MPI 6.0 Materials

Chapter 1
Introduction to Computer Aided Engineering and MoldFlow
Computer Aided Engineering
The word CAE denotes computer Aided Engineering, Computers facilitate the implementation
of computation intensive numerical solutions to engineering problems, particularly the approximate
solution to partial differential equations. These have been rapid advances in the development,
Sophistication and acceptance of computational logarithms, expert systems and artificial intelligence.
These are all components of what is known as Computer Aided Engineering.
The CAE can be applied to Polymer industry in many areas of Processing in which the
process can be simulated and results can be seen on the display screen. The technique used in the
analysis is called as Finite Element Analysis technique. In Finite element analysis technique, the
structure or component part to be analyzed is divided in to finite number of elements and the
temperature, pressure drop etc. can be calculated for every element of the part and then as whole of
the part. Nevertheless, there will be an element of error in such calculations and the error limits
acceptable in such large computations are already decided upon.
Generally a finite element analysis involves the following steps:

a) Pre-processing
b) Solution
c) Post-processing
The steps involved in the analysis for plastics are as follows:

1. The 3D model of the component is generated on a CAD system. (This physical model shall be
referred as computer model hereafter).
2. A Mesh is generated i.e. it is divided in to finite number of elements.
3. Boundary conditions are applied to it. (Like material properties, Injection location, Process
conditions)
4. Equations are written for thermal and fluid properties of the model, I.e. component part.
5. The equations are solved by computer intensive calculations.
6. The solution of the part can be predicted for any failure of the part.
Application to Practical Mould Design

Flow Technology is making use of flow effects, to design better plastic products that can be
manufactured in an easier and more efficient way.
Given the geometry of the mould, material, feed system dimensions and moulding conditions,
the program conducts a 3Dflow analysis. It calculates the filling pattern in a series of steps such that
it predicts pressure drops over defined sections, temperature changes in the flow front, cooling times
and total pressure to fill. The analysis also prints outs shear stress and shear rates. Results are
presented in a colour graphics format such that the engineer can actually watch the filling pattern
develops.
From this it is possible to ascertain the direction of flow, position of weld lines and check for
possible transient effects.
The basic concept underlying analysis software is that the way plastic flow in to the cavity has
a very significant effect on the properties of the final part. Therefore when optimizing a flow pattern
the engineer must take in to account the criteria for mechanical performance. A significant factor is
molecular orientation.
In plastic material there is a direct relationship between flow shear stress and molecular
orientation. Higher flow shear stress causes a greater alignment of molecules in the general direction
of flow. The pattern of molecular orientation sets up internal stresses within the material. The
mechanical properties are much reduced in the direction perpendicular to orientation so if there is a
danger of the part being stresses across the orientation then during the design stage we should
minimize the degree of orientation. Since the mechanical strength in the direction of flow is higher
than across the flow, this can be used if the direction of mechanical load is known. Orientation can
be aligned in the direction of the principal stress.
It is also important to consider how flow affects the formation of weld lines. The extent to
which the two flow front ‘join’ depends on conditions at the flow front and the direction of flow.
Temperature is an important consideration so shear sensitivity and frictional heating are relevant
factors. So too is the structure of the material. The tendency of some additives to bleed out ahead of
the flow front can give an interface between two joining flow fronts, which has poor strength.
This means that as well as being visually unacceptable, weld lines, regardless of how well they
have formed will still give areas of local weakness in the part. Therefore it is important to position
weld lines away from areas of structural weakness.
The popular analysis software meant for flow analysis of plastic parts has a set of database of
plastic materials from many of the international manufacturers. As many as 3000 to 4000 grades of
plastics materials are available after characterizing the materials for the data as required by the
analysis programs. There are options available for the user to incorporate the material data for
locally available plastic materials also, after conducting the tests in the prescribed manner. The
popular software used for the purpose of analysis of plastics is
- C-Mold
- Mold flow
- Fill Calc
- CAD Mould etc.
Why do we need flow analysis?
Identifying the molding problems at an early stage of the tooling can greatly reduce
- Tooling lead times
- Mould trials
- Costly tooling and
- Product modifications
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What is happening at present?
With reference to the design of moulds, presently many of the parameters are either a guesswork or
based on existing empirical formula, which does not take in to consideration all the variables involved
in the process. For example, with the intention of ensuring a complete fill of the cavity, the designer
always tends to oversize the runners and gates. This increases the wastage of material apart from
other likely moulding problems. Like this, the guesswork is generally carried out for determining the
following variables:
- Clamp tonnage
- Product mouldability and quality
- Cooling requirements
- Injection time and pressure
- Melt and mould temperatures
- Pressure drop in the feed system
- Position of weld lines and air entrapment
- Areas of structural weakness
- Surface areas, volume and shot weight prediction.
What is available through CAE analysis?
CAE analysis involves full range of programs, which calculates the various parameters for
successfully moulding simple to complex parts based on complex equations of heat transfer and fluid
flow. The features, which can be estimated using such CAE analysis programs, are:
- Mouldability of the part

- Optimal Runner sizes
- Number and position of gates
- Temperature, pressure, fill time and cooling time required
- Clamp tonnage requirement
- Volume and shot weight
- Optimum wall thickness
- Stresses in the component part
- Shrinkage and warpage prediction
- Position and extent of sink marks
- Altering the material and verifying the mouldability for a different material using the material
database.
About the Software
The modules available in flow analysis software are:
1. Filling analysis
2. Packing analysis
3. Cooling analysis
4. Shrinkage and warpage analysis
5. Stress analysis
3
The main requirements for analyzing area as follows:
1. Description of the part geometry
The surface model with provision for modification of model for critical dimensions. The model of the
deed system-Sprue, Runner and Gate and suggested injection location for flow analysis. The model
of cooling circuit to be provided and the mould are needed for cooling analysis.
2. Raw Material Properties
The values of properties like Density, Specific heat, Viscosity and Thermal conductivity.
3. Molding conditions
Mold temperature, Melt temperature, Injection time or Flow time.
4. Process Machine Parameters
The injection pressure, clamping tonnage of the machine to be used. The flow rate of coolant
supplied the coolant inlet temperature.
Flow Analysis
Establish the filling pattern by Melt front advancement plots
Determination of the Optimum processing conditions
Determination of Runner and Cavity flow balance
Optimization of injection and Packing profiles
• The position of weld and melt lines and nature of weld

• Finding out the optimum wall thickness of the part.
Packing Analysis
• To check whether cavity is fully packed
• Accurate prediction of Clamping tonnage required
• The volumetric shrinkage of the part
• Elimination of post moulding effects
• Position and extent of sink marks
Cooling Analysis
• Determination of total cooling time
• Efficiency of the cooling circuit
• Cooling network flow parameters
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• Effect of mould features such as Inserts, Parting planes and Mould external surfaces on Mould
cooling
• Effect of part design on Uniformity of cooling of Part and mould temperature distribution.
Shrinkage and Warpage Analysis

• Factors affecting shrinkage
• Determination of Warped shape
• Identifying the nature of warpage
• Isolating the cause of the warpage
• Reducing the warpage to acceptable tolerance limit with the isolated cause
Stress Analysis
• Using the load i.e. Point load, Edge load, Pressure load, Volume load, Thermal load
• Output result such as
Deflection in x, y, z axis
• Deflection of the part

• Stresses
• Strains
Advantage of Computer Aided Engineering
The benefits of using CAE software to design and engineer components include:
• Improved and consistent component quality
• Lower costs associated with the need for less prototyping, rework and
lower product development cycle time
• Improved product design before the commencement of manufacturing
• Lower manufacturing cycle times.
Moldflow software
Moldflow produces CAE software for injection molded plastic parts and consequently helps bring
these benefits to the plastic industry.
Moldflow uses a structured design approach using a suite of programs to integrate mold and product
design by modeling the cavity, selecting the appropriate material date and predicting pressure,
temperature, shear rate, shear stress cooling times and a range of other outcomes.
5
Flow simulation
Project
Project MPI/STUDIO
MPI/STUDIO
Manager
Manager Flow
Flowanalysis
analysis
MPI
MPI
Materials
Materials Modeller
Modeller
MFG
MFG Manager
Manager
Modeling tool
2D modeling and for creating and
Material data
analysis. Used to modifying
base of plastic
determine molding meshed models
materials.
conditions
Flow analysis requires model surfaces, which are meshed. The surfaces are meshed during
modeling. The mesh comprises triangular elements, each element having three nodes. The
simulation of flow is based on calculations performed for each node.
The total number of elements in the model determines the accuracy of the results and the duration of
the analysis; more elements generally mean higher accuracy but longer computation time.
Control volume: Each node of the finite-element mesh is assigned a control volume. The sum of
the control volumes equals the volume of the model.
The region formed by linking the mid-sides of a triangular element to its centroid by a straight line
defines the control volume. As shown in Figure 1, the shaded area is the control volume for node 1.
Figure 1
The time to fill a control volume is dependent on the resistance to flow (for example, the thickness of
the elements and the flow rate).
6
Flow front growth: In the following example of flow front growth, the resistance to flow is
assumed the same in all directions.
For ease of reference the current flow front is shaded and a thick line encloses the predicted flow
front.
.
1. Node 1 - the gate node - has
filled. The first estimate of the flow 9 14 19
front is the line joining all nodes that

are attached to node 1 (nodes 2, 7, 12 2 4 11
5, 3, 6 and 4). This is the initial flow

front. Note that - being equidistant 16 7 1 6 17
from node 1 - these nodes are all

10 5 3 13
equally likely to fill at the same time
and very quickly. 18 15 8
2. Assume that node 2, on the 9 14 19
initial flow front, is the first to fill.

The flow front is now expanded by 12 2 4 11
all the nodes connected to node

number 2. However - as flow 16 7 1 6 17
always takes the path of least 5 3 13

10
resistance, the shortest distance in
this instance - the nodes connected 18 15 8
to node 1 fill before those

connected to node 2. In any event,
the nodes connected to node 2
receive very little flow at this stage.
With nodes 7, 5, 3, 6 and 4 still
filling, one of these is the next to fill
7
3. Assume that node 5 is the
next to fill. Its adjoining nodes are 9 14 19
now added to the flow front. The

next node to fill - still on the initial 12 2 4 11
flow front - is either 7, 3, 6 or 4.

16 7 1 6 17
10 5 3 13
18 15 8
4. Assuming that node 6 is the

next to fill, the flow front is 9 14 19
expanded as shown. The next node

to fill is either 7, 3 or 4 12 2 4 11
16 7 1 6 17
10 5 3 13
18 15 8
5. Assuming that node 7 has

filled, the next node to fill is either 3 9 14 19
or 4
12 2 4 11
16 7 1 6 17
10 5 3 13
18 15 8
8
6. Assume that node 3 is the
next to fill. 9 14 19
12 2 4 11
16 7 1 6 17
10 5 3 13
18 15 8
7. After the last node (node 4)

on the initial flow front is filled, the 9 14 19
flow front is as shown. One of the

nodes connected to node 2 may be 12 2 4 11
the next to fill and the cycle of “node

hopping” continues until the part is 16 7 1 6 17
filled.
10 5 3 13
18 15 8
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MoldFlow design principles
The aim of the MoldFlow flow design principles is to get the simplest possible flow pattern; by
positioning gates, dimensioning the runner system and possibly modifying the dimensions of the
design.
A plastic paper clip is used here to demonstrate the principles. Note that, as principles, they are an
ideal. In practice you will have to decide which principle is the most important in a particular design,
because achieving one principle will often prevent you achieving another.
The most frequently used principles are “balanced flow” and, with runner systems, “runner/cavity
ratio”.
Balanced flow
All flow paths should be B a la n c e d flo w p a th s
balanced, that is, fill in equal
time with equal pressure.
10
This may be improved by MPa
changing the gate position,

the thickness of one or more 1 s e c1 se c
flow paths, or a combination 0 M P a0 M P a
of both.
TM 006P 30
Runner/cavity ratio
Design runners for high
pressure drops. This minimizes R u nn er/c avity ratio
runner material by volume and R a tio 1 :1
gives a lower ratio of runner to 8 cu .c m 8 cu .c m

cavity volume
R a tio 0 .2 5 :1
2 cu .c m 8 cu .c m
TM 006P 38
Uni-directional flow
10
Throughout filling the plastic U n i-d ire ctio n a l flo w
should flow in one direction and
with a straight flow front. This
gives a Uni.-directional
orientation pattern.
The flow pattern may be
F lo w fro n t
improved by changing gate
position. However, this will TM 006P 39
affect the balance of flow paths.
Pressure gradient
The most efficient filling pattern

is when the pressure gradient C o n s ta n t p re s s u re g ra d ie n t
(pressure drop per unit length)
is constant along the flow path.
10
This will give the lowest MPa
possible volume for a given

pressure drop. 2 2 2 2 2
A constant pressure gradient is
only possible if all flow paths TM 006 P31
have the same length and

thickness.
Shear stress
Shear stress during filling should be Maximumshear stress

less than a critical value. Shear
stress
A low shear stress will avoid exceeding
any maximum recommended limit for Critical
the material and hence avoid possible
failure in critical areas that are subject
to high structural stress when in use. Time
Using a higher temperature, lower

TM006P32
pressure, or a combination of both may

reduce shear stress.
Weld/meld lines
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Position weld/meld lines in the least Weld/meldline
sensitive areas. Weld
line
Weld/meld lines are formed when two
flow meet. In multi-gated products they Most
sensitivearea
are unavoidable.
Apart from being areas of local
Least sensitivearea
weakness, they can be visually
unacceptable. They can be repositioned TM006P33
by changing the location of one or more

gates, or by flow balancing.
Hesitation
Position gates as far away as possible Avoidinghesitation

from where the flow divides into thick
Thin
and thin flow paths.
Hesitation can occur when flow pauses Thick Gate
in a thin path and is therefore losing

heat, while a thicker path requiring only Thin
the current pressure is filling. By the

time full pressure is available, the TM006P34
hesitating plastic may have frozen

without completely filling the thin path.
Underflow
12
Underflow occurs before the end of filling; Avoiding underflow
when one flow (or more) meets another and
reverses back under itself. Note that before
reversal the flow stops and loses heat. 1 sec
Flow reversal and therefore underflow gives Gate
poor quality products, both from surface 1 sec
appearance and structural viewpoints.
Avoid underflow by positioning gates so that
flow front meets at the same time at the end
of filling. TM006P35
Frictional heating
Design runners to increase melt

temperature at the gates, by controlled
frictional heating. This achieves lower
stress levels in the product without Frictional heating
material degradation due to long

140°C
90°C
exposure at high temperatures.

