CONNECT European Moldflow User Meeting 2023
The CONNECT has been a great success
At this point, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all participants and contributors. The CONNECT event was an outstanding success, and we owe this achievement primarily to the speakers, customers, Autodesk, exhibitors, and our MFS and PEG team.
For those who could not attend in person this year, we would like to provide you with an insight into the inspiring event. The CONNECT Moldflow User Meeting provided a unique platform to explore the latest developments and innovations in the injection molding industry. From groundbreaking projects by TU Berlin, Robert Bosch to the innovative solutions offered by inpro – the diversity of ideas presented truly reflected the innovative power of our industry.
Another highlight was the unveiling of Autodesk’s future plans for the further development of Moldflow. We are thrilled by the visionary perspectives that lie ahead in terms of the continued growth and enhancement of Moldflow. We look forward to distributing and supporting Moldflow as the leading injection molding simulation software in the coming years.
For those who couldn’t be there this year, we assure you that you missed an exceptional event! CONNECT provides a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge, establish connections, and discover the latest trends in the injection molding industry. But don’t worry, we are already working enthusiastically on planning the next event.
Mark your calendars now for the upcoming Moldflow CONNECT on June 18th and 19th, 2024. It will be a unique opportunity to network with experts and enthusiasts, learn about the latest industry trends, and participate in exciting discussions.
Once again, we would like to thank all participants who support us and show interest in CONNECT. You are an essential part of our dynamic and innovative community. Together, we are shaping the future of injection molding.
Mark your calendars – June 18th and 19th, 2024
CONNECT European Moldflow User Meeting 2024
Read more about the lectures
Sven Theissen, Plastics Engineering Group GmbH, Moldflow Simulation Expert
New Designs in Automotive Engineering: Challenges for Process Simulation and Validation illustrated by the Example of Star Panel from Mercedes Benz
The simulation of special processes such as 2K injection molding, injection-compression molding applications or even variothermal process control still place high demands on the software and a good understanding of the process on the simulation user.
If several of these processes are combined in a single mold, the complexity of the simulation increases many times over.
Using the STAR PANEL tool for the Mercedes EQS as an example, the presentation will show how Moldflow today supports the design of component, tool and manufacturing process even for the most complex processes and what high prediction quality can be achieved.
Akash Castelino, inpro GmbH, twino Product Lead
twino: Seamless Collaboration and Knowledge Transfer amongst Injection Molding (IM) Engineering Specialists and Shopfloor Production Teams
This presentation will describe twino with regard to injection molding use cases – developed by inpro together with SABIC to foster collaboration and bridge information gaps. Information gaps exist in the IM value chain amongst engineering partners/suppliers and production teams. Strict timelines and highly complex production conditions demand clear and effective collaboration, to understand simulation results and design intent combined with trust. This is needed to avoid reverting back to methods based on time-consuming trial and error approaches that lead to longer ramp-up times, higher costs and sub-optimal quality. With secure dataspaces for data exchange as per Catena-X standard, Moldflow simulations and dependent design revisions of part and tooling can be synchronized. Performant import of Moldflow study results and dimensional tolerances on mobile devices leverages engineering data in a form factor suitable for the shopfloor. Mobile augmented-reality enabled remote assistance for shopfloor specialists helps to clarify interpretation of the simulation results and support troubleshooting on-site. Additionally, with mobile equipped Lidar cameras, data can be mapped, measurement metadata can be created for offline measurements and learnings from the process can be quickly documented into a knowledge database.
Alfred Angerer, Engel Austria GmbH, R&D Engineer
ENGEL sim link® – “Closing the loop” between simulation and production or “What else can you do with it…?”
ENGEL sim link® provides a solution to the long-standing problem of the data barrier between simulation and production in injection molded product development. The bilateral data interface between Moldflow simulation and the injection moulding machine facilitates easy and error-free transfer of simulation settings to production. Moreover, feedback from production in the form of real production settings and profiles can be easily received and integrated into an existing simulation. This presentation shows how sim link’s key features can be further used to modify, export and import process settings, improving the quality of simulations in the long term. Through the example of simulated and conducted pilot plant trials, the presentation highlights how modifying material data can help bring simulation pressure prediction closer to reality, leading to more realistic predictions for further tests using the same material.
