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What is plastic injection molding?
Thermoplastic injection molding is a method for manufacturing high-volume parts with plastic materials. Due to its reliability and flexibility in design options, injection molding is used in many industries, including: packaging, consumer & electronics, automotive, medical, and many more.
What are the most common types of injection molding processes?
The traditional thermoplastic injection molding process can be modified to include processes that help to enhance part quality and part design flexibility. Below are some examples:
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Molding with thermoset materials requires heat or chemical means to cross-link polymer chains.
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Overmolding is an injection molding process where one material is molded on top of another.
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Inert gas is introduced, at high pressure, into the polymer melt at the end of the injection phase of molding.
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Injection of two different materials using either the same or different injection locations.
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Use of physical blowing agent, chemical blowing agent (CBA), or mold core-back process to trigger foaming of polymer inside the mold.
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Forming technique for producing small components using powders, typically ceramics (CIM) or metals (MIM), and binding agents.
What are some advantages of injection molding?
Injection molding manufactures high quantities of parts, faster than other manufacturing methods (machining or 3D-printing). High accuracy and automated processes encourage identical part creation, promoting low labor costs. Customization allows flexibility in part design (ex. molded-in inserts) and material properties (ex. color, clarity, strength, & flexibility).
What challenges can appear with injection molding?
Part designers, mold engineers, and other manufacturing stakeholders can all run into their own challenges, which ultimately affect part quality, and they often need to work together to resolve if not caught in the early design stages.
Some examples of these challenges include material variations, weld lines, sink marks, warpage, long cycle times, and incomplete cavity filling.
How does injection molding simulation software help?
Molding simulation can help designers and engineers to understand risks early in the design process, allowing the ability to address these before becoming fully invested. Simulation software gives engineers, mold makers, and other molding professionals accurate digital prototyping solutions, and help bring better products to market faster.
Moldflow simulation can be paired with other simulation tools, including mechanical stress, vibration, motion, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and Multiphysics, providing a fast, accurate, and innovative approach to solving the most challenging design problems.
How can Moldflow injection molding simulation software help?
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Predict surface finish defects
Analyze fill patterns and effects of geometry & process setting changes, such as sink marks.
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Predict & prevent warpage
Investigate the causes of warpage, then examine options to minimize or correct part deflection.
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Optimize designs for lightweighting
Analyze and compare advanced materials for lightweighting efforts, such as with automotive components.
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Reduce part cycle time
Predict part cooling efficiency. Experiment with advanced conformal cooling or induction heating before investing in costly molds.
Explore injection molding & manufacturing software
Resources for injection molding simulation
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Explore simulation through use-cases, validation reports, and technical papers from our team of experts.
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Interact directly with current Moldflow Insight users and the Moldflow product team.
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Read through various articles including injection molding concepts, simulation how-to's, and troubleshooting.
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Keep up-to-date with molding simulation through these engineering-focused blog posts.
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Interact directly with current Moldflow Adviser users and the Moldflow product team.
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Watch and read how Moldflow simulation has directly impacted product design and manufacturing.
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Learn how our Product Innovation Platform lets you more effectively design products and manage product lifecycles.
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Explore manufacturing software that may help you machine, print, inspect, and fabricate better quality parts, faster.