140°C
TM006P36
Frictional heating is increased and

volume reduced, by thinning the
runners.
13
Thermal shutoff
Design runners for thermal shutoff (freeze) when
the cavity is just filled and adequately packed. Thermal shutoff
This avoids overpack, a common cause of
warpage, or flow reversal after the cavity is filled,
both of which result in stressed products.
The runners, rather than the gates, are used as
an efficient flow control device. This is because
they are much larger than a gate and therefore
less sensitive to hesitation and thermal effects.
Filled
Gate freeze
TM006P37
MPI/FLOW
Moldflow’s flow analysis software (MPI/FLOW) predicts thermoplastic polymer flow effects in
molds for plastic injection molding. MPI/FLOW can be used as an evaluation tool for new designs or
as a diagnostic tool for existing designs. MPI/FLOW can be used to optimize design and processing
conditions.
Identifying problems at an early stage can reduce tooling lead times, mold trials and costly tooling
and product modifications. Production deadlines can be more easily met.
Specifically MPI/FLOW offers:

• Modeling / translation / editing of models
• Molding conditions and the effects of part geometry / polymer materials / gating on part
quality.
• Filling analysis predictions
• Packing analysis predictions
• Automatic runner balancing
These functions can be divided into two groups:
• Processing
including the analysis of filling and packing processes and runner balancing;
• Pre and post processing
including modeling (pre-processing), the graphical display of results and report generation
(post processing).
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Chapter 2
MFP/FLOW Overview
MPI/FLOW follows the process below in examining a component model and analyzing it for part
quality.
15
Chapter 3
About Project Management in Synergy

The Synergy user interface incorporates a large number of design features to assist you in
managing your work and to boost productivity. This topic describes the basic project management
features in Synergy and how to get the most of them in your work.
Projects
A project is the highest level of organization within Synergy's project management scheme. All
information contained within a project is stored in a single directory. You can import and analyze as
many models as you wish within a project. Results within the same project can be compared with one
another and also combined in a single report.
Study
A study is an analysis or analysis sequence based on one consistent set of inputs, e.g. mesh,
material, injection location(s), process settings. Each study that you create is displayed in the Project
View pane. If your project contains many studies, you can organize them into folders, for example by
model (File->Organize). The bubbles displayed to the right of the study name in the Project View
pane provide a visual indication of whether results are available for that study.
Study Task
The Study Tasks pane lists the tasks you need to perform to set up an analysis. The default
action for a task can be initiated by double-clicking the Study Task Node, for example, double-clicking
the Mesh node will launch the meshing utility, double-clicking the Analysis Sequence task allows you
to change the analysis sequence. As you complete each task, a green tick will be displayed next to
that task. When all tasks have been completed, the Analyze Now will become active. You can then
launch the analysis by double-clicking the Analyze Now node. When the analysis has completed, the
results will be displayed in a folder in the Study Tasks pane.
Tip: Many useful tasks can be accessed simply by right-clicking on the Study Task node.
Layers
Layers are an organizational tool that allow you to categorize components of your model. You
can use layers to visualize, manipulate, and edit your model more efficiently
Layers Pane
The Layers pane allows you to add, activate, delete, and modify the layers associated with
your model. Using the Assign button, you can assign model entities to individual layers
16
Overview screen layout of Moldflow Plastics Insight
To create a new project

In MPI, a project usually consists of tasks relating to one part design. Before you can start working
in MPI, you must create a project first. To create a project, you must provide the project name, and
the location on your hard drive where you want the project to be stored.
1. Click (File New Project).
The Create New Project dialog opens.
2. Enter the name of the project in the Project Name field. (eg. New.mpi)
3. Select the location that you want the project stored in, either by typing the location into the
Create In field or browsing to the correct folder on your hard drive.
4. Click OK.
The newly created project will open in MPI, with the project name appearing in the Project
View pane.
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To open a project
Opening a project allows you to begin analyzing your part design for injection molding
problems. Once you have opened a project, you need to import a CAD model, or create a new
model. Each model that you import into a project will become a separate study within the project.
Note: The project will open automatically after creation, however, the instructions below show how to
manually open a project.
1. Click (Open Project).
2. Navigate to the folder where the project is located.
3. Click on the project file (*.mpi) to select it.
4. Click Open.
The project and any associated studies open in MPI.
Tip: You can open a recently-used project from within the File menu.
To open a recently used project

In order to save time opening projects through the Open dialog, you can quickly open and
close recently used projects from the File menu. This option allows you to quickly load an existing
project, if it is one of the last four projects that you have worked on.
Note: The loaded project will open in MPI. Only one project can be open at a time, so the newly
opened project becomes active. If you had a project open, it is automatically closed.
1. Select the File menu so that all of the options in this menu are visible.
Below the Preferences menu options are listed the four most recent projects, including file
locations that you have been working on in MPI.
2. Click on the required project to load it.
To close a project
MPI uses projects as storage areas for all pre and post processing tasks for a particular part
design. Only one project can be open in MPI at one time; however, from time to time, you may want
to close the current project and open a different one to work on a different part design. You can
automatically close a project by choosing to open a new project. To close the current project
manually, without closing MPI, follow the instructions below.
Note: Ensure you have completed all of the required tasks in each included in the current project. All
studies will be closed when you close the project.
1. Click File Close Project.
The entire project, including all studies, will close.
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To create a new folder
You can use folders in the Project View pane as an organizational tool. If there are several
aspects of a part design that you wish to analyze, such as balancing runners and checking for part
warpage, you can create a runners folder and a warp folder, to keep relevant tasks in the same
location within the project.
Tip: You can drag and drop studies into different folders in the Project View pane.
1. Click File New Folder, or right-click in the Project area and select New Folder.
2. A new folder is added to the project in the Project View pane.
To rename the folder appropriately, either press F2, or right-click the folder and select Rename.
Note: Creating a new folder does not affect the disk location where studies are stored. All studies
stay within the project, and the folders you create also stay within the project.
To create a new study

In MPI, a study is a subsection of a project. A study is used to investigate different aspects of
the same part design. Within the Project View, each study associated with the current project is
listed. Each study contains its own geometry, mesh, process conditions, and, possibly, results.
Multiple studies can be created from the same geometry (or CAD model). You must create a project
before you can create a new study.
Tip: Importing a CAD model into MPI automatically creates a study.
1. Click File New Study, or right-click in the Project View pane and select New Study.
The new study is updated in the Project View pane, and the compulsory pre-processing tasks are
updated in the Study Tasks pane. The new study does not have a model associated, so you need to
import a CAD model or create a new model.
19
To copy a study
In the Project View pane, you can make an exact copy of an existing study. It is useful to copy a
study if you want to re-run an analysis with some slight process changes and then compare the
results of both analyses. The duplicate study will automatically be updated with the name original
study [copy], so it is a good idea to rename the new study.
1. Click on the study in the Project View pane to select it.
2. Right-click and select Duplicate.
MPI creates an exact replica of the selected study and updates it in the Project View pane.
3. Rename the new study with a unique name.
To rename a study
The Rename function in the Project View pane allows you to give an existing study a different
name to the one it currently has. Correctly naming studies allows you to manage your project
efficiently and saves you time trying to find a particular item within a project.
Tip: You should rename a study if you have duplicated an existing study.
1. Click on the study in the Project View window to select it.

2. Right-click and select Rename, or press the F2 button on your keyboard.
3. Type the new name of the study.
Note: The name you give the study will also become its file name, with any blank spaces replaced by
underscore characters.
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To delete a study
The Delete function allows you to remove a study from a project when it is no longer useful.
Note: Ensure that you no longer need to retain the study in the current project, because you cannot
retrieve a study after it has been deleted.
1. Click on the study in the Project View pane to select it.

2. Right-click and select Delete, or press the Delete button on your keyboard.
3. Click OK to the prompt that appears.
The Study is deleted from the current project.
To save a model
In order to prevent data loss due to hardware/software problems, it is a good idea to save work
regularly. The project state is maintained on disk at all times and does not require saving. Project-
level changes, such as adding and deleting studies, are saved automatically. In order to save
changes to the study or studies; such as model changes, analysis and process setting changes, etc,
you must save the model.
• Click
(File Save).
This will save the currently opened study.

Or,
• Click
(File Save All).
This will save any changes to all studies that are currently open in MPI.
Or,
• Click
(File Save Study As) and enter a new name.
This will save another copy of the open study with the name you specify.
To import a CAD model
MPI allows you to import existing CAD model files to begin the part design process. If you attempt
to import a CAD model before opening a project, MPI will prompt you to first open or create a project.
When you import a CAD model, you will be prompted to select mesh type and the units that you want
to work with.
1. Click (File Import), or, right-click in the Project View pane and select Import.
2. Select the correct file extension for your CAD model from the Files of type drop-down list.
3. Navigate to the folder where your CAD model is located and select it.
4. Click Open.
5. Select the appropriate mesh type and units from the Import dialog that appears.
6. Click OK.
Tip: A new study is created for the CAD model. The Study Tasks pane is updated with the
compulsory pre-processing tasks that guide you when preparing your model for analysis.
Note: To import an STL midplane
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An STL midplane mesh is not a standard format. However, if you need to import a midplane mesh
that is stored in STL format, you should follow these steps.
1. Import the STL. In the Import dialog, set the model type to fusion, not midplane.
2. Use Mesh Generate Mesh to create a new mesh. This process will remesh the STL surface
into a midplane mesh (but the type will still be set to fusion).
3. After the meshing completes and the Mesh dialog is no longer visible, proceed to the next
step.
4. In the study pane, change the mesh type to midplane.
5. Assign properties (such as part surface) to the newly created mesh.
To export a project, including a CAD model

You can export an entire project, including model and results files, into a *.zip file for use at a later
date. Once you have completed the analysis of your part design, you can save your changes and
export the entire project from MPI into the archival location of your choice.
1. Click (File Export).
2. Navigate to the location where you want to store the archived project.
3. In the File name field, enter the name of the *.Zip archive file to contain your project.
4. Click Save.
5. Select Entire project from the Export Project to Archive dialog.
6. Select Include result files in archive if required, and click OK.
The Archival process will take a couple of moments.
7. Click OK to the Project Archived Successfully prompt.
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To append entities to a model
MPI allows you to append existing model entities to your CAD model to save modeling time. If
you have existing model entities that you want to add to a model, such as cooling lines, you can add
them to the study that is associated with your CAD model.
Tip:
1. Ensure that you have a model open in the display area.
2. Click (File Add).
3. Navigate to the directory where the required model entity is located.
4. Select the correct file extension from the Files of type drop-down list.
5. Click on the file to select it.
6. Click OK.
The model section that you appended to the current model is updated in the display window. You
may need to use the MPI modeling tools to correctly join the two model sections.
To Organize Project
In MPI, the Organize Project allows you to control the structure of your project when it
becomes too large to maintain efficiently. A project can be organizing by either model, material,
injection location or shared results.
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To Compacting the Project
In MPI, the Compact project allows you to condense the project by removing redundant restart files.
Removing restart files will result in any subsequent analyses starting from the beginning of the
analysis sequence.
To edit preferences
1. Select File Preferences from the menu.
2. Click on the required dialog tab, and make the necessary changes.
Note: You can change the screen display, units, internet access, animation parameters,
mouse modes, system defaults, MDL, Increment, and Help System preferences. Use the
context-sensitive help in the Preferences dialog to learn more about the individual settings.
3. Click OK.
To exit the program
Once you have completed all of the required tasks for a project, you may want to exit MPI. In order to
close the current project and exit the application, do one of the following below:
Note: Ensure that you have saved all tasks within the current project.
1. Select File Exit from the menu, or click X in the top-left corner of the application.
To display the context menu

Many actions that you can perform in the program can be selected very quickly by right-
clicking on the particular aspect of Synergy on which you want to perform the action and then
selecting an entry in the menu that appears.
For example, here are some of the aspects you can right-click on or within to display a context menu:
• the model window
• a study name in the project view window
• a task in the study tasks window
• a result name displayed in the study tasks window
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• a toolbar
To undo or redo an action and view the action history
• Click Undo
The last action will be reversed.
• Click Redo
The action of the undo button will be reversed.
1. You can view the Action History for the active study by clicking Action History .
2. The Action History dialog will open, displaying the actions you have performed on your study.
The most recent action you performed will be at the end of the list.
3. To undo a series of actions, scroll to the bottom of the list in the Action History dialog, and click
on each action in the list that you want to undo.
4. The actions you click will be highlighted.
5. When you are finished selecting actions, click Undo, and the actions will be reversed.
6. Click Redo to reverse the undo action.
7. Once you perform a new action on the study, you cannot Redo the list of actions.
To select and deselect individual entities
You can use the Select tool to select and deselect individual entities on your model and mesh,
and select more than one individual entity.
To select individual entities:
1. Click Select.
2. Click on the feature in the display that you want to select.
To select more than one individual entity:
1. Click Select.
2. Click on the feature in the display that you want to select.
3. Hold down the Ctrl key.
4. Click on the next feature in the display that you want to select.
To deselect an individual entity:

1. Ensure that the Select tool is still active.
2. Hold down the Shift key.
3. Click on the feature in the display that you want to deselect.
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Tip: To expand the selection, use the Expand Selection dialog.
To select and deselect groups of entities

The most efficient way to select and deselect groups of entities is by using the Select By dialog.
To select groups of entities:

1. Click Edit Select By, and the Select By dialog will open.
2. Use the dialog to choose the types of elements you want to select.
3. If you want to select the nodes associated with those elements, click Select Associated Nodes
Also.
4. If you want to add the selection to entities that you have already selected, click Add to the
Current Selection.
If you do not click this box, any entities already selected will be deselected.
To deselect groups of entities:
Click Edit Deselect All.

Or
Repeat steps 1 through 4 above, being sure not to click Add to the Current Selection.
Invert Selection
In MPI, the Invert Selection allows to reverses a selection, so that all the elements you have
selected become deselected and vice versa.
Expand Selection
In MPI, the Expand Selection tool allows you to expand the selection you have made by the
amount specified.
To use banding selection tools

Using the Banding Selection tools, you can select groups of entities on your model that do not
share an entity type or property assignment. The Banding Selection tools act as filters to control how
many entities are selected. Both Banding Selection tools can be used simultaneously.
To use the Enclosed Items banding selection tool only

1. Ensure that the Select tool is active.
2. Click Edit Banding Selection Enclosed Items Only.
3. On your model, use the crosshair pointer to draw a rectangle around the entities you want to
select.
4. Only the entities that are fully enclosed within the rectangle will be selected.
Note: All entities through all thickness of the part that are within the rectangle will be selected. Rotate
the model to see all of the selections.
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To use the Facing Items banding selection tool only
2. Orient the model so that the entities you want to select are facing you.
3. Click Edit Banding Selection Facing Items Only.
select.
5. Entities on the face of the model that are enclosed within and touched by the rectangle will be
selected. Entities through the rest of the thickness of the model are not selected.
Note: If the rectangle includes an edge of the model, some of the shared elements along the edge
may be selected. This may result in some elements on the other, non-facing side of the edge being
selected. You can manually deselect these elements by holding down the Shift key and clicking on
the elements individually.
To use the Enclosed Items and Facing Items tools together
You can use both tools together, to further refine your selections.
2. Orient the model so that the entities you want to select are facing you.
select.
4. Entities on the face and through the thickness of the model that are fully enclosed within the
rectangle will be selected.
To customize the toolbars

1. Click View Toolbars Customize, or right-click in the toolbar area and select Customize.
The Customize Toolbars dialog opens.
2. Click a checkbox in the Toolbars window to display that toolbar.
3. Select any options that you require in the area to the right of the Toolbars window.
4. Click the Commands tab.
This tab allows you to customize toolbars by moving buttons to different toolbars.
5. Select a category, and then click on a button to read its description.
If you want to move a button to a different toolbar, select it in the Customize dialog and move it
to the required toolbar location in MPI.
6. Click OK when you are finished.
To display and hide toolbars

1. Display the list of toolbars, which you can do in two ways:
• Click View Toolbars.
• Right-click in the toolbar area.
2. Select the names of the toolbars that you want to display or hide.
Note: Toolbars that are displayed have a check mark next to them.
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To display and hide model entities
1. Click(View Layers).
The Layers dialog opens.
2. Select a checkbox in the Layers window to display that entity.
3. Perform any other tasks that are required, such as making a layer active, assigning entities to
a layer etc.
4. Click Finish to close the dialog.
Note: The Layers dialog provides you with a list of all of the entities present on your model. You can
display and hide entities, as well as create, rename and delete entities.
To display online help

There are several ways of accessing the on-line help.
1. Click Help Help Topics, or click (Help Topics) in the Standard toolbar.
2. Double-click on the required book, chapter and topic.
3. The selected help topic will appear.
To display help on a particular analysis result:

1. Display the result you want help with by selecting it in the Project Pane or clicking Results
Create New Plot.
2. Click in the result window to activate it.
3. Click F1.
To fit to window
• Click (Fit to Window).
The display will zoom in or out on the model, without changing the model rotation, so that it
just fits inside the current window.
To center a model
1. Select in the Viewer toolbar.
2. Click the cursor on location in the display where you want to set the center of rotation.
The cursor will then change to the rotation tool, and the location you clicked will be centered
on the screen.
3. Hold and drag to rotate the model with the new center of rotation.
To measure distances on the model

Use this tool to find out the coordinates of a point on the model, or to measure the distance between
any two points.
1. Click Measure Distances .
2. To find the XYZ coordinates of a point, click on a point. While you hold down the mouse
button, the coordinates appear in the Measurements dialog.
3. To measure the distance between two points, click the first point on the model, hold down the
mouse button, and drag to the second point. While you hold down the mouse button, the
coordinates of the second point, the distance between the two selected points, and the vector
between the two points appear in the Measurements dialog.
4. To exit Measurement mode, click the Close button in the Measurements dialog.
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To use the cutting plane
The cutting plane appears to cut away the model, allowing you to see inside a 3D model. Use this
function to look at geometry and results in difficult-to-see areas in solid models. You need to specify
the cutting plane first, and then you can move the cutting plane through the model. The "cutting
plane" can be specified in either the XY, YZ, or XZ planes.
1. Ensure that a 3D result is displayed.
2. Click Edit Cutting Plane in the Viewer toolbar .