Jacob Trott, Beaumont Inc., Material Lab Manager
Beaumont: Material Characterization Lab Update
Beaumont and MF Software have created a strong partnership over the past several years, serving the needs of material characterization for Autodesk Moldflow Simulation Software in Europe. Now, the Material Characterization Division of Beaumont Advanced Processing has moved to a new facility dedicated to characterization activities. As market trends are shifting, this has given the lab the opportunity to continue to grow and be able to service the increasing characterization needs. Plastic material needs are changing as the demand for plastic resin increases and OEM’s push for more viable renewable sources.
Stephan Schmidseder, Audi AG, Department Technology and Manufacturability
TAPE (Partially Automated Report Generator) the Audi Report as a possible standard template for the industry
The TAPE report generator from Audi helps to create a uniform standard in reporting. This allows a common basis to be created for all suppliers and OEMs independently of each other and also independently of the software. This results in all project participants being able to interpret the results much more easily due to the returning structure and this also results in high confidence in the simulation.
Felipe Porcher, TU Berlin, PhD Student in Material Sciences
Sebastian Wiedemann, BSH Hausgeräte, Application Engineer
Automated, simulation-based Gate Location Optimization
The positioning of gates is a critical factor in the production of injection-molded parts. It influences the filling pattern in the cavity and therefore the final quality of the part. However, it is difficult to determine the optimal gate positions that improve multiple performance indicators simultaneously. To solve this problem, we have developed an automated solution that relies on simulation-based optimization. The user defines the valid areas and the number of gates per area. Then, he selects a target value from a list of Moldflow results to be maximized or minimized. After completion of the workflow, the best design is presented. We demonstrate the functionality of the workflow using a use case where the gate positions for a short-fiber reinforced plastic part of a tumble dryer were optimized.
Christoph Bontenackels, Covestro AG, Application Engineer
Accurate Pressure Simulation by CFD-based Viscosity Fitting
Correct pressure prediction in injection molding simulation represents an essential factor for the successful design of plastic components and injection molds. High-quality material data for modeling viscosity as a function of temperature, shear rate and pressure form the basis for high prediction quality here. However, due to the polymer-specific flow properties, the determination of these material data is a complex process in practice, which generally requires a high level of experience and understanding of the material. In this context, polycarbonate manufacturer Covestro has developed a new, innovative viscosity fitting method. This is based on CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulations of flow conditions in a rheometer and enables high-quality viscosity data to be determined on the basis of conventional test data. First results show a significantly increased prediction quality for the injection molding simulation with simultaneously consistent viscosity data for different materials, which form the basis for highly accurate predictions of the pressure loss during injection molding.
Dr. Gianluca Trotta, Consiglio Nationale delle Ricerche, Simulation Expert
Determination of Clamping Force as Warning Limit for Flash Formation in Micro Injection Moulding using Process Simulation and Comparison with Experiments
The presented activity focused on the study of the simulation process of micro injection molding and in particular on the identification of the intrinsic parameters of the simulator whose setting may affect the part weight. The choice of the part weight, as observed variable, is linked to the need for a variable easily measurable and therefore that can provide a fast response on the quality of the component. The purpose is to build a new procedure for the analysis of the micro injection moulding process, which uses on the one hand the process parameters configurable on the machine and, on the other hand, trying to identify, within the thermoplastic simulation software Autodesk Moldflow©, which parameters can have a greater influence on the part weight in order to identify a prediction model on the basis of which you can try to optimize the process and have a clearer vision of how different the approach to the micro world is compared to the macro; and so what factors need to be “calibrated” for a correct prediction of the process in order to minimize waste and then make micro injection molding process more repeatable and therefore more reliable. The flash defect has been identified as one of the major defects that occur in particular during injection moulding and that directly affect the part weight. In literature, the flash formation has been predicted in a single micropart production by adding the venting channel as part of the cavity domain. With the novel approach proposed in this research activity, the flash formation during the simulations has been associated with the overcoming of the clamping force. The limit value of the clamping force can be set in the simulator and when the process exceeds the limit, the software provides some warning messages, available in the real time log file on the screen, which do not inhibit the simulation itself.
