As General Motors relies more on Autodesk® Simulation Moldflow® software for upfront design for manufacturability, it has become apparent that the capability to accurately predict location and relative quality of meld lines is essential to eliminate costly tool re-work—work that is necessary to resolve surface quality and/or part performance issues. A research project was initiated under the auspices of continuous improvement to study the effect of mesh density—relative to obstruction size—on the ability of Moldflow to accurately predict position, length, and quality of a meld line. This class will review the findings of this research by using case studies to illustrate the impact of poor meld-line predictions on tooling strategy and explain how these tooling decisions could have been avoided through meshing technique. Proper mesh density for the accurate prediction of meld-line location and quality will be the next best practice enhancement to the GM Moldflow Specification, GMW16355.

Autodesk® Simulation Moldflow® Insight is a powerful tool to simulate the different stages of the injection molding process. New capabilities of this tool include a transient mold thermal analysis. This type of simulation combines the mold filling and packing simulation with a heat transfer analysis, hence providing increased accuracy in the mold thermal solution. Attendees see the variables that influence the analysis results and improvements that can be done to the model to more closely correlate with the real life. For this purpose, simulation results are compared to experimental results over a design of experiments varying coolant temperature, injection rate, barrel temperature, and cooling time. The experimental results, obtained using an instrumented mold, include temperature and pressure data. Finally, the differences between the transient cooling analysis and the conventional cycle average solution are compared as well as their correlation to experimental results.

Shear imbalance is a tooling gremlin that was often ignored until exposed by John Beaumont about 10 years ago. The causes can be subtle but the problems that result are not. In the last few releases, Autodesk has significantly improved the capability for Autodesk Simulation Moldflow software to evaluate shear imbalance. Last year at AU, Beaumont provided an excellent technical presentation on the subject which resulted in those techniques being adopted by 3D Shapes on projects. Evaluating shear imbalance benefited our customers. We hope by highlighting key points for properly evaluating shear rate and and looking at recent examples, we can now help you benefit from these capabilities too.

The University of Bradford has been using Autodesk Simulation Moldflow software for many years to investigate key injection-molding effects such as fiber orientation, residual stresses, warpage, post-injection product performance, heat transfer, and feature replication. This class builds on our Autodesk University 2011 class and covers the experimental and computational analysis of short- and -fiber reinforced components during injection molding, along with thermal investigations of the micromolding process.

In this class we will discuss the new capability to map fiber orientations and material properties from Simulation Moldflow software to structural finite element analysis (FEA). We will also cover how to use Simulation Composite Analysis software to simulate nonlinear material behavior of the fiber-filled material.

Do you use CAD models with Autodesk Moldflow products? If yes, then don't miss this class. We will discuss how to leverage Autodesk Inventor® Fusion technology as the front-end modeler and idealization tool for Autodesk Moldflow. We will show how to use Inventor Fusion to import CAD data, then edit and simplify it in preparation for Autodesk Moldflow simulation. We will discuss the techniques to simplify a part model and make design changes, such as modifying the part thickness and adding ribs, using Inventor Fusion. We will also discuss the alternative workflow of starting the simulation process in Autodesk Moldflow Insight, launching Inventor Fusion from Autodesk Moldflow Insight to modify geometry, and then rerunning the solver analysis in Autodesk Moldflow Insight.

In this class we will introduce the basic concepts and principles behind the Application Programming Interface (API) and show how you can use it to enhance the capabilities of Moldflow Insight. The class will introduce the API functionality and conventions through a series of scripts that highlight common tasks completed with the API. Key areas covered will include creating custom plots and results, creating and examining mesh quality, exporting results, and interfacing with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. The lab will consist of a mixture of lectures and hands-on exercises to ensure that both the theoretical and practical aspects of building API scripts are covered. No previous programming knowledge is required to take this lab.

The fiber orientation as a result of the injection molding process have a high impact on the mechanical behavior that the manufactured product will have. Using different material models will help in understanding the latest improvements on the fiber oreination prediction, and considerations that are needed in order to have a better performance. By having the link between rheology and structural simulations, the material properties can be related with the fiber orientation in order to have a mechanical model that can be closer to reality. Autodesk Helius makes this link and helps in bringing the reality to simulation.

Detailed analysis of mold designs is becoming increasingly necessary as advanced mold technologies are adopted. Conformal mold cooling is a cooling technique that aims to offer optimal cooling conditions exactly where you need them. The technology has been around for many years, but has become a real option now with the better and cheaper ways to manufacture conformal cooling cores. Hot runner systems are very commonly used in plastic injection molding. Although these are simple systems on the surface, what actually happens inside the hot runners and how they lose heat into the mold can be quite complex. With the Cool (FEM) functionality inside Autodesk Simulation Moldflow software coupled with Autodesk® Simulation CFD software, you now have the capability to model even the most complicated conformal geometries and hot runners in full three-dimensional detail of all components. This process enables you to evaluate and optimize the hot runner and conformal cooling design to achieve an optimal mold design and injection molding process.

Injection mold designers and mold makers are facing increasing challenges due to newly developed molding technologies such as rapid heating and cooling molding (RHCM) or rapid temperature cycle (RTC), as the mold lifecycles could be shorter or uncertain. Even for traditional mold design and making, the lifecycle is typically based on experiences only. We have developed a new tool for mold fatigue analysis. It analyzes the progressive and localized structural damage that causes mold failure due to cyclic loading during the injection molding process. In this class, we will present the complete simulation sequence: transient thermal analysis, mold filling analysis, core-shift analysis, clamping influence, mold stress analysis, and eventually fatigue analysis. This sequence is automated in Autodesk® Simulation Moldflow® Insight software to identify where mold damage could happen first and how many cycles a mold will last.