3. In the Create/Modify Cutting Plane dialog, select the plane(s) that you want to set for the
cutting plane.
4. Click Close.
The cutting plane will be indicated on the model.
5. Click Move Cutting Plane in the Viewer toolbar.
6. Hold and drag the left mouse button up and down the screen to move the cutting plane(s)
along the model.
7. To de-activate cutting plane mode, click Edit Cutting Plane the Viewer toolbar.
8. In the Create/Modify Cutting Plane dialog, deselect the plane(s) you set.
9. Click Close.
Database
Moldflow Plastics Insight (MPI) uses two types of databases; the System Defaults database
and the Personal database. You can gain access to all database properties through the Tools menu,
and also from a variety of right-click functionality used throughout the program.
After you create a Personal database, access to it depends on the type of database you have created
and how the feature is used. The following Personal databases can be created: Material; Parameters;
Process Conditions; Mesh Properties and all.
Creating a personal database

1. Click Tools New Personal Database
The New Database dialog appears.
2. Select the Category.
3. Select the sub category of database you want to create from the Property Type box.
For example, Thermoplastics material.
4. Click (Browse).
The Database Name dialog appears.
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5. Enter a suitable name in the File name box and click Save.
6. Click OK.
The Properties dialog appears ready for you to begin the process of building the personal
database.
7. Click Databases.
The Properties dialog expands to reveal all the System database entries relevant only to the
criteria you have set previously in steps 2 and 3 above.
8. Select a Database, Description entry, and click Copy.
The entry will be copied from the System Database into your New Personal Database.
9. Click OK.
Editing the default properties database

All System Default Database properties provided with Moldflow Plastics Insight (MPI) can be edited.
These are supplied in a (*.udm) file format and stored in your MPI <release_no> Projects\udm folder,
where <release_no> is the MPI version number you are using.
1. Click Tools Edit Default Properties Database....
The Properties dialog appears and indicates all database properties in the default udm folder.
2. Select a Description, and then click Edit.
3. Make any required changes in the dialog that appears, and click OK.
4. Click OK again to close the Properties dialog.
To tile all windows

The tiling of windows is a useful feature when post-processing in Plastics Insight. Some models
contain complex geometry, which is impossible to view completely from one window viewpoint. To
view various sections of a model simultaneously, for example, to check fill pattern, you can tile
windows. If you have already split a single window, this function will evenly distribute the split window
in the display area.
1. Ensure that you have more than one window open in the display area. If not, this function will
optimize the display area with the single window.
2. Select Window Tile.
All open windows are evenly tiled in the display area.
To cascade windows
The MPI display area allows you to view multiple window instances at the same time. Due to the
fact that the actual display area is relatively small, MPI provides you with options for organizing
windows. One method you can use to organize multiple windows to make them easier to use is to
cascade them. Cascading windows allows you to quickly compare values between two
results/models etc.
1. Select Window Cascade.
All open windows are cascaded from the top-left of the display area down.
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To create a new window
The New Window option within the Window menu allows you to open the selected model into a
new window without creating a new study. This is useful for viewing different aspects of the same
model at the same time, which could not be done within the single window. After creating the new
window, the window titles will change to study name:1, study name:2, etc. to indicate the original
model and the duplicate window(s).
1. Open a model into the display area.
2. Select Window New Window.
Tip: If you want to view both windows simultaneously, click Window Tile.
To arrange icons
In cases where you have several study windows open, you may want to minimize some windows.
Icons for the minimized windows may be scattered around the main window, and you may need to
reorganize them so that you can see the main window more clearly.
• Select Window Arrange Icons.
To split a window
The Split Windows option in MPI is a display feature that allows you to divide the current window
into smaller windows. The model present in the original window will be reduced and included into all
of the newly created windows. You can split the current window into either two or four smaller
windows, allowing you to inspect different aspects of the model more closely.
1. Select Window Split.
Cross-hairs will appear over the window, allowing you to split the window into four smaller
sections.
2. Click the location in the window where you want to divide the window.
Tip: The Split Horizontal and Split Vertical buttons in the Viewer toolbar can also be used to split a
window.
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Chapter 4
Modeling Entities
To create nodes
A model node is a special coordinate position in space. Nodes, along with curves and regions,
are the building blocks of a model. Nodes acquire special significance when you assign boundary
conditions (for example, injection locations) to them.
1. First, make sure that your modeling workspace is open, as follows:

• If you plan to add to an existing model, make sure that model is open.
• If you plan to create a new model, make sure you have created a new study.
2. Click (Modeling Create Nodes...) to open the Create Nodes dialog.
3. Click the tab that corresponds to the node creation method you plan to use. For example,
Divide creates the number of nodes you specify, on the curve you select, at equal intervals.
4. Use the Create Nodes dialog to proceed.

• Make sure to use the easiest method to select a coordinate, curve, or other
entity.
• Use the appropriate Filter.
• Keep in mind that the new nodes will be created in the active local coordinate
system. The values shown in dialog input fields always reflect the active local
coordinate system.
5. Click Apply to create nodes.
Click Close when you finish creating nodes.
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To create curves
A curve is a geometric line on your model. Curves can be straight lines between two points, or
arcs made of three or more points. Curves, along with nodes and regions, are the building blocks
of a model.

2. Click (Modeling Create Curves...) to open the Create Curves dialog.
3. Click the tab that corresponds to the curve creation method you plan to use. For example,
Connect creates a curve that connects two existing curves. It is commonly used to model
cooling hoses.
4. Use the Create Curves dialog to proceed.

entity.
• New curves will be created in the active local coordinate system. The values
shown in dialog input fields always reflect the active local coordinate system.
5. Click Apply to create curves.
6. Click Close when you finish creating curves.
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To create regions

2. Click (Modeling Create Regions...) to open the Create Regions dialog.
3. Use the Create Region dialog to proceed.

entity.
• Keep in mind that the new regions will be created in the active local coordinate
system. The values shown in dialog input fields always reflect the active local
coordinate system.
4. Click Apply to create regions.
5. Click Close when you finish creating regions.
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To Create Inserts
Inserts Insert is modeled with flat shell surfaces representing each of the faces on the inserts. The
complete insert (six surfaces in its simplest form) is effectively a closed volume defined by the six
surfaces. Inserts can have complex cross-sections to match features on the cavity model, in which
case they consist of more than the basic six surfaces. Inserts can be added to inserts to create more
complex inserts shapes. When small inserts about onto larger inserts, the surface of the larger inserts
must have an internal boundary for the smaller inserts to connect with.
When the edge of a plastic surface runs across an insert surface, the insert surface should
have an internal boundary added to ensure that the mesh on the plastic surface and the mesh on the
insert surface are compatible. Inserts must not contact the mold outer surfaces or the origin point of
the model (that is, 0 in X, 0 in Y and 0 in Z).
Note: Each insert must be meshed and correctly oriented.
Local Coordinate System

When loads or constraints on the part act in a direction other than the X, Y and Z directions of the
global coordinate system, using a local coordinate system can greatly simplify the settings of such
constraints or loads.
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Move/Copy Entities:
To translate the model
1. Click (Modeling Move/Copy Translate...) to open the Break Curves dialog.
2. Select the entities you wish to translate.
3. Specify the vector.
4. Specify whether to move or copy the entities.
5. Click Apply.
To scale the model
1. Click (Modeling Move/Copy Scale...) to open the Break Curves dialog.
2. Select the entities you wish to scale.
3. Specify the scale factor.
4. Optionally specify a reference point.
6. Click Apply.
To reflect the model
1. Click (Modeling Move/Copy Reflect...) to open the Break Curves dialog.
2. Select the entities you wish to reflect.
3. Choose the mirror plane
4. Optionally specify a reference point.
6. Click Apply.
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Query Entities
If you know an entity identifier, such as T123 (triangle 123), and you wish to locate it on the
model, use Modeling Query Entities.
37
Cavity Duplication Wizard
The Cavity Duplication Wizard allows you to create a standard multi-cavity layout. You can then use
the Runner System Wizard to connect all the cavities, or model the runner system manually.
Creating a runner system using the Runner System Wizard

1. Click (Modeling Runner System Wizard).
The first page of the Runner System Wizard appears.
2. Step through the pages making any property changes as you go, and click Next to proceed.
3. Upon reaching the final page, click Finish to close the Wizard.
The newly created feed system will appear on the model.
Creating cooling lines using the Cooling Circuit wizard

The Cooling Circuit Wizard can be used to create a pair of serial cooling circuits above and below
your part.
Mold Surface Wizard

The Mold Surface Wizard is a tool for quickly modeling a cuboid mold outer surface around the
existing model for the purposes of improving the accuracy of a cooling analysis.
The Mold Surface Wizard determines the dimensions of the required mold surface from the supplied
inputs, creates a region for each face of the cuboid, assigns the property Mold block surface to the
regions, and then meshes the regions. The mold surface regions and elements are assigned to
separate layers so you can control their visibility and properties.
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Chapter 5
About part model mesh
Before you can run a Plastics Insight analysis, you must have a meshed part model. The mesh
is a web composed of elements, with each element containing a node at every corner. The mesh
provides the basis for a Moldflow analysis, where molding properties are calculated at every node.
Midplane mesh
The midplane mesh provides the basis for the MPI/Flow analysis. This mesh consists of tri-
noded triangular elements that form a 1 dimensional representation of the part, through its centre.
The midplane mesh supports every molding process.
Surface mesh
The surface mesh provides the basis for the MPI/Flow-Fusion analysis. This mesh consists of a
mixture of different types, including regions with traditional Midplane elements and surface (double-
skin) shell elements. The surface mesh can be 3 or 6 noded plane, straight-edged triangles.
Volume mesh
The volume mesh provides the basis for the MPI/Flow3D analysis. This mesh consists of 4-noded, tri-
element, solid tetrahedral elements. The density of the mesh is the number of elements per unit area.
In general, the more elements there are in the mesh, the more detailed the analysis results, but the
longer the analysis time.
39
Mesh Considerations
The density or coarseness of the mesh, and the shape of the triangular elements within the
mesh, affect flow analysis results. Ideally each element should form an equilateral triangle. As a
general rule the ratio of the longest side to the height (aspect ratio) should be less than 6:1, or 4:1 for
a gas-assisted flow analysis. Aspect ratios greater than 6:1 (4:1 for gas analysis) should not be used.
Long thin elements should be avoided when the pressure, temperature and velocity of the flow
might vary rapidly. High aspect ratios can cause the program to run poorly.
An additional consideration is the mesh match percentage, or the percentage of surfaces elements in
the model that match on each side. A model with a mesh match percentage of 85% or higher is
acceptable for a flow analysis; however, for a warp analysis, the percentage should be even higher.
Tip: After meshing a model, it is a good idea to check the mesh for uniformity and any problem areas
using the mesh diagnostics tools in Plastics Insight.
To mesh the model
After you create or import an unmeshed geometry model in MPI, you must mesh the model
before running an analysis. The mesh is comprised of triangular elements joined with nodes, and
provides the basis for a Moldflow analysis. The three finite element mesh types that MPI supports
are: midplane, fusion, and 3D. The mesh type that you create depends on the model that you use.
Note: Click (View Layers) and select the model regions that you want meshed. Only the visible model
layers are meshed.
1. Click (Mesh Generate Mesh).
The Mesh dialog allows you to preview the mesh, and to change the default meshing
parameters.
2. Click Advanced, and then make any required changes to the global edge length and merge
tolerance.
3. Click Mesh.
The model will be updated immediately with the new mesh.
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Mesh Density
Increasing/decreasing mesh density along edges
Before you define your mesh size, it is important to understand the starting point, as different model
types allow the use of different functionality in the Define Mesh Density dialog. For example, (*.stl)
models are imported as a solid model, whereas (*.iges) models contain separate surfaces and
entities, and make definition in localized areas more feasible
To create beam elements

Beam elements are often used to represent cooling channels. Two beam elements are available:
BEAM2 and BEAM3. These are 2-noded and 3-noded beams respectively. The longitudinal axis of
the elements is straight, so that when modeling curved beams, they provide a "faceted"
approximation to the true geometry. Currently, the beam is assumed to have a circular cross-section
of constant radius. However, the cross-sectional radius of adjacent elements may be different.
1. Click (Mesh Create Beams).
2. In the Create Beams dialog, enter the number of the first node to use as an end of the beam,
or click on the model to select the node.
3. Enter the number of the second node, representing the end of the beam, or click on the node
to select it.
4. Enter the number of beams to be created along the length. If you enter a number greater than
1, the beam will be divided into even portions totaling the number you enter.
5. To change the properties of the beam element, click Change, and select the appropriate
property from the Assign Properties table.
41
To run mesh diagnostics
Once you have meshed your model, it is a good idea to run a series of diagnostic checks on
the mesh.
1. To see a text report of various types of diagnostic data, select Mesh Mesh Statistics from the
MPI menu.
2. To see graphical or text reports of specific types of diagnostic data, from the Mesh menu,
select Aspect Ratio, Overlapping Elements, Orientation, Connectivity, Free Edges, Thickness,
or Occurrence Number.
Mesh Repair Wizard
The Mesh Repair Wizard tool is used to diagnose and automatically repair a number of
common problems with the mesh. The Mesh Repair Wizard allows you to repair several types of
mesh defect. You can make changes on each page, or skip the pages that do not concern you.
Use the Stitch Free Edges page to join nearby edges that are not quite connected. You can choose
either the default option (0.1 mm) or select a specific distance. Any edges that are closer together
than the specified tolerance will be stitched.
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To check the mesh for defects
In order to determine whether your meshed model is suitable for Moldflow analysis, you should
check the mesh for errors. Imperfections such as high aspect ratio, overlapping elements, incorrect
mesh orientation, and unconnected elements can be identified and removed, ensuring an accurate
flow simulation.
Before running a 3D analysis on the model, create a Fusion mesh, diagnose and correct meshing
issues, and then create a 3D mesh.
To check the mesh for defects, follow these steps:
1. Ensure that you have a meshed part model open in Plastics Insight.
2. Select Mesh Statistics from the menu.
This will provide you with a text-based report on the mesh. The report includes the mesh entities
present, and also provides you with mesh-edge, orientation, intersection, aspect ratio and mesh
match details.
3. Study the report to check the state of the mesh, and click Close.
Any problems with the mesh will be indicated here.
4. Select (Mesh-Mesh Tools), select the appropriate individual tool(s), provide input where
required, and click Apply to repair mesh problems.
To repair the mesh

To repair mesh problems, such as poor aspect ratios and connectivity, use the tools on the
Mesh Tools dialog.
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To squeeze the mesh
In order to perform a successful analysis on your meshed model, every node and element must
be consecutively numbered. This can be achieved by the Purge Nodes function. Removing gaps in
numbering will also ensure that modeling limits, for the surfaces and the mesh, are not unnecessarily
exceeded. This function also performs the following:
• Deletes any nodes not connected to the mesh.