Simon Staal, SABIC, Application Engineering Specialist
Warpage of Welded Assemblies: An Integrated Approach
Welding of two injection molded parts is a common industry practice, an example of such a solution can be found in automotive instrument panels. Both individual parts will have a certain warpage of their own. It is observed that warpage of both parts welded together, the welded assembly, might be different from the individual warpage of the single parts. Ideally the warpage of the welded assembly might decrease, however also a change in shape, increase in magnitude or instable warpage result might appear. In most cases the dimensional accuracy is important both before and after welding. Therefore SABIC developed a tool which allows optimisation of the warpage of the welded assembly. This allows for a more efficient and early-phase optimisation of single parts and their welded assembly, and gives insight into potential warpage risks. Furthermore, the design of the welding fixtures and welding locations can be fine-tuned to obtain a more optimal result.
Dr.-Ing. Julian Heinisch, LG Chem Ltd., Injection Molding Engineer
Integrative process and structure simulation for sustainable bio PA56
In today’s world, solutions for reducing CO2 emissions are of great importance. LG Chem has developed a biobased product called Polyamide 56 (PA56), which is made from biomonomers derived from corn and sugarcane and has a significant reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional PA66. An example of the use of PA56 is the replacement of a metallic clutch pedal with a glass fiber-filled bio-PA56, which is simulated using Moldflow and Digimat. These simulation tools enable an optimized solution for material, component design, and processing, which maximizes the potential for reducing the CO2 footprint.
Alireza Ardestani, DTU, PhD Student – Project DIGIMAN 4.0
Injection Moulding 4.0 – How to use Digital Twins for Quality Prediction and Process Optimization Integrating Simulation and Machine Learning
Increasing demand for plastic parts quality in today’s world leads to more focus on plastic parts’ manufacturing methods. Established experimental methods are being replaced with different modern techniques including digital twins, statistical models, and machine learning approaches. These are the key enabling techniques connecting injection moulding to Industry 4.0. The talk will revolve around the methods and the results of applying these techniques for the optimization of the blush defect in injection moulding.
Thomas Willerer, Webasto SE, Development Expert
Simulating Semi-Crystalline Thermoplastics with Cooling Rate-Dependent PVT-Diagrams
In injection molding simulation, it is repeatedly pointed out that cooling rate-dependent modeling of the PVT diagram is necessary in order to be able to represent the crystallization process more accurately, especially in the skin layers. This is because the material acquires a low crystallinity there due to the high cooling rate, and the temperature at which the material changes from liquid to solid also changes as a result. In this presentation, it will be shown how a cooling rate dependent PVT diagram was developed, which can be used for simulation and implemented in Moldflow via the Solver API. The resulting results will be compared to the PVT tait-two-domain modeling that is prevalent in the literature and the calculations that Moldflow produces via the standard calculation.
Christoph Schuster, RF Plast GmbH, Team Lead R&D
Media tight overmoulding of a printed circuit board with epoxy resin
Solvay specializes in high-performance specialty polymers for various demanding industries globally. They extensively use virtual engineering at Solvay Applications Development Labs (ADL) to support customer projects through simulation and material characterization. Solvay continually develops simulation tools and methodologies to cater to the evolving needs of their customers. For instance, they are developing capabilities to predict core-shift in overmolding of metal inserts, which presents challenges such as insert deformation. By investigating different factors contributing to insert deformation such as constraint configurations, insert thicknesses, and material grades, they aim to reduce prototyping and testing costs. Moldflow is used to reproduce core-shift injection trials while taking into account constraint configurations and material properties. These findings deepen the understanding of overmolding polymer behavior in the presence of metal inserts and highlight the advantages and limitations of Moldflow.
Prashanth Santharam, Solvay S.A., Virtual Engineering Expert
Core-Shift Analysis of Metal Inserts Over Molded With Reinforced Plastic
Solvay is a global leader in high-performance specialty polymers that cater to a variety of demanding industries. Virtual engineering is used extensively in Solvay Applications Development Labs (ADL) to support customer development projects via simulation and material characterization. To address evolving customer needs, Solvay continually develops simulation tools and methodologies. One such example is the overmolding of metal inserts, which poses challenges such as core-shift. Developing capabilities to predict core-shift is crucial in reducing prototyping and testing costs, and this is achieved by investigating various factors contributing to insert deformation, such as constraint configurations, insert thicknesses, and material grades. Moldflow is used to reproduce core-shift injection trials, taking into account constraint configurations and material properties. The findings highlight the advantages and limitations of Moldflow and deepen the understanding of overmolding polymer behavior in the presence of metal inserts.