In this session, you’ll have the opportunity to take the Moldflow Associate and Moldflow Professional level certifications. You will also have the opportunity to discuss your use of Moldflow software with expert Moldflow software trainers. Exams will be held Monday, November 14, in room San Polo 3405, Level 3, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This class is about the experiments and simulations related to the microcellular injection molding. The experiments are part of the research done at the Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory at the University of Toronto. We will present 3 topics related to the experiments. The first will be on the visualization studies on the bubble nucleation and growth. We will examine the effects of process conditions. The second will be on the use of mold opening (core-back) for the microcellular injection molding. The third will be on the effects of bubbles on the fiber orientation in the microcellular injection molding. We will use some of the experimental results (such as bubble nucleation/growth and the mold-opening experiment) in the simulation with  Moldflow Insight software. We will discuss the correlation between the experimental and simulation results, and we will also present some case studies related to microcellular injection molding and core-back processes.

Plastics, composites, and other advanced materials are replacing metal across multiple industries. The main benefit provided by replacing metallic designs with advanced material designs is the ability to make a product lighter. Advanced materials add challenges to the design process for parts, assemblies, and structures that use these materials. The material behavior is often non-linear, anisotropic, and influenced by how products are manufactured. Helius PFA software provides powerful capabilities for simulating these beneficial but complex materials within a mechanical design. The Helius PFA software suite includes Advanced Material Exchange software for mapping manufacturing data from Moldflow Insight to structural simulation. Join Autodesk, Inc., to learn about the newest features, use cases, best practices for using Helius PFA software, and on the future of advanced material simulation at Autodesk.

This class will discuss the tools available in Autodesk® Moldflow® Insight for simulating the dynamic temperature changes experienced in the mold during an injection molding process by using the Cool Finite Element Method (FEM) functionality. Topics covered will include modeling requirements, process setup and workflow, theory, result interpretation, and validation examples. Focus will also be given to new functionality available in the Scandium Technology Preview supporting dual-domain part models, thermoset molding and variable coolant inlet temperature processes, including Rapid Heating and Cooling of the Mold (RHCM), also known as Rapid Temperature Cycling or Variotherm. In addition, examples will be shown to demonstrate how to model complex 3D cooling channels (conformal cooling).

Compression molding is one of the earliest forms of molding. It is typically used for thermoset materials, but can be used with thermoplastics. The advantages of compression molding include more isotropic fiber distribution, dimensional stability, and surface finish. Compression molding can also support large part sizes, and it has a tendency to produce fewer knit lines. Injection-compression molding is a combination of injection and compression molding. The process keeps the advantages of injection molding and combines them with the advantages of compression molding. In this class, we highlight the advantages and limitations of both processes. We also discuss, in detail, the implementation of the processes using Autodesk® Simulation Moldflow® Insight software.

This presentation will show an example of validating the results of a Moldflow Plastic Insight warpage simulation. The topics covered will include material characterization, process setup, model accuracy, mold cavity pressure instrumentation, part shrinkage/warpage, and molded part laser scanning. An actual production mold will be used to conduct this validation study. THe mold has been instrumented with cavity pressure sensors. The molded parts have been scanned with a laser and will be compared with the results obtained from the shrinkage/warpage analysis.

In this class, you will learn how we used Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Insight Ultimate software to successfully design and develop active-shutter 3D glasses for LCD television. We will focus on the prediction and mitigation of stress birefringence in an optically sensitive injection-molded component. Anyone who is interested in learning more about applying the powerful and specialized modules of Moldflow Insight software in the early stages of product design will gain from this class.

This class will detail how Moldflow Insight software was used to evaluate and optimize conformal cooling designs within 3D-printed injection mold tooling. Three sets of 3D-printed tooling were manufactured using an ultraviolet-curable photopolymer via PolyJet printing. One set of tooling was cooled via cooling channels in the steel mold base; the second set was cooled via straight cooling channels in the mold inserts; and the last set was cooled via conformal cooling channels in the mold inserts. Moldflow simulations were performed to investigate the temperature gradients within the inserts, which were correlated with measured temperatures taken during molding trials. Results showed lower, more-uniform surface temperatures for the inserts with conformal channels. Optimal conformal cooling designs were then evaluated via Moldflow simulations, showing that further improvements are possible as the capabilities of 3D-printed technology continues to advance. This session features Moldflow Insight.

This class will describe the benefits of using PowerShape software and Moldflow Insight to model and simulate a conformal cooling tool. With 3D printing on the rise, conformal cooling is becoming a more widely available option to create cooling channels in metal in order to more evenly cool a plastic component during the molding process. Utilizing the modeling power of PowerShape to build a mold with channels following the geometry of the plastic part-and then validating the channels using Moldflow-can save time and money by eliminating the need to 'build it and hope it works."

Generative design is a hot topic, but existing manufacturing methods like casting and injection molding seem to be hiding behind the curtains. This presentation will focus less so on additive manufacturing and more so on mass manufacturing methods currently being used industry wide. By leveraging existing generative design technology with casting and injection molding best practices, we can re-shape how current product design for manufacturing workflows can be achieved. By demonstrating the capabilities of new generative design technology, this talk will expose the new feature enhancements showcasing a realistic approach to the manufacturing and product design world which can be implemented into product design and manufacturing workflows today.