• Merges any nodes that are closer than the nodal tolerance.
• Issues a warning if any points are closer than the point tolerance.
• Deletes any elements with repeated nodes, e.g. 3 3 2.
• Deletes surfaces or points with the construction display attribute.
• Deletes fully overlapping elements (elements that share the same three nodes).
• Applies the display attribute gray to overlapping elements that share two nodes.
Select Mesh Mesh Tools Purge Nodes from the MPI menu.
To orient the mesh

MPI cooling analysis requires the mesh to be oriented
1. Select mesh orient all from the MPI menu.

2. If you've diagnosed orientation problems that you wish to correct manually, use Mesh Mesh
Tools orientation.
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Chapter 6
Analysis
About MPI analysis
Plastics Insight includes a suite of flow analysis products that are used to predict thermoplastic
polymer flow inside the mold. The programs simulate flow by calculating a flow front that grows from
node to connecting node, starting at the injection node. The cycle continues until the flow front has
expanded to fill the last node.
Further more, it uses a packing analysis to determine whether a cavity will be completely filled and a
runner balance analysis that ensures equal pressure is delivered at each cavity.
Features of the analysis

The product used to predict flow, will determine the meshing technology that should be used
for your model. If you have all three, select the most suitable application for each situation as follows:
MPI/Flow predicts material behavior during the molding cycle by analyzing a midplane shell mesh of
a 3D part model. The mesh is comprised of triangular elements. Each element has three nodes. In
general the more elements there are in the mesh the more detailed the results, however with more
nodes the analysis time is also increased.
Setting up and running a analysis

Before you can run a analysis, there are a number of modeling and model setup prerequisites
that need to be fulfilled. They are as follows,
About part model mesh

Before you can run a Plastics Insight analysis, you must have a meshed part model. The mesh
is a web composed of elements, with each element containing a node at every corner. The mesh
provides the basis for a Moldflow analysis, where molding properties are calculated at every node.
The mesh types supported by Plastics Insight are:
Midplane mesh
The midplane mesh provides the basis for the MPI/Flow analysis. This mesh consists of tri-
noded triangular elements that form a 1 dimensional representation of the part, through its centre.
Every molding process is supported by the midplane mesh.
45
About thermoplastic materials
This topic describes some important material characteristics to consider before selecting a
material grade. The material that you select will depend on the characteristics that you require. A link
to Moldflow's material testing service is also provided.
Amorphous
Amorphous polymers are a family of polymers that are characterized by entangled polymer
chains that are loosely bound. The term amorphous indicates that there is no preferred orientation of
the molecules, relative to each other, without external force. During injection molding amorphous
polymers have orientation. Amorphous polymers are in a super-cooled liquid state and generally
shrink less than semi-crystalline polymers.
Crystallinity
The crystallinity of a material identifies the state of the polymer at processing temperatures,
and can range from amorphous to crystalline states. Amorphous polymers are devoid of any
stratification, and retain this state at ambient conditions. Crystalline polymers have an ordered
arrangement of plastic molecules, allowing the molecules to fit closer together. Therefore, they are
denser than amorphous polymers. The rate of crystallinity is a function of temperature and time.
Rapid cooling rates are associated with lower levels of crystalline content and vice versa. In injected
molded parts, thick regions cool slowly relative to thinner regions, and therefore have a higher
crystalline content and volumetric contraction.
Composite materials
Composite materials contain fillers that are added for injection molding. Adding a filler to a
polymer can increase the strength of the polymer and ensure that good quality parts are produced.
Most commercial composites contain 10-50% fibers by weight, which are regarded as being
concentrated suspensions, where both mechanical and hydrodynamic fiber interactions apply. In
injection-molded composites, the fiber orientation distributions show a layered nature and are
affected by the filling speed, the processing conditions and material behavior.
Viscosity
The viscosity of a material is a measure of its ability to flow under an applied pressure.
Polymer viscosity is dependent on temperature and shear rate. In general, as the temperature and
shear rate of the polymer increases, the viscosity will decrease, indicating a greater ability to flow
under an applied pressure. The material database provides a viscosity index for materials, in order to
compare ease of flow. It assumes a shear rate of 1000 1/s and indicates the viscosity at the
temperature specified in brackets.
PVT data
To account for material compressibility during a flow analysis, Moldflow provides PVT models.
A PVT model is a mathematical model using different coefficients for different materials, giving a
curve of viscosity against pressure against temperature. An analysis based on PVT data is more
accurate but computationally intensive - through iterations for temperature and pressure per node.
However, this makes it particularly suited to complex models that have sudden and large changes in
thickness.
46
Mold and melt temperature
The mold temperature is the temperature of the mold where the plastic touches the mold. Mold
temperature affects the cooling rate of the plastic, and cannot be higher than the ejection temperature
for a particular material. The temperature of the molten plastic is the melt temperature. Increasing the
melt temperature reduces the viscosity of a material, which also reduces shear stress. This results in
less material orientation during flow. Additionally, the material is hotter which decreases the frozen
layer thickness. Decreasing the frozen layer means that shear is less since the constriction to flow is
less.
Shrinkage
As plastics cool, there is a significant change in their dimension, due to volumetric shrinkage.
The main factors that affect shrinkage are cool orientation, crystallinity, and heat concentrations. A
Shrinkage Summary Report is provided for each material in the Moldflow Materials database that
contains shrinkage data.
Material Testing Service

Moldflow Centre for Plastic Testing and Research and C-MOLD's Polymer Laboratory have
been brought together to form Moldflow Plastics Labs (MPL).With a combined experience of 25
years and more than 4,000 grades, MPL is the leader in material characterization for plastics
processing. MPL offers a comprehensive range of both standard and innovative tests to provide
complete and accurate material characterization data for use within Moldflow and C-MOLD
simulation software.
About injection locations
The injection location represents the position where polymer is injected, allowing the software
to simulate the flow pattern inside the mold cavity. This help topic describes some injection location
considerations when running a flow analysis in MPI.
In order to mold the best part possible, you must identify the optimum injection location for your part.
The optimum injection location creates balanced flow, allowing the extremities of the mold to fill at the
same time and pressure. Choose the number and position of injection locations such that the
volumetric shrinkage at the end of flow is close to the design value using the optimum holding
pressure.
The position of an injection location is an important factor in determining an acceptable fill pattern. If
your initial analysis indicates that the fill pattern is unbalanced, altering the injection location, or
adding another one, may solve the problem. There may be instances of thick and thin sections where
it is desirable to position the injection location near thicker sections to achieve uniform packing. It
may be necessary to use several injection locations, or to even change the type of gate being used,
for example to a fan gate, to produce more uniform orientation effects in the product.
Gate Location analysis
The Gate Location analysis can be used to identify the best place to inject on your part. If
there are no injection locations specified, the Gate Location analysis will determine the best place for
a single gate, given the selected material. If one or more injection locations already exist, the result
suggests the best place for the next gate location given the selected material.
You can iterate the injection location(s) using the Gate Location analysis as many times as required
until a suitably balanced flow path is determined by the proceeding flow analysis.
47
About pressure control points
Introduction
During the injection molding process, there is a point where the velocity phase control changes
to pressure phase control. The pressure control point is an optional prerequisite that you can set
which triggers the program to switch control, once a specified pressure at a node is reached.
What is a pressure control point ?
When you wish to simulate the workings of an injection molding machine as closely as
possible, the process requires extra information about the molding machine settings. The software
should be provided with the time and pressure at which you wish to switch from velocity to pressure
phase control. The pressure control point is one option that you can use to specify the switch-over.
The pressure control point is a sensor that is used to detect pressure values during an
analysis. If you specify a pressure control point at a node, you can specify a pressure, at that node,
that the algorithm changes from velocity phase control to pressure phase control. Once the pressure
specified at the pressure control point is exceeded, the algorithm will change from the velocity phase
to the pressure phase control, and packing will begin. Selecting a suitable switch-over pressure The
switch over pressure can be higher or lower than the fill pressure, but in general the following rule
should be observed
If the fill pressure is close to the pressure/clamp ceiling for the machine, then the switch over
(packing) pressure should be less than the fill pressure to prevent the mold from flashing. If the fill
pressure is substantially less than the pressure ceiling for the machine, it may be possible to use a
packing pressure which is greater than the fill pressure, to ensure a product with a good surface
finish while not exceeding clamp tonnage limits”. Selecting a transition point for small, thin-walled
parts
If a part is small and thin walled, as in a connector part, the molder may set up the machine to fill the
cavity quickly using the ram displacement control and then switch to pressure control, either just
before or just after the part has volumetrically filled. (The molder will not be aware whether or not the
part has in fact filled by the time he switches to pressure control because of the melt compressibility
effects described earlier.) This may cause a rapid escalation in pressure, but because the machine
may have a reserve of clamp tonnage, the molder does not have to worry about the resulting high
clamp opening forces.
Selecting a transition point for large, thick-walled parts
By contrast, if the part is a thick-walled, large-area molding, such as a large rubbish container,
available clamp tonnage may be the critical factor and so the molder will set an injection time (ram
forward velocity) that he knows will not fill the part. Then when the mold is only partially filled he can
switch over to pressure control, to prevent the part from flashing. In this case, if the switch over point
is set close to the instant of fill, the pressures and clamp tonnages may appear unreasonable in the
flow analysis software. This is because the software has not been run in the way the molder sets up
the machine.
The choice of the transition point can influence the calculated values of pressure at the
injection node, and the clamp tonnage prediction. Consequently, if these are of interest, the flow
analysis software must be set up in a realistic way to represent what happens in an actual injection-
molding machine. This is best done by thinking how the molder is likely to set up the machine in
practice.
48
About occurrence numbers
Occurrence numbers can be used to simplify the amount of modeling required for a flow
analysis by specifying the number of times that a given flow path is repeated in a model.
Warning:
1) If you intend to proceed to a cooling, warpage or stress analysis, you cannot use
occurrence numbers to simplify the amount of modeling required. You must model the full
part.
2) Occurrence numbers can be specified for surfaces that have both symmetrical geometry
and the same plastic throughput.
Occurrence number considerations
Occurrence numbers are used to specify the number of times that a given flow path is
repeated in a model. They can be used as a shortcut to reduce the amount of modeling and analysis
time required for models with symmetrical flow paths. Identical flow paths are defined to have
symmetrical physical geometries and identical volumes of plastic flowing through them. Occurrence
numbers are very helpful, especially in multi-cavity modeling, where only one cavity needs to be
modeled and the other identical cavities can be referenced in the analysis by occurrence numbers.
Symmetrical Flow Paths
Before we consider modeling simple parts using occurrence numbers, it is helpful to understand
the concept of "symmetrical flow paths". Flow paths are said to be symmetrical when the physical
geometry of the flow path is symmetrical and when the volume of plastic flowing through the paths is
identical.
There are 3 main combinations of parts and runner systems:
1. Direct injection into a cavity
2. Injection via a runner system into a multi-gated cavity
3. Injection via a runner system into multiple cavities.
Of course there are many other possible combinations apart from these three basic combinations, but
for simplicity they will not be described here.
Occurrence numbers in Plastics Insight
By default, all surfaces and elements in the model are considered to have an occurrence
number of 1. Using the Change Property functionality (Edit Assign Property), you can specify an
occurrence number other than 1, for example, for a model of a multi-cavity mold. All elements
containing the same properties as the selected element will inherit the number, if the Apply to all
entities option is selected.
49
About runner dimension constraints
Runner dimension constraints are an optional prerequisite you can set for a runner balancing
analysis. These constraints allow you to determine the appropriate size for the runners in your model
to achieve balanced flow to all cavities. In order to ensure that each cavity fills at the same time and
with equal pressure for a multi-cavity part, you should perform a runner balance analysis. This topic
provides some guidelines for setting dimension constraints on your runners.
Runner Dimensions Constraint Guidelines
It is a common design principle that the minimum dimension of a runner section be 1.5mm
greater than the thickness of the part (in mm). This allows the cavity to pack evenly and produce an
even volumetric shrinkage. The choice of minimum dimensions may be affected by the material and
design of the part. Runner dimensions may be dependent on material type - for example 1mm of
styrene may snap, whilst 1mm of nylon may flex on ejection from the die, dependent on the ejection
system used. There can be no "reversed tapers" in the molding, which prevent the runner system
from being ejected. (A reversed taper is one where the runner section dimension is greatest in the
fixed half of the mold).
Tip: It may be useful to run a runner balance analysis without runner constraints as a first pass, then
use these new dimensions as the basis on which to set constraints. This helps to avoid the risk of
over-constraining a part, and thus restricting the programs ability to provide a good balance for your
runner system design.
For models which have a combination of both hot and cold runners, only the cold runners will be
balanced using the auto-runner balancing algorithm. Models, which contain only hot runners, will
automatically be balanced using the runner-balancing algorithm. There are instances where you may
not want the program to alter the dimension of a particular runner section - for example when it is
impractical to reduce a runner's dimensions further. There may also be instances where you do not
wish the runner-balancing algorithm to alter the dimension of a particular runner section beyond
certain maximum and/or minimum limits. In the case of annular runners, a little more care is required
when applying constraints. You must ensure that you do not make the minimum outer dimension less
than the maximum inner dimension.
Supported Runner Types
The MPI runner-balancing algorithm will determine the correct runner dimensions for balanced
flow in multiple cavities for the following runner types:
• Circular runners
• Tapered circular runners
• Half-circular runners
• Half-circular tapered runners
• Trapezoidal runners
• Trapezoidal tapered runners
• U-shape runners
• U-shape tapered runners
• Rectangular runners
• Rectangular tapered runners
• Internally heated annular runners
• Customizable cross-section shape
50
About ideal cavity/core side mold temperatures
If you have a molding scenario where certain areas of the mold are known to have higher or
lower temperatures, you can simulate this using the Ideal cavity-side and ideal core-side mold
temperatures. For a flow analysis, this property should be used to simulate a mold that does not have
a constant temperature.
Cavity-side vs Core-side
Creating an accurate model of not only the part, but the mold used to make the part is critical
to a successful flow simulation. Often, the mold used to make a plastic part consists not only of a
cavity hollowed
from the mold plates, but also a core (the moving plate), which extends into the overall plane of a part
to make a cylinder or depression. Inherently, the use of a core in a mold creates problems with the
cooling system. A core area is more difficult to penetrate with cooling channels, bubblers, baffles, and
other cooling devices. Because the core is deep within the mold base, it is not only less accessible to
the cooling system, but it also has more difficulty in diffusing heat away from the part.
Unbalanced cooling, which is the result of temperature differences between the mold walls,
can result in asymmetrical thermal-induced residual stress. This kind of unbalanced cooling results in
an asymmetric tension-compression pattern across the part, and consequently a bending moment
that tends to cause warpage of the part.
MPI allows you to set your own cavity-side and core-side temperatures so that the flow simulation
can provide you with predictions of warpage..Using the simulation results, you can tailor your process
to minimize the temperature difference, and therefore a major cause of warpage, as much as
possible.
Generally speaking, only a small portion of a mold is designed to operate under different
cavity-side and core-side mold wall temperatures. MPI provides this feature so you can determine the
optimal core-side and cavity-side temperatures for minimum warpage. For all elements in which the
cavity-side temperature equals the core-side temperature, you do not need to assign the
temperatures separately.
Tip: As a rule of thumb, the temperature difference for the cavity and core sides should not exceed
20°C (36°F).
51
Chapter 7
Analysis Process
To set the molding process
When using MPI to analyze the design of a plastic part, the first thing that you need to do is set an
appropriate molding process. The molding process you set must represent the real-case scenario
that you are simulating. Once a molding process is selected, MPI automatically updates with the
supported analyses sequences.
1. Click Analysis Set Molding Process.
2. Select the molding process that you want to simulate.
The Study Tasks pane is updated with the molding process type.
3. Next, set the analysis sequence to be run within the selected molding process.
To set an analysis sequence

An analysis sequence is a pre-defined series of MPI analyses. MPI allows you to set analysis
sequences for a model at the beginning of the pre-processing stage, provided that you know all of the
analyses that are required. Before you can select the analysis sequence, however, you must first
select the molding process that you want to simulate.
Note: Selecting a new analysis sequence after already performing an analysis sequence invalidates
any existing results. Selecting Create Copy from the prompt allows you to retain the results and
create a duplicate study.
1. Ensure that you have set the required molding process.

2. Click Analysis Set Analysis Sequence.
This menu option contains a list of all possible analysis sequences that exist for the selected
molding process.
3. Select the required analysis sequence for your study. The new analysis sequence is updated
in the Study Tasks and Project View panes.
To select a material for analysis

In order to run a Moldflow analysis, you must select a material to be analyzed. The properties of
the material are used to simulate conditions inside the mold, indicating any potential problems if you
used this material in a real-life molding situation. You can select a thermoplastic material for a flow
analysis, a thermoset material for a reactive molding analysis, and encapsulant molding compounds
when running either a microchip encapsulation or underfill encapsulation analyses.
1. Click (Analysis Select Material), or double-click the material icon in the Study Tasks window.
The Select Material dialog opens on screen.
2. Click on the Manufacturer drop-down list and select the manufacturer of the material that you
wish to use.
3. Click on the Trade Name drop-down list and select the name that the required material is
traded under.
Tip: Click Details to view the properties of the selected material.
4. Click OK.
The material is updated in the Study Tasks window, which provides the default settings for the
Process Settings.
Tip: The Select Material dialog also allows you to search for materials. If you click Search, you can
enter a property to search for in the Moldflow Material database.
52
To select the process conditions
Before an analysis, you must specify the processing conditions that you want to simulate
during the analysis. The Process Settings wizard is used to enter process conditions for the selected
molding process and analysis sequence therefore, it is configured differently depending on the
analysis sequence set.
Note: The Process Settings wizard updates with default settings after you select a material.
1. Ensure that you have already set the molding process, then set the analysis sequence, to be
run, and also selected a material do not have to have set an injection location at this stage.
2. Click (Analysis Process Settings), or double-click the Process Settings icon in the Study Tasks
pane.
3. Complete all of the required fields within the Process Settings wizard.
This wizard allows you to specify the conditions for the selected molding process.
4. Click Finish.
To set ideal cavity/core side mold temperatures

In the injection molding process, there are areas of the mold that may have higher or lower
temperatures due to part/mold design. If there are mold regions that will have fluctuating surface
temperatures, you can set an ideal cavity, or ideal core side mold temperature. The ideal cavity-side
mold temperature is the temperature that you set for the cavity-side mold wall; in other words, it is the
mold temperature that you want to use on the cavity-side of the mold. The ideal core-side mold
temperature is the temperature that you set for the core-side mold wall.
1. Ensure that you have set the Thermoplastic Injection Molding process.
2. Click (Analysis Process Settings), or double-click the Process Settings icon in the Study Tasks
window.
3. Click Detailed and select a process controller. If one is already selected, click Edit.
4. Click the Temperature Control tab.
Set mold and ambient temperatures for the injection molding process.
5. In the Mold temperature control drop-down list, select Cavity differs from core and click Set.
6. Enter the ideal cavity-side and Ideal core-side mold temperatures.
7. Click OK to remove all dialogs from screen and save the mold temperature settings.
Options for running the analysis

Once you have provided all of the relevant details required to run the analysis you have four options
relating to running the analysis.
You can run the analysis immediately. This will send the analysis to the Job Manager and place it on
the priority queue. If there are no other jobs currently in the queue it will run immediately. If there are
other jobs that were submitted before it to the priority queue then it will be run once all of these jobs
have finished. Any job in the priority queue will run before the jobs in the batch queue.
The analysis can be sent to the batch queue. The Jobs can then be run at any time by selecting the
Job tab, right clicking on the batch queue node and selecting run batch queue. The batch queue will
run in the order that the jobs were submitted. Any jobs in the priority queue will run before the batch
queue is run.
You can submit the job later. This will create a pending result node that can be run at a later time.
This give you the option of postponing to run the job. You can deal with the analysis later by choosing
either to run it, send it to the batch queue or deleting it via the context menu or main menus.
53
Chapter 8
Process Optimization
About MPI/Optim analysis

The Process Optimization analysis (MPI/Optim and MPI/Optim-Fusion) are used to determine
optimum velocity and packing pressure profiles so that parts produced are of the highest quality. The
Process Optimization analysis calculates the optimum process settings, based on the material data,
mold geometry, and molding machine characteristics.
Process Optimization analysis capabilities

Given a mold, a machine and a material, the Process Optimization program aims to find the
optimum process settings, through several iterations, so that the resulting parts do not warp, contain
sink marks or have any weaknesses associated with injection molding. These process settings can
be directly implemented on the molding machine.
MPI/Optim predicts material behavior during the molding cycle by analyzing a surface shell
mesh of a 3D part model. The mesh is comprised of triangular elements, with each element
containing three nodes. In general the more elements in the mesh, the more detailed the results,
however with increased computation time.
MPI/Optim-Fusion works by simulating the flow of the melt on both the top and bottom parts of the
mold cavity. Consistency between the results on the opposite sides is maintained by using
"connectors" - elements with zero flow and heat resistance. The connectors are inserted
automatically at locations determined according to the geometrical features of the model.
Process Optimization analysis output

The Process Optimization analysis calculates:
• A ram velocity profile that slows down at narrow cross sections and speeds up at larger cross
sections. The machine response is taken into account as the inertia is significant. Variations in
the flow front melt temperature are minimized to reduce surface defects and warpage.
• A packing pressure profile that minimizes the variation in shrinkage across the part, thus
reducing warpage and increasing the ability to produce a part with a high dimensional
accuracy.
54
About injection molding machine characteristics and MPI/Optim
analysis
MPI/Optim analysis requires as input the characteristics of the specific injection-molding

machine that will be used to mold the part, including various information on the operating capacity
and other physical and operational parameters of the injection-molding machine. This topic describes
the specific injection-molding machine characteristics required by MPI/Optim and some advice on
how to obtain this machine data.
Injection molding machine specification
The Process Optimization analysis calculates the optimum processing parameters based on
the material data, mold geometry, and molding machine characteristics. The results of the MPI/Optim
analysis are based upon information that you supply about your injection molding machine.
Since MPI/Optim optimizes the process for a given machine, you must specify how that injection
molding machine works. You can select one of the machines from the supplied injection molding
machine database and, if necessary, modify the data to suit your particular machine, or define your
own injection molding machine that is then saved in the database.
Information required includes:

• Identification of machine
• Injection unit information
• Screw information
• Clamp unit information
• Controller information
The procedure for create/editing an injection molding machine characteristics specification is

described in
Guidelines
Much of the molding machine data required by MPI/Optim is available directly from the machine
manufacturer's data sheet, such as:
• Screw diameter
• Maximum injection pressure
• Maximum clamp force
• Maximum number of velocity steps
• Maximum stroke.
It is recommend that the following critical parameters be verified experimentally, for maximum
accuracy:
• Maximum injection velocity
• Machine response time
Caution: Appropriate safety procedures should be adhered to during these experimental tests.
55
Chapter 9
Flow Analysis
MPI/FLOW3D allows you to analyze how a cavity fills and packs with polymer. When you prepare
an analysis of a model you have the option of running two types of flow analyses:
• filling only
• full flow
The filling only analysis calculates the behavior of the polymer in the cavity while it is filling. It will
determine if the polymer will fill 100% of the cavity and show the flow of the material as it fills.
The full flow analysis consists of a filling analysis and a packing analysis. The packing analysis
calculates the behavior of the polymer in the cavity while pressure is being applied to pack extra
material into the cavity. You should only run a packing analysis if you are confident that the cavity will
fill successfully.
Once you are confident that a model will fill, you can then run a packing analysis from the
successful filling analysis. You don't need to run a full flow analysis.
Fill Time Result
The Fill time result shows the position of the flow front at regular intervals as the cavity fills.
Each color contour represents the parts of the mold, which were being filled at the same time. At the
start of injection, the result is dark blue, and the last places to fill are red. If the part is a short shot,
the section which did not fill, has no color.
If you design a part well and consider the conditions used to fill a part, then you have a much greater
chance of the part filling successfully. When you are deciding how to fill a part, you should consider
the number of gates, the position of the gates, the flow of the polymer, and the runner system design.
In many situations, you can use these concepts to fill a part successfully. However, if can't fill a part
using these techniques you may need to change the dimensions of the part. By changing the
thickness of a part, you may be able to solve some filling problems.
In a part with a good fill time result, the flow pattern is balanced. In a balanced fill time result:
• All flow paths finish at the same time. The flow fronts should reach the extremities of the model
at the same time. This means that each flow path should end with dark blue contours.
• The contours are evenly spaced. The contour spacing indicates the speed at which the
polymer is flowing. Widely-spaced contours indicate rapid flow, while narrow contours indicate
that the part is filling slowly
56
Flow Analysis
Moldflow Plastics Insight (MPI) includes a suite of flow analysis products that are used to predict
thermoplastic polymer flow inside the mold. The programs simulate flow by calculating a flow front
that grows from node to connecting node, starting at the injection node. The cycle continues until the
flow front has expanded to fill the last node.
Furthermore, it uses a packing analysis to determine whether a cavity will be completely filled and a
runner balance analysis that ensures equal pressure is delivered at each cavity.
Before running a flow analysis, pay close attention to the edge length of the mesh around high
curvature areas on your model, and make sure they are not too coarse. It is recommended that you
mesh with a smaller edge length allowing the mesh to approximate the corners correctly
There are a number of important criteria you should bear in mind when preparing a model for
analysis.
For flow analysis the model should:
• have simple rather than complex shapes.
Simpler surfaces are more flexible and better for meshing.
• be defined with few internal features and few points.
A model for analysis does not have to be as detailed as the part….
• be a double-skinned Moldflow surface mesh.
• have model type (for example, cavity or cooling) and have colors for assignment of other
attributes.
A Moldflow FLOW analysis calculates the maximum clamp tonnage required to keep the mold closed
during filling. For the clamp tonnage calculations to be correct the model positioning must be such
that the clamp force is applied along the Z-axis direction.
For a flow analysis, the following results are recorded to help you investigate the simulation.
For the filling phase, the following results are recorded:
• Bulk temperature.
• Wall shear stress.
• Shear rate.
For the end of the filling phase, the following results are recorded:
• Time at end of filling.
• Total weight.
• Clamp force required.
• Recommended ram speed profile.
• Frozen layer fraction.
57
• Shear rate.
Flow balancing
A runner system which achieves flow balanced filling and maintains optimum
processing
conditions at each cavity. In the MPI, the design of runner system is crucial, since the runner
system is used as a flow control device. The combination of gate positions and runner size is
used to control the filling pattern within the cavity.
All the flow paths within a mold should fill at the same time and with equal pressure. For
multiple cavity molds this means each cavity should fill at the same time. Within parts, the
same is true. The extremities of the part should fill at the same time also.
There are two types of balanced runner systems: naturally balanced sometimes-called
geometrically balanced runners, and artificially balanced runners. The flow length for
naturally balanced runner systems from the sprue to the parts is the same for all the cavities,
as indicated in Figure. Generally this type of runner system has a larger processing
window than artificially balanced runners.
Naturally balanced runner system
The artificially balanced runner system achieves its balance by changing the size of the
runners. This can be a very useful technique for balancing runners, as there is generally less
runner volume required than a naturally balanced runner. However, due to the changes in the
runner diameter, the processing window is generally smaller than a naturally balanced runner.
Injection time is generally the main limiting factor, Figure shows an example of an
artificially balanced runner.
Artificially balanced runner system
Further Runner Balance Analyses

After running the first runner balance analyses, you should continue to run more analyses,
changing one parameter each time, to see what effect changing parameters have on the balance.
Adjustment of runner diameters causes the runner system to act as a flow control device.
58
Chapter 10
Packing Analysis
Plastics have a very large volumetric change, about 25%, when cooling from melt temperature
to a solid. To prevent the material from shrinking this much, the screw on the injection-molding
machine should continue to apply pressure after the part has filled, to pack it with extra material. If a
part is not packed properly, the material could shrink excessively or unevenly. This shrinking of the
material could cause the part to be under the minimum specified dimensions, to warp or to have sink
marks.
There are two steps to the packing of a part;
1.The part must be packed to ensure that it fills completely and to pack in extra material and
2.The part is packed to compensate for the shrinkage of the material as it cools.
A packing analysis should be done after the part has been optimized for filling, the runners have been
sized and balanced and preferably, a cooling analysis has been run.
There are three inputs required to run a packing analysis in addition to the inputs for a filling analysis,
these are:
• Packing time.
• Packing pressure.
• Cooling time.
As a part fills, the material filling the part is compressed. It can be compressed by as much as 15%.
Continuing to move the screw forward, and hence increasing the pressure of the material in the cavity
forces extra material into the cavity. This partial compensates for the material shrinking as it cools.
Since the material can only be compressed by 15% and the material shrinks by about 25% as it
cools, the amount of material pressed into the part during fill will not be enough to prevent it from
shrinking.
The screw should continue to apply pressure to the material after it has been packed to compensate
for the extra shrinkage that will occur. This will force extra material into the part as it cools and
shrinks. The pressure applied to the material as it solidifies should be reduced to account for the
diminishing amount of polymer that remains liquid (as only the molten polymer can be compressed).
All parts will shrink to some degree as they cool, even if they are packed well. If the amount of
shrinkage is large, then the part produced may be under dimensions or could have sink marks. The
amount of shrinkage should be reduced as much as possible by packing the part well.
If the shrinkage through a part is uneven, it may warp. To reduce the variation of shrinkage through
the part, the pressure should drop off constantly from the point where the part last fills, to the gate(s).
The level of packing pressure as the polymer freezes determines the value of volumetric shrinkage; a
lower pressure increases volumetric shrinkage and might result in sink marks, while a higher
pressure causes it to minimize sink marks but increases the opportunity for flashing.
The pressure is effective only for the time that the molten polymer takes to freeze. Therefore two key
requirements for packing are pressure and time. Variations of pressure over time is called a profile.
59
Packing accounts for both material compressibility and volumetric shrinkage
Examples of packing profile types

A packing profile applies specified pressures to the mold for the specified time. A list of values
of the pressure and time interval (not cumulative time) for each step in the profile must be entered.
The pressure value is the pressure at the end of the step. The time value is the time taken for that
step.
You have the choice of using either a constant packing profile, or a linear packing profile. That
is, the profile may be made up of steps of constant pressure, or of steps in which the pressure
increases or decreases linearly during the step.
The types of profiles are shown below.
Constant profile:
Linear Profile:
Tip: In order to create a constant packing profile, you must enter steps with a duration of 0 seconds.
60
Examples of packing profiles
The three figures below show different packing profiles, and provide you with examples of the
numbers entered into the Processing Conditions wizard to achieve such profiles:
Note: The end of fill occurs at 2 sec in the following examples.
Time (sec)
Pressure (MPa)
20 0
20 8
0 0
Pressure (MPa) Time (sec)

20 0
20 5
0 3
Pressure (MPa) Time (sec)

20 3
20 5
0 0
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To set up a packing profile
A packing profile can be used to control the packing phase of an injection molding cycle.
Packing profiles can be used to control the volumetric shrinkage distribution, and to avoid
overpacking and related problems. You can use either hydraulic pressure, injection pressure, an
injection pressure factor, or % Max. machine pressure to specify the pressure in the profile. The
profile only needs to describe the time when a packing pressure is applied.
Note: You do not need to enter the cooling time in a packing profile.
1. Select (Analysis Process Settings), or double-click the Process Settings icon in the Study
Tasks window.
2. Select the required option from the Pack/holding control drop-down list, and then click Set.
3. Enter the packing profile data into the table provided, using the left hand column for the times,
and the right hand column for the pressure values. You can use the table by clicking on each
field and entering the profile data.
Note: In order to specify a constant pressure profile, you must specify instant profile steps, that
is, steps with a duration of 0 seconds.
4. Click OK.
For the packing phase, the following results are recorded:

• Peak pressure.
• Clamp force.
• Total weight.
• Volumetric shrinkage.
• Total part weight.
For the end of the packing phase, the following results are recorded:
• Time at end of packing.
• Total weight.
• Frozen layer fraction.
• Volumetric shrinkage.
• Sink index.
62
Chapter 11
Cooling Analysis
About MPICL analysis

Plastics Insight contains a suite of cooling analysis products. Wherever the on-line Help refers to
a cooling analysis, it is describing all of the cooling products. The cooling analysis products include:
• MPI/Cool - for a cooling analysis on a midplane model.

• MPI/Cool-Fusion - for a cooling analysis on a fusion model.
• MPI/Cool3D - for a cooling analysis on a 3D model.
The three cooling products are discussed together, however, they are described individually where
required.
How it works?
Plastics Insight cooling analyses are heat transfer analysis products designed to analyze flow
of heat in plastic injection molds. The principle outcomes of an analysis are temperatures in the
plastic filled cavity and throughout the mold, cooling time, and cooling network flow parameters such
as pressure or flow rate requirements. Network analysis also provides information on pumping
requirements for a given circuit and coolant combination.
A feature of the MPI cooling analyses is that they interface to the MPI flow analyses. This enables the
flow analysis to recognize the effects of local hot and cold spots arising from a given cooling situation.
MPI/Warp, in turn, considers the cooling effects carried onto the flow analysis in order to compute the
impact of differential temperature distributions on part warpage (only available for midplane models).
Temperatures can be used to understand the effectiveness of:
• Cooling line location

• Coolant inlet temperature
• Coolant flow parameters
• Mold inserts
• Mold parting planes
• Mold external surfaces
• Part design on uniformity of part
• Mold temperature distributions
• Cycle time
Why Optimize Cooling?

Cooling affects the Quality of the part
1.Surface Finish
2.Residual Stresses
3.Cystallinity
4.Thermal bending
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Cooling System Design
The mold designer should aim to design a cooling system that:
• Uniformly cools the part
• Achieves the desired target mold temperature for the start of the next cycle
• Minimizes cycle time
In this section we consider some of the factors affecting cooling system performance, which should
be considered at the design stage:
• The layout of channels and the mold material into which they are cut. The coolant parameters
such as coolant type, temperature, flow rate and pressure drop
Cooling Analysis Objectives
Cooling analyses are performed to determine (in part)
• Cooling line placement

• Minimum Cycle time
• Minimum temperature distribution on Cavity and /or Core
• Minimum temperature distribution between Cavity and Core
• Whether high thermal conductivity inserts should be used
What parameter can be changed?

1. Water line layout
• If there is enough room in the tool to move lines

• If the lines should be split
• If tool not built yet
2. Coolant temperatures
• For all circuits, if they are not individually controlled

• In individual circuits, if more than one temperature controller is available.
3. Cooling time
• Rule of thumb is to minimize cooling time

• Shorter cooling times will however, make temperature distribution worse
4. Flow Rate
• Once coolant is fully turbulent, increasing the flow rate is generally a waste of energy.
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Analysis Type
There are two analysis types:
1. Manual Analysis
• A cycle time in input into the analysis
Manual analysis is best if there is a known cycle time and if the cooling layout is poor.
2. Automatic analysis
• Calculates the cycle time for you
Automatic analysis is best for minimizing cycle time

Automatic analysis should not be run if the cooling layout is poor, because cycle times will be
extended.
Setting up and running a cooling analysis

Before you can run a cooling analysis, there are a number of modeling and model setup
prerequisites that need to be fulfilled.
About mold materials
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To run a cooling analysis, all mold model surfaces must be defined with a mold material. This
allows MPI to accurately estimate cooling rates in your design, using the properties associated with
that mold material.
Effect of Mesh density on Cooling

Cooling errors caused by
• High aspect ratios

• Very sort beam elements (Cooling channels and runners)
Errors that can occur
• Elements too close

• Overlapping elements
Modeling and Meshing errors can cause
• Convergence problems
• Non-logical temperature distribution (eg. Hot spots)
Effects on cooling performance

Cooling system performance is affected by how quickly heat moves from the plastic part to the
mold cavity surface. This is affected by the material properties, the difference between melt and mold
surface temperature, and the quality of the contact between the cooling plastic and the mold material.
Cooling system performance is also affected by the transfer of heat through the mold material to the
coolant channels. Heat transfer is affected by turbulence in the coolant as it flows through the mold
material, by the coolant inlet temperature, the coolant properties and the coolant flow rate.
Thermal conductivity
The thermal conductivity of a mold material is also important to the performance of a cooling
system. The units for thermal conductivity are; watts per meter °Kelvin [W/mK] in the metric system,
or, Btu per hour foot °Fahrenheit [(Btu/hr)/ft/F)] in US units. High values of thermal conductivity
indicate that the material is a good conductor.
Some typical thermal conductivities for pre-defined mold materials are shown below:
Mold Material Conductivity W/m C Specific Heat J/KgCDensity kg/m3

P20 Steel 29.0 460 7,800.0
Carbon Steel 41.0 460.0 7,833.0
BeCu 130.0 420 8,415
Copper Alloy 205.0 392.27 8,710.0
Aluminum 138.0 782.313 2,800.0
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About cooling circuits
A cooling circuit consists of a set of connected two-point beam surfaces, which make up the
cooling system. Cooling systems are used in a cooling analysis to deliver coolant to areas of the mold
that would not otherwise cool effectively.
The placement of cooling channels is restricted by mechanical constraints such as ejector pins
and metal inserts. Information from cooling analyses can be used to evaluate each design. When you
are designing a cooling system, consider the coolant inlet, the circuit type, and the circuit location.
Circuit type
A series circuit is usually preferable to a parallel circuit. If you must use a parallel circuit,
ensure that each branch is balanced with regard to flow rate.
When modeling bubblers and baffles, remember to model the top point one radius (outer
radius in the case of bubblers) down from the top of the drilling. If it is necessary to use a parallel
circuit, each branch should be balanced for local heat load. The flow should be controlled so that all
cooling circuits are running in the turbulent region, ensuring that all branches have coolant flowing
through them.
Baffles and bubblers

Areas of the mold that cannot be cooled effectively by normal cooling lines may require the use of
baffles or bubblers.
Bubblers A bubbler is created by fitting a tube in the center of a drilled hole, to form an annular
channel. The coolant flows up the inner tube and back down the annular channel.
Baffles A baffle is constructed by inserting a plate in a drilled hole, to force the coolant to flow
up one side and down the other.
Any change in coolant direction in a cooling channel increases turbulence and hence the heat
transfer capability of the coolant after the bend.
Both baffles and bubblers increase the turbulence, due to the bends in the flow system and their
geometrical shape, which enables restricted areas to be cooled.
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Bubbler System Baffle System
TM002P07
Coolant inlet
Prior to running a cooling analysis in MPI, it is a compulsory prerequisite that the circuit inlet
node is specified, which indicates the location where coolant enters the cooling circuit.
The inlets and outlets should be positioned on the bottom of the mold. This eliminates the risk of the
coolant dripping onto the mold faces.
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Circuit location
In general, cooling circuits should be located at a distance of about 2.5 times their diameter
from the plastic. This will give fairly uniform cooling over the part. In some cases however, it may be
necessary to locate the line closer or further from the part, depending on how much heat is to be
removed. Cooling circuits should be close in areas that concentrate heat, such as internal corners
and ribs. Cooling circuits may be positioned further away in areas that have less heat content, such
as thin sections.
Cooling efficiency
Often molds contain ribs and cores that are very difficult to cool. Placing bubblers, baffles or
metals of high conductivity in these areas greatly improves conduction through the core to the cooling
line.
Do not use small inlet lines to feed larger lines. Remember that the only lines in which turbulent flow
is required are the circuits that are actually cooling the part. If a small inlet line feeds a large cooling
circuit, achieving turbulence in the large circuit must be accompanied by a large pressure drop over
the smaller line. This is a waste of pumping power. Cooling surfaces must be assigned a value of
heat transfer effectiveness to represent their ability to accept heat from the mold. For most situations
a default value is applicable.
About coolants
A cooling system uses water, or another cooling medium, to flow through the circuits in order
to control the temperature of the metal surfaces in contact with the plastic being molded.
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Commonly used coolants
Some of the more commonly used coolants include:
Coolant Temperature
Ordinary water from mains or a cooling
tower 20 - 25ºC
Ordinary water from a heater/circulator unit

> 30ºC
Cold water from a chiller
> 10ºC
Water mixed with antifreeze from a chiller
> -5ºC
Oil – normally from a heater/circulator unit > 80ºC
An important parameter that the mold designer needs to know is the pressure of coolant
available at the plant. If the available pressure is less than the pressure that the cooling lines require,
the cooling of the part could be ineffective, due to non-turbulent flow of coolant.
Choosing a coolant
Adding glycol (antifreeze) raises the viscosity of the coolant, which either requires higher
pumping pressure or results in lower flow rates. It is possible that the using a chilled water/glycol mix
gives less effective cooling than a well-designed circuit with plain tower water circulating at the
optimum flow rate. Oil is normally
used only when very high mold temperatures are required. The available pump capacity must be
greater than that required by the cooling circuits in the mold.
About coolant inlet temperature
The temperature of the coolant as it enters the cooling system is an important aspect to
consider for a cooling analysis. In order to achieve effective heat extraction from your part, the inlet
and outlet temperature should not vary more than 4ºC.
The cooling analysis summary file records the change in coolant temperature from inlet to
outlet. If the increase is unacceptable (greater than 4ºC), use the coolant temperature result to
determine where the greatest increase in temperature occurs. If necessary, the inlet temperature and
degree of turbulence in the cooling lines can be altered to increase heat extraction in particular
regions that are difficult to cool.
Ideal inlet temperature
The temperature of the coolant should be as low as possible, in order to achieve the best heat
transfer and the lowest cycle time. However, some thermoplastics need a higher surface temperature
for better part finish. In such cases, heated water or oil may be used for cooling the mold. Try to keep
the mold surface temperature close to the recommended value.
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Available inlet temperature
In general, use an inlet temperature of 10-20ºC lower than the desired mold temperature.
However, you should know what temperature coolant the coolant circulating plant is able to provide.
There is no benefit specifying a coolant inlet temperature of 5ºC, if no chiller is available to achieve
this value. Also, the tower water temperature will vary depending on geographical location and
ambient conditions. The inlets and outlets should ideally always be positioned on the bottom of the
mold, to eliminate the risk of coolant dripping onto the mold faces.
About coolant control
The flow rate of the coolant in the cooling lines is an important aspect to consider when
preparing a cooling analysis. If the flow rate of the coolant is not known, you can use the Reynolds
number to define the flow rate.
Pressure in the cooling channels can also be used to control the coolant. This topic provides you with
some issues to consider when deciding upon a coolant control method.
Coolant Control issues

The mold designer should know what the available coolant flow rate is before designing the
mold. The mold design can be modified in the early stages to take account of the availability of
coolant at the plant.
In the cooling channel, the cooling medium must absorb the heat by convection. This means that the
flow must be turbulent. The power required to pump coolant around the system is proportional to the
cube of the flow rate. This means that doubling the water flow requires eight times the pumping
power. The use of excessively high flow rates is a costly waste of energy.
Reynolds number
Once turbulent flow has been achieved, an increase in flow rate makes little difference to the
rate of heat extraction. Therefore, flow rate should only be set to achieve the ideal Reynolds Number
with minimum variations. The Reynolds Number is a ratio that defines the rate of fluid flow in pipes
and is assigned to cooling circuits when the flow rate is not known.
When running a Moldflow analysis, we recommend using a Reynolds number of 10,000,

however, to represent turbulent flow, then check this result to ensure minimum variation. Don't aim
for a Reynolds number greater than 10,000.
If you have parallel cooling line circuits, it may be difficult to achieve minimum variation of the
Reynolds number throughout all the branches. If this is the case, consider changing the circuit layout.
If there is a large variation in cooling line diameter, there may be excessive variations in the Reynolds
number. If this occurs, either adjust the cooling line diameter, or reduce the minimum Reynolds
number (ensure the Reynolds number is always greater than 4000, which is considered fully
turbulent).
Effect of parallel cooling circuits on flow rate
The following problems can arise when using parallel cooling channels:
• The flow rate in each branch is reduced as extra branches are added. This reduces cooling
efficiency, unless the total flow rate is increased.
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• The flow rate can vary from one branch to another, causing non-uniform cooling. To minimize
this, you can adjust the bore of the varying branches to balance the coolant flow.
• If one branch gets partially blocked by debris, the flow rate in that branch can be dramatically
reduced while increasing slightly in the other branches. This also causes non-uniform cooling.
About heat transfer effectiveness (HTE)
A heat transfer effectiveness (HTE) value can be assigned to mold surfaces to indicate the
effectiveness of heat transfer through specific mold surfaces. This value is used to specify the
effectiveness of heat transfer for baffles, bubblers, cooling circuits (channels) or connectors for a
cooling analysis.
Note: HTE must be assigned to any bubblers and baffles that exist in your design. Bubblers require a
HTE value of 1 on the outside surface and a value of 0 on the inside surface, and semi-circular
baffles should be assigned an HTE value of 0.5.
HTE Values
The program will set a default HTE value of 1, indicating the maximum heat transfer. You can
also set the HTE value to 0, indicating that there is no heat transfer through these surfaces. A value
of 0.5 is assigned when only half of the surface parameter is used to transfer heat (eg. baffles).
When all the nodes connected to a surface are defined to be at the same temperature, the HTE value
given to the surface is irrelevant because there can be no heat flow through the nodes. Thus the
default value of HTE need not be changed.
The HTE value of 1, which is assigned to cooling circuit surfaces by default, indicates that the
mold feature only absorbs heat. If an HTE of 0 is assigned to a feature, it indicates that the feature
absorbs no heat from the mold.
About mold inserts
Inserts are parts of the mold that are created separately from the mold cavity block. Inserts are
inserted in the block to achieve a desired cavity shape or cooling effect.
The effect of inserts on heat transfer

Inserts without cooling lines adversely affect heat transfer, because of the thermal interface
created between the mold and insert. These effects can be minimized by careful attention to the fit of
such inserts or by using inserts of highly conductive material.
The use of mold inserts can be considered to modify the rate of cooling in specific areas of the
mold. A common example is a part with ribs that are thinner than the main surface. There is a natural
tendency for the part to deflect away from the thinner ribs as the main surface has higher area
shrinkage. By running the rib area hotter (conductivity insert), the part can be deflected back to the
required shape. In some cases, an insert of lower conductivity or containing a separate cooling
circuit, can be used to form the ribs. This gives better control of the rib temperature.
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Modeling inserts
Inserts are modeled with flat shell surfaces representing each of the faces on the insert. The
complete insert (six surfaces in its simplest form) is effectively a closed volume defined by the six
surfaces. Inserts can have complex cross-sections to match features on the cavity model, in which
case they consist of more than the basic six surfaces. Inserts can be added to inserts to create more
complex shapes. When small inserts abut onto larger inserts, the surface of the larger insert must
have an internal boundary for the smaller insert to connect with.
When the edge of a plastic surface runs across an insert surface, the insert surface should
have an internal boundary added to ensure that the mesh on the plastic surface and the mesh on the
insert surface are compatible. Inserts must not contact the mold outer surfaces or the origin point of
the model (that is, 0 in X, 0 in Y and 0 in Z).
Note: Each insert must be meshed and correctly oriented.
About interface conductance

Interface conductance is a measure of the rate of heat transfer across the surfaces
represented by inserts and parting planes. The higher the rate of heat flow for a given temperature
and area, the larger the interface conductance. If there is ineffective heat transfer due to air gaps, for
example, the interface conductance value is very small.
How MPI uses interface conductance

Interface conductance is an optional prerequisite that you can assign to a mold insert or
parting plane for a cooling analysis. Where insert surfaces have low values of interface conductance
to represent assembly clearances, the temperature difference shows the difference in temperature
from one side of the gap to the other. Where inserts directly contact the plastic, the insert
temperatures are the same as the plastic.
When to specify interface conductance

The interface conductance value is determined primarily by the finish (smoothness) of the
interface and the fit of the two metal surfaces. For inserts that have a good contact with the main
mold material, it is not necessary to assign an interface conductance because the analysis program
assumes a high value. Furthermore, insert surfaces directly in contact with plastic surfaces are
assumed to have a very high value of interface conductance and any values that you assign to such
surfaces will be ignored.
Typical interface conductance values
Contact
Contact Surface finish Thermal conductance [W/m2K]
pressure
Type [m] +/- 10%
[MPa]
Steel/Air/Steel (no gap) 0 Normal grinding 2500
Steel/Air/Steel (0.5 mm gap) N/A N/A 50
Steel/Air/Steel (1.0 mm gap) N/A N/A 25
Steel/Grease/Steel (Ejector
0 Lapped 2m radial gap 75000
pin or sliding core)
Steel/Grease/Steel (Ejector
0 Lapped 5m radial gap 30000
pin or sliding core)
BeCu/Air/Steel (T/C = 130
330 Normal grinding 3700000
W/mK)
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Advanced Options
The advanced options provide 4 additional parameters that can be set. The first two control
the temperature convergence and are generally left at their default tolerances. If a cooling
analysis finished and displays error messages indicating the analysis did not converge, it may
converge if the number of iterations is increased. A more accurate analysis should be
obtained if the convergence tolerance is made smaller.
The geometric influence is the algorithm that controls the boundary element analysis. A full
boundary element analysis (Ideal), performs a heat transfer calculation from one element to
every other element in the model. This creates a very large matrix of equations to solve and
takes significant computer resources.
The geometric influence is an algorithm that reduces the number of elements used. When
the automatic option is used, the cooling analysis determines a balance between the number
of elements to do a heat transfer calculation with, and accuracy. For optimization of cooling
systems, automatic is recommended. However, if the goal is to run a warpage analysis, it is
recommended the geometric influence be set to ideal. There is also a parameter option that
allows you to indicate the area in which heat transfer calculations are done around each
element. There is also a check box called Aggregated Mesh Solver. Mesh Aggregation is a
method of combining many elements into a master element. This significantly reduces the
number of elements in the model. This allows for the geometry influence of ideal to run
much more efficiently. As a result, the default geometric influence is ideal, and the
aggregated mesh solver is turned on. This is the best combination of speed and accuracy.
Optimize Cooling time

Cooling time can be optimized when:
• An acceptable temperature distribution is established

• The average mold surface temperature is at or below the target mold temperature
• Cooling time is optimized by running an automatic analysis.
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Chapter 12
Warpage analysis
MPI/Warp can be used to determine whether a part molded with a thermoplastic material will warp
and if so, can be used to isolate the cause of warpage. Warpage is distortion caused by variations of
internal stresses due to differential shrinkage in the material. Warpage deformities can be result of
unsuitable processing conditions, machine faults or poor part design. Warpage can only be predicted
by considering both shrinkage and stiffness of the product.
Warpage analysis considerations
Warpage in an injection-molded part is caused by variations in shrinkage
• from region to region in the part

• through the thickness of the part
• parallel and perpendicular to the direction of material orientation
Any attempt to predict the likelihood and amount of warpage for a particular component must first
account for these shrinkage variations.
The material used affects the warpage of the part. Sometimes, you will need to choose a material
with low, uniform shrinkage, to achieve dimensional accuracy. Such materials are usually more
expensive, so if you can apply shrinkage and warpage design principles, it may be possible to use a
less expensive material and achieve significant financial benefits.
Factors affecting the Shrinkage
* Equilibrium PVT (Pressure/ Volume/Temperature)
* High Cooling rates

Lowers Crystallinity
* Orientation due to filling

Different parallel and perpendicular shrinkage
* Mold Restraint
No Shrinkage in the plane of element while in the mold
* Temperature difference through the thickness

Causing bending moments
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Types of Warpage
1.Stable warpage
Warpage (deflection) is linearly proportional to applied shrinkage stress
Stable Loading - No buckling
2.Unstable warpage
In-plane stresses increase membrane stress to the point of instability

Conversion of in-plane membrane energy to bending energy results in large deformations
Unstable Loading -
Buckling
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Contributors for Warpage
1.Part Design
Wall thickness
Wall thickness variations (abrupt changes)
Part stiffness/ shape
2. Mold Design
Gate Location(s)
Runner and gate design
Cooling system configuration
Ejection system
3.Processing conditions
Mold temperature
Melt temperature
Injection time
Packing time
Packing pressure
4. Material
Molecular Structure
Crystalline
Amorphous
5. Fillers
Warpage Analysis Process
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Determining the magnitude of Warpage
a) Run an “Automatic” warpage analysis
• Runs a buckling analysis

• If the part buckles it runs a large deflection analysis
• This will calculate actual deflection values
b) Review Results
• Interpret the deflection results to see if the warpage is acceptable according to the part
• Normally reviewing the “Z” deflection plot shows the best picture of warpage
• If a part buckles it will not meet part specifications
Inputs for Warpage Analysis
1. Part model, in study file (.sdy)

2. Layer based results calculated from filling and packing analysis, in .lsp file (binary), including:
a) Residual stress distribution, parallel & perpendicular
b) Material orientation direction
c) Material mechanical properties
3. Cooling effects are included in warpage analysis via flow results
Prepare for warpage analysis

Before you can run a warpage analysis, you need to have simulated the filling, cooling and
packing phases using the MPI/FLOW and MPI/COOL modules of MPI, which should already be
familiar to you.
78
Set boundary conditions for warpage analysis
Just as flow analysis requires the injection location(s) to be specified as a so-called boundary
condition for the analysis, warpage analysis requires suitable constraints to the part to prevent rigid
body motion in the warpage simulation.
Cool before Flow or Vice-versa?

Assumptions
1.Cool – Flow – Warp
• Cooling analysis assumes mold is initially at melt temperature and so all elements are melt
temperature initially.
• Assumes injection time is very small compared to cycle time and can be neglected in initial
cooling analysis.
2.Flow – Cool – Flow – Warp (FCFW)
• Cooling analysis takes the instantaneous temperature of the melt as it reaches each element
as the initial melt temperature.
• Instantaneous temperature was calculated on the assumption of constant, uniform mold

temperature.
Cool before Flow or vice versa?

Which sequence is preferred
FCFW assumes constant mold wall temperature in initial flow analysis
CFW assumes constant melt front temperature in initial cooling analysis
For warpage prediction, the assumption of a constant melt temperature has proven to provide more
accurate warpage prediction than the constant mold wall temperature assumption
CFW is therefore the preferred sequence to run
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Supported types of warpage analysis
The following warpage analysis types are available and can be selected from the Process Settings
Wizard:
• Buckling - Determines whether the warpage of the part is stable or unstable.
If the buckling analysis indicates that the warpage is stable (critical load factor > 1), the
deflection results obtained from the buckling analysis provide a good indication of the final
deformed shape of the part.
If the buckling analysis indicates that the warpage is unstable (critical load factor < 1), you will
need to run a large deflection analysis to determine the final deformed shape of the part.
• Small deflection - Select this analysis type if you expect the warpage of the part to be stable.
The small deflection analysis provides the final deformed shape of the part, assuming linear
stress-strain behavior within the part.
• Large deflection - Select this analysis type if you expect the warpage of the part to be
unstable, as determined from a previous automatic or buckling analysis, or the warpage of the
part is borderline stable/unstable and/or you want the most accurate prediction of the shape of
the part. The large deflection analysis provides the final deformed shape of the part, allowing
for nonlinear stress-strain behavior within the part.
• Automatic - Select this option if you want the solver to identify whether the warpage is stable
or unstable, and if the warpage is determined to be unstable, automatically run an additional
large deflection analysis to determine the true final deformed shape of the part.
Analyse the warpage of the part

There are three distinct steps in analyzing the warpage of the part
• Determine the likelihood and type of warpage
Is the warpage of the part likely to be mild or severe. This may have implications on which
analysis tools you should select to assess and diagnose the warpage.
• Determine the extent of warpage
In practice, zero warpage in the part is an unobtainable goal. Are the deflections in the part at an
acceptable level? If there are critical dimensions for the part, are they being met?
– Isolate the dominant cause(s) of warpage
MPI/WARP can help you track down the major cause(s) of the warpage. This allows you to
take targeted measures to reduce the warpage. Without this critical information, solving
warpage problems would be a hit and miss process.
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Anchor Plane
Used as a reference when looking at warpage results
A default anchor plane is set up automatically for running the analysis
Set anchor plane to simplify interpretation of results when specific assembly/use is known
Base of part
Feet of part
Mating surface
Deflections based on constraints forming anchor plane
With most warpage problems, Set anchor plane by considering how the part
•will be used
•is measured for warpage
Typically anchor plane is defined on global XY plane and the most informative component of the
warpage is Z deflection
X & Y deflections are then mostly “shrinkage
Reduce warpage through appropriate measures

Having determined that the level of warpage in the part is unacceptable and having run the
appropriate analyses to determine the major cause(s) of warpage, the next step is to take one or
more measures to address the problem(s) giving rise to the unacceptable levels of warpage.
Example measures that can be taken are:

• Changing the gate location
• Changing processing conditions
• Changing cavity or cooling line geometry
• Using packing profiles
Suitable corrections for a particular case depend mainly on the major causes warpage
(orientation effects, differential shrinkage, or differential cooling). However, there may be
additional considerations, such as technological and/or implementation constraints on the
project.
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How to reduce Warpage
1.Take measures to reduce the effect of the dominant warpage contributor
a) Differential cooling
b) Area shrinkage
c) Orientation effects
2. Add stiffing features to the part
3. Change the material
4. Use analysis results to help determine how to reduce the warpage.
Solving asymmetry in warpage analysis problems
This topic will explain how to make sure the warpage analysis accounts for asymmetry, and
the relation with MPI/Flow and MPI/Cool. Asymmetry could be caused by temperature differences
between the two sides of the mold or/and by branching geometry.
Important: Warpage analysis will not take into account differential cooling unless an asymmetric flow
analysis was performed (following a cooling analysis) when using the Corrected in-Mold Stress
shrinkage model.
Accounting for Asymmetry in a Warpage Analysis
Warpage analysis can be run using one of two shrinkage models:

• Residual Thermal Strain model
• Corrected Residual in Mold Stress (CRIMS) model
Which model is used depends on how the option Use residual stress where possible has been set
in the user preferences (File Preferences, Analysis tab) and the material selected for the analysis
In order to account for asymmetry when running a warpage analysis, it is important to note the
following differences:
• When the Residual Thermal Strain model is used, the temperature differences between the
two sides of the mold are taken into account by reading the cooling results (if available), no
matter whether the flow analysis is symmetric or asymmetric.
• When the Corrected Residual in Mold Stress (CRIMS) model is used, the warpage analysis
uses the asymmetric information produced by the asymmetric flow analysis and does not use
the cooling results.
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Free
Free Free
Free
Therefore, the following is true when the CRIMS model (the preferred model) is used:
• Even if there are no cooling results, the warpage results still accounts for geometry asymmetry
based as derived from the asymmetric flow analysis results.
• If the flow analysis is symmetric, then the warpage analysis will be symmetric and therefore
ignore differential cooling even if a cooling analysis preceded the flow analysis.
That is, you can use any option when running a warpage analysis with asymmetric inputs from flow.
However, only the CRIMS option fully uses the asymmetric inputs.
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Chapter 13
Stress analysis
In general, stress analysis is the prediction of how a part deforms when one or more loads are
applied to it; this is also termed structural analysis. Stress analysis can be used to check the product
for possible structural defects or failure points that will manifest themselves when the product is
exposed to real life loads.
The Stress analysis program performs isotropic and orthotropic stress analysis of normal or
fiber-reinforced thermoplastic materials. Stress analysis for injection molding predicts actual molding
stiffness. It analyses a product for possible structural defects or failure points when the product is
exposed to a load.
Plastics are used for applications in load-bearing structural components. Design engineers
use stress analysis to identify the strength, stiffness, and life expectancy of their products.
MPI/STRESS provides stress analysis tools specially suited to analyze injection molded plastic parts.
Analysis types
Available analysis types are:
• small deflection analysis
• large deflection analysis
• buckling analysis
• modal frequency analysis
• creep
• Small deflection - Select this analysis type if you expect the deformation behavior of the part
to be stable. The small deflection analysis provides the final deformed shape of the part,
assuming linear stress-strain behavior within the part.
• Large deflection - Select this analysis type if you expect the deformation behavior of the part
to be unstable, as determined from a previous buckling analysis, if the deformation behavior is
borderline stable/unstable and/or you want the most accurate prediction of the shape of the
part. The large deflection analysis provides the final deformed shape of the part, allowing for
nonlinear stress-strain behavior within the part.
• Buckling - A buckling analysis is used to determine whether the deformation of the part will be
stable or unstable under the applied load(s).
If the buckling analysis indicates the deformation behavior of the part is stable (critical load
factor > 1), the deflection results obtained from the buckling analysis provide a good indication
of the final deformed shape of the part.
If the buckling analysis indicates the deformation behavior of the part is unstable (critical load
factor < 1), you need to run a large deflection analysis to determine the final deformed shape
of the part.
• Modal frequency - Select this analysis type if you want to determine the natural, undamped
frequency response of the part. Theoretically, this analysis type is similar to the buckling
analysis, however the physical interpretation of the results is different.
• Creep - Select this analysis type if you want to analyze the creep behavior of the part, that is,
its time dependent deformation under the applied load(s).
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Stress analysis considerations
The study file (.UDM) must contain:
• Model constraints, which prevent rigid body motion (global translations and rotations) of the
model, in response to the applied loads, whilst not interfering with the shrinkage of the part.
• Loading conditions
Constraints must be carefully applied so that they are representative of the physical situation being
modeled. By default, the six degrees of freedom of all nodes in the model are free. To constrain the
model, you specify which degrees of freedom are to be constrained for one or more nodes.
The study file (*.udm) also contains any local axes definitions that you have set.
Modeling for stress analysis

The figure below is an overview of the general approach to solving problems where the stress
causes deflections that are not acceptable, using MPI/Stress.
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The basic procedure for preparing a model for a stress analysis is as follows:
1. Prepare the surface model

2. Mesh the model
3. Orient and optimize the mesh
4. Apply constraints
5. Apply loads
6. Write a load/boundary conditions file
7. Save the model
Prepare the surface model

Before performing a stress analysis on a model, we highly recommend that you first run a flow
analysis as a general check of the integrity and suitability of the model for Moldflow Stress analysis
You should also ensure that:
• Runners or structural beams you wish to include in the analysis are assigned the color attribute
yellow, indicating that the elements are beams. This allows use of the option to exclude all non-
yellow runners or beams from the calculations;
• Faceted surfaces which are to be treated as part of an actual curved surface should be given the
CURVED value of the SPROP attribute;
• Holes are left in the model where metal inserts would go until you have completed flow, cooling or
shrinkage analyses on the plastic model;
• Metal insert surfaces that are added after the flow, cooling or shrinkage analyses are performed
must be assigned the appropriate NAME of the MATERIAL attribute;
Mesh the model
The mesh should be more detailed in those areas where high stress gradients are expected. You
should therefore consider mesh refinement in ribs, bosses and near holes. A fine mesh around the
gate is also important for large flat parts. When meshing stiffening members such as ribs, there
should be at least two elements across the height of the member.
Orient and optimize the mesh

Orientation is a consistent convention for differentiating between the two sides of an element.
The positive orientation direction (top) is displayed blue, and the opposite side of the element
(bottom) is displayed red. When viewing the Orientation, all elements on a single surface must be
the same color.
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Why is orientation needed?
Some of the cooling, warp and stress analysis results are recorded for both sides of a surface or
element. For example, top and bottom plastic temperatures from a cooling analysis, and top and
bottom von Mises stresses from a warp or stress analysis.
The simplest naming convention for each side of an element is to call one side the top and the other
the bottom.
Available orientation methods?
There are two methods available to orient the mesh on a wire frame model
• The traditional method
• The orientation point
Either method can be used to orient the cavity mesh for cooling, warpage or stress analysis, it is
simply a matter of personal preference.
The traditional method orients surfaces based on connectivity, and may be inconsistent in the
orientation of ribs and bosses.
The orientation point method defines the top side of a surface to be the side first touched by a ray
traced from the orientation point position (specified by you) to the surface. For example, if you chose
an orientation point that was “above” and “beyond” the model dimensions, you could consistently
orient all the ribs in the model. (The orientation of boss surfaces would still be dependent on the
position of the orientation point.)
If you want to change the orientation of the mesh on selected surfaces (for example ribs or
bosses) you can do so using the Flip Orientation menu item or the FOR command. (It may be
useful to assign color attributes to these surfaces so that you can flip their orientation as needed.)
About applying constraints
For an MPI/Stress analysis, constraints are applied to the model nodes to prevent rigid body
motion (global translations and rotations) of the model, in response to the applied loads, whilst not
interfering with the shrinkages of the part.
Why constrain the part?
When undertaking the structural analysis, any system of constraints can be used, providing it
prevents rigid-body motion. Rigid-body motion is any motion in which the relative positions of all
points making up the body remain unchanged.
General rigid-body motion in space involves six components (three orthogonal translations and
three orthogonal rotations). This means that the minimum number of constrained degrees of freedom
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that must be set in the model is also six. In practice, you must decide on the particular system that
best simulates your perception of the physical situation being modeled.
Note: By default, the six degrees of freedom of all nodes in the model are free. To constrain the
model, you need to specify which degrees of freedom are to be constrained for one or more nodes.
Model constraint types
The following types of constraints can be set:

• Structural constraints - constrains any desired combination of degrees of freedom at node(s).
• Spring constraints - applies a spring constraint at node(s).
Spring constraints
In an MPI/Stress analysis, springs may be used to simulate discrete elastic supports. The
spring constraint defines the degree of stiffness to translation in the X, Y, and Z plane directions. In
order to specify the spring elastic support constraint in Plastics Insight, you must first have specified a
nodal constraint.
The elastic support spring constraint requires that you specify the direction of the spring
constraint, the spring constant (N/mm or lbf/in), and the node(s) to apply the spring constraint to. You
are required to specify the stiffness of each individual spring. The values and units for stiffness are
derived from force/length.
Note: By default, the direction specified is a global direction. A spring constraint can be applied in a
non-global axis direction by first specifying a local axis system at the node(s).
About applying loads
In an MPI/Stress analysis, a load, or force, is applied to the part, and the resulting deflections
are measured. There are several different load types that can be applied, depending on the molding
situation you want to simulate.
The table below lists the types of loads that you can apply to a part for a Stress analysis.
Note: Units for loads must be consistent with the modeling units used.
About distributed edge loading conditions
To simulate the effect that a load would have on part stresses, you can set a distributed edge
load on the model. Loading conditions are applied in a global axis system by default, however, it is
often preferable to use a local axis system to simplify the load to one direction. The following topic
describes edge loading using the global and local axis system.
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Distributed Edge Loading
The two following distributed edge loads can be set:
Global Axis System

A simple example of a surface edge load acting in a global direction is shown in the following image.
The edge is defined by points N1 and N2. A load of, for example, 0.5 N/mm is applied in the negative
Z direction, to the nodes along this edge.
Local Axis System

An example of an edge load acting in a local direction (in this case a traction) is shown in the
following image.
If the force is not perpendicular to the surface, and does not act in a global direction, you need to
define a local axes system at a node in the model, and refer to this node when applying the local
edge load. Since the edge does not lie in a global axis, you need to first set up a local axes system.
About pressure loading conditions
Pressure loads can be applied to the part model to test whether pressures inside the mold
during the cycle will cause part stresses or warpage. Pressure loads can be applied in either the
global axis or local axis system, as indicated below.
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Pressure loads
A simple example of a pressure load acting in a global direction is shown in the following
image. A pressure load, acting in the negative global Z direction, is applied to this surface.
If the pressure is not perpendicular to the surface, and does not act in a global direction, you need to
define a local axes system at a node in the model, and refer to this node when applying the local
pressure load.
The following image shows an in-plane traction that is not in a global direction.
About thermal loading conditions
To simulate the effects that an increase in temperature would have on part stresses in the
mold, you can set a thermal load on the model.
Thermal loading
Thermal loads can be applied to surfaces or elements in a model, in either in oC or oF. The
thermal load is expressed as the change in temperature on the top and bottom side of the part
surface or element. The top and bottom side of mesh elements is defined by the orientation of the
mesh. The top side of an element faces in the positive direction of orientation and the bottom side
faces away from the orientation direction.
Thermal loads should be applied to models to simulate a real molding scenario. If you expect
certain surface(s) inside the mold to experience increased temperatures, then this should be
simulated by applying a thermal load to the appropriate part model surface(s).
A simple example of a thermal load is shown in the picture below. In this case, a thermal load
(temperature increase) of, for example, 30oC is applied to the bottom side of the surface.
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About volume loading conditions
In an MPI/Stress analysis, load, or force, can be applied to the part, and the resulting
deflections are measured. Volume loading can be used to simulate the effects of gravity in an
MPI/Stress analysis.
Volume loading
Plastics Insight allows you to apply a uniform load to surfaces or elements in the model,
expressed as a volume load (N/cm3 or lbf/in3). You need to specify the magnitude of the volume
load, and the direction in which it acts (only global directions supported).
The volume load, Pv, is given by the following equation:

Pv = p.g
where
• p is the material density
• g is the gravitational constant.
Density, in kg/cm3, multiplied by the gravitational constant in N/kg, gives volume load in units of
N/cm3, as is required by this function.
Eg: A material with a density of 1.16E-3 kg/cm3 would experience a volume load of 1.14E-2 N/cm3,
(1.16E-3 * 9.81), due to the effect of gravity.
About the local axis system

A local axis system is a set of X, Y and Z axes associated with each node in the model. It is
often preferable to use a local axis system for assigning constraints and loads to simplify the
constraint or load to one direction.
The local axis system definition

To define a local axis system you need three reference points or nodes in the model. Given three
reference locations the X, Y and Z axis is defined as follows:
• Entity 1 defines the origin,
• entity 2 defines the local X direction,
• entity 3 defines the XY plane, with the local Y axis passing closest to entity 3.
The local Z direction is defined to be perpendicular to the XY plane, such that the local axis system is
"right-handed".
A right-handed axis system is one where the thumb of your right hand forms the Z direction, your
extended fingers form the X direction and the palm of your hand indicates the local Y direction.
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Write a boundary conditions file
The boundary conditions file contains all the model constraints, loading conditions and any local axes
definitions that have been set. These conditions must be saved in a separate file to be used in the
MPI/STRESS analysis. This way you can use the same model but with different boundary conditions
that are needed for the different Moldflow analysis products (e.g. MPI/WARP).
To save the stress analysis boundary conditions, select the menu command
File select Midplane Stress from the Save as type popdown menu, then Save Boundary
Conditions.
Save the model

Once the model is prepared for the analysis, make sure you save it.
Use the File Menu command to save the model to disk. If you save the model under a new name
(Save as),
About MPI/Stress analysis results
This help topic specifies the results for a stress analysis on a thermoplastic material. That is,
for an MPI/Stress analysis. For other analysis products, click the See Also button at the end of this
topic.
Stress, first/second principal direction
This is the first/second principal stress (maximum normal stress) on the top/bottom of each
element.
Use the first/second principal stress when the material is brittle. Consider the areas with a high level
of stress and compare the results against the relevant material criteria. If the modulus of the
first/second principal stress of an element is greater than the relevant material criteria then the part
will fail.
Tip: Always use the maximum value of stress (either top or bottom result) when checking to see if the
part will fail.
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Stress, Mises-Hencky
This is von-Mises stress on the top/bottom of the element. Use von-Mises stress when the
material is ductile. Consider the areas with a high level of stress and compare the results against the
relevant material criteria.
Tip: Always use the maximum value of stress (either top or bottom) when checking to see if the part
will fail.
Note: Due to the extrapolation from elemental centroids to the edges of elements, it is possible for the
software to generate small negative values for von-Mises stress (von-Mises stress must be a positive
value). These small negative values should be taken to equal zero.
Stress, Mises-Hencky result
This result shows the Mises-Hencky stress (maximum normal stress) in the part (warpage or stress
analysis), or in the wire or paddle at the selected layer through the cross-section, at ejection. For
details of how the principal directions are determined using Mohr's law, and the derivation and
significance of stress results.
Use this result when the material is ductile. Consider the areas with a high level of stress and
compare the results against the relevant material criteria.
Note that the plot corresponds to one particular position through the cross-section, as specified by a
normalized thickness value where -1 is the bottom of the element, 0 is the centerline through the
element, and +1 is the top of the element. The normalized thickness value can be viewed or modified
on the Animation tab of the Plot Properties.
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Chapter 14
Shrinkage analysis
Every part which is injection molded requires someone to select the dimensions to which the
mold must be cut. In the past, many precision parts have required molds to be heavily modified so
that tolerances can be met successfully. On some occasions, molds have been scrapped several
times over, in order to achieve the required dimensions, incurring huge costs and significant delays in
time to market for the product.
How it works
MPI/Shrink enables you to determine an appropriate shrinkage allowance to use to cut the
mold taking into account the shrinkage characteristics of the material being used to mold the part and
the molding conditions.
The key features of the shrinkage analysis are:
Calculation of a recommended shrinkage allowance.
Graphical display indicating whether it is valid to apply this single shrinkage allowance value across
the part.
Optional definition of critical dimensions and their associated tolerances. Where critical dimensions
are defined, the shrinkage analysis predicts whether the specified tolerances can be met if the
recommended shrinkage allowance is used, included detailed dimensional and tolerance information
resolved into X, Y and Z directions.
Material shrinkage is defined as the reduction in the size of a molded component in any direction
after it has been ejected from the mold. It is related to the flow and cooling conditions under which the
component is injection molded. Shrinkage data characterizes this reduction in component size due to
shrinkage for a range of different processing conditions. MPI/Shrink analysis is available for any
material in the Materials Database that has been shrinkage characterized.
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Chapter 15
Trouble shooting
1.Solving air trap problems

Air traps occur when converging flow fronts surround and trap a bubble of air. The trapped air can
cause incomplete filling and packing, and will often cause a surface blemish in the final part. Air
trapped in pockets may compress, heat up and cause burn marks.
Causes
• Racetrack effect.
• Hesitation.
• Unbalanced flow paths.
Flow paths do not need the racetrack effect or hesitation to have unbalanced flow. In a part
with uniform thickness, the physical length of flow paths may vary, and again air traps may
occur.
• Inadequate venting.
Lack of vents or undersized vents in these last-to-fill areas are a common cause of air traps.
Remedies
• Balance flow paths.
• Avoid hesitation and racetrack effects.
• Balance runners.
Changing the runner system can alter the filling pattern in such a way that the last-to-fill areas
are located at the proper venting locations
• Vent appropriately.
If air traps do exist, they should be positioned in regions that can be easily vented or ejection
and/or vent pins added so that air can be removed.
Solving one problem can often introduce other problems to the injection molding process. Each
option hence requires consideration of all relevant aspects of the mold design specification.
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2.Solving brittleness problems
A brittle molded part has a tendency to break or crack. Brittleness results from shorter molecular