Jay Shoemaker, iMFLUX, Senior Simulation & Development Engineer
Power up your Results Interpretation using API & Excel
This presentation looks at API tools used with MS Excel to aid in Moldflow project management and in the interpretation of results. Many types of results are extracted from Moldflow so statistical analysis can be done to interpret and compare results better.
Balamurugan Ganesan, MSC Software GmbH, Business Development Manager
Dr. Robert Wesenjak, MSC Software GmbH, Application Engineer
Lifetime prediction of SFRP components with Digimat
The design of high quality, light and energy efficient vehicles is crucial for the success of the automotive industry. The use of composites is essential for achieving that objective and, although challenging, accurate modeling of their high cycle behavior is required to optimize designs without compromising the lifetime and security of structural components. The structural durability of an automotive component is one of the most expensive attributes to test, thus one of the most appealing for CAE applications. However, fatigue modeling of SFRP is challenging due to their anisotropic, heterogenous, nonlinear material properties in combination with the complex amplitude loading those components are commonly subjected to. To help engineers tackling those challenges, Hexagon developed a workflow to model high cycle fatigue (HCF) from the FEA setup to the lifetime prediction using its Design & Engineering simulation tools.
József Gábor Kovács, University Budapest, R&D Group Leader
Hybrid Lightweight Polymer Composites: T-RTM – New Technology for Continuous Reinforced Recyclable Thermoplastic Parts
The project aims to develop lightweight solutions for injection molded composite parts. The core technology that is being developed further is Thermoplastic-Resin Transfer Molding (T RTM). Its main advantages are the thermoplastic nature of the raw material, as well as the excellent impregnation capability for long-fiber reinforcements. Despite these, T-RTM in its present stage is not competitive due to its limitations of geometry and preform structures. T-RTM is being further developed through controlled fiber orientation involving 3D printing technologies to achieve plannable load bearing in the structures. The novelty of the project is—in addition to oriented reinforcement—the combination of T-RTM, conventional injection molding (overmolding) and 3D printing (overprinting) to achieve complex geometries. The project is focusing on the numerical modelling of these technologies, polymers, composites, and hybrid composites. Therefore, the main aim of the research project is to characterize the polymerization kinetics, crystallization kinetics and viscosity of the in-situ polymerization-based materials for numerical modelling. Reinforcement structure development is also in focus regarding short and long fibers, such as conventional and 3D printing-based preform technologies for the designable load-bearing structures. Finally, overmolding and overprinting are being further developed as conventional T-RTM technologies are limited in geometries.
Armin Kech, Robert Bosch GmbH, Subject Specialist
Dr. Sebastian Mönnich, Plastics Engineering Group GmbH, Team Lead Integrative Simulation
LCA meets Moldflow – Life Cycle Assessment
The talk will cover the inside in a running publicly funded project, called “DIGILaugBeh” with focus on sustainability issues for long glass fiber reinforced PP. The project is a combined action under the leading of PTJ (Projektträger Jülich) funded by BMWK with partners from Bosch, IKV, Fraunhofer-ITWM, University of Stuttgart, M2M and PEG as well as BSH and Celanese as associate partners. The idea of LCA meets Moldflow is to bring together two disciplines that are currently been performed separately. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Process simulation using Moldflow. Both disciplines are performed using well established commercial software and the idea is already when designing a part with Moldflow to get an idea about environmental impact of different alternatives (material, gating concept, machine type, etc.) Data from both disciplines are used to do an energy and material balance and a prediction of CO2 footprint and energy consumption. After completion of the project, by the end of 2024, a first prototype should be available that can be commercialized after by e.g. PEG. Currently an invention disclosure was submitted with shared inventors from Bosch, PEG and the University of Stuttgart.
Exhibitors & Sponsors
Carl Zeiss AG
inpro GmbH
ENGEL Austria GmbH
Beaumont Inc.
HEXAGON AB
G-Core Labs S.A.
Product Innovation Lounge by MFS GmbH
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