesk Moldflow.  We have the knowledge gained from hundreds of studies over 25 years, from tiny medical parts to the largest of automotive components.  Our service provides clients with the optimum mould filling characteristics for new and existing injection mould tools.

Used at the beginning of a project to deliver optimisation of the moulded product, process and mould tool design, or used as a solution to an existing moulding defect – the Moldflow simulation can provide the answers to any injection moulding process or problem.

We are based in the UK and are prepared to discuss the Moldflow analysis report face-to-face or by using online meeting platforms. This enables a “live” view of the simulation and provides the opportunity for immediate feedback and discussion with the customer – the benefits that are delivered pay for the cost of the analysis itself many times over.

What is Moldflow Analysis?

We take the CAD model of your injection moulded part, or complete mould tool construction, and create a finite element mesh that accurately represents the part. This mesh allows us to analyse the complete injection moulding process using Autodesk Moldflow software to predict what is happening at each stage of the cycle.

Starting with the mould filling phase, the Moldflow simulation provides detailed results of the mould filling characteristics such as filling pattern, pressure requirements, temperature maps, weld line locations and air-traps, determining the optimum number and position of gates.

The packing phase analysis delivers additional results for gate freeze-off, clamping force, sink mark prediction and shrinkage. This provides a detailed insight into what is happening inside the mould that cannot be visualised any other way.

Producing a quality injection moulded part begins with an optimised filling and packing phase. The results from the analysis need to be interpreted with expertise in order to fully appreciate the influence of changes to the design or injection moulding process parameters.

The cooling phase of the injection moulding sequence can account for up to 80% of the total cycle. Analysis of the mould cooling system function and efficiency is a key factor in delivering quality parts in the shortest time possible.  The Moldflow simulation can ascertain the parameters required to maximise the heat-removal efficiency of a proposed cooling circuit. It can validate any changes such as high conductivity metal inserts, bubblers and baffles before any mould steel is cut.

The benefits of performing this analysis in the early stages of tool design avoids costly modifications that could be required after the first trials, these can often result in a compromise.

Warpage analysis can isolate the cause of part distortion after moulding. It can be used to verify the effects of changes to the part design, process parameters or material thus enabling a stable solution to be developed via a scientific and iterative process.

Post-mould warpage is caused by variations in shrinkage which are driven by:-

• Volumetric shrinkage
• Pressure
• Crystallinity
• Stress relaxation
• Orientation

What are the Benefits of Moldflow Analysis?

In simple terms, it will save your business time and money.

The ability to optimise the product design and the injection moulding process before cutting any mould steel is the only route to getting it right first time.

Validating changes to the process, product or mould tool design via CAE (computer-aided engineering) enables a fact-based decision to be made.

Optimisation of the product design, mould tool design and processing parameters can be determined at the beginning of a project.

The result – no more repeated trials, tooling modifications, project delays and compromises.

A relatively small upfront cost will provide the best return on your mould tool investment.