I have recently been exposed to multiple articles and discussions regarding the implementation of flow simulation on injection molding machines This is an intriguing topic which I advocate Currently, this new combo method is proving difficult to line up the results from the analysis with the actual process on the injection molding machine In order to successfully utilize this capability on an injection molding machine, several factors must be understood

For those who have read my previous articles, you may appreciate that I strongly promote having the right person for the right job In other words, the simulation engineer must have a complete and comprehensive understanding of plastics in order to be able to properly simulate the plastics injection molding process

My suggestion is to always have a degreed Plastics Engineer with floor experience perform simulations on plastic parts The reason for this advocation is to ensure that the simulation engineer virtually takes on the role of the process engineer This makes certain that the simulation will properly emulate the injection molding machine process on the part being molded Unfortunately, this is not always the case and the articles I have recently read do not touch on this very important factor A virtual simulation cannot simply be executed, have the results taken to the floor, input into the injection molding machine and expect the molded part to perfectly match the simulation results It’s not that easy due to many variables which must be considered

For example, the simulation engineer (with the proper degree and experience) will understand the limitations and boundaries of the intended injection molding machine for that particular simulated part It is not always necessary to know every specification of the machine and to input that specific data into the simulation Most machines have a wide variation of capabilities that the simulation engineer will take into consideration The simulation will then be executed with all of the necessary variables factored in for the injection molding machine, thus maintaining a high degree of accuracy between the simulation and the floor

The difficult task is discovering those unintended variables that affect the process on the floor, eg material batch changes, colorant issues in the polymer, tool temperature variations that the press cannot record, physical changes within the tool such as polymer sticking to action within the tool, cold gates not opening and flowing when desired, cosmetic issues at the gate or