(1)1. CONNECT! Online

ENGEL sim link – The Connection of Two Worlds: Simulation and Production

To this day, many findings from the simulation of injection moulding processes on the machine remain unused. ENGEL sim link makes it possible to transfer data from the simulation to the injection moulding machine and vice versa. This provides the machine operator with an initial proposal for mould sampling from the simulation, making use of the simulation engineer’s expertise and knowledge of the limits of the injection moulding machine used. In addition, ENGEL sim link can also be used to transfer data from production to Autodesk Moldflow to accelerate troubleshooting and increase process understanding. The simulation engineer thus has the opportunity to close the loop between simulation and production and create a digital twin.

Moldflow vs. Moldfloor – The Pressure to Do it Right

Moldflow simulation is used to support material selection, as a tool for the design of tools and components and as a processing guide. With regard to processing, an analyst can be asked to determine ideal process conditions in order to meet various requirements for part quality with the widest possible process window. Similarly, the analyst can be asked to correct errors / optimize an existing process. Some companies and OEMs evaluate an analyst on how well the simulation results and moldfloor match. However, sources of error between Moldflow and moldfloor must be considered. There are many process parameters that, if not correctly captured and/or reported or not well understood between the analyst and the moldfloor, have a very low chance of a good correlation between the Moldflow results and the moldfloor data. This presentation will highlight some of the sources of error, focusing on a few key points to consider when using simulation for process development and troubleshooting.

Optimization of Hot Runner Systems for Large Plastic Components

Plastic injection moulding is the most common production process for the cost-effective and time-efficient manufacture of high-quality plastic parts. To reduce waste in the upcoming production, hot runner systems and nozzles at the injection points are preferred to cold runner systems. Since the injection process also has a significant influence on the filling pattern, the fibre orientation and thus on essential structural component properties, a further objective in development is the design and optimisation of a suitable gating system.
However, complex part geometries usually require very sophisticated demoulding strategies. Consequently, there are only a few options available for the installation of hot runner systems. Many possible positions do not offer sufficient space for the nozzle and cooling. It is therefore worth spending time and effort to find the best balance between the gating and demolding system. On the one hand, this provides a high-precision mould and a production process for the best part quality, and on the other hand, a lot of time and money can be saved in production.
This presentation gives a short insight into the MAHLE pre-series (development) process to find and optimize an injection and removal system for a tool. The results of both the rejected and the final variant are shown to give an overview of the development steps that have been carried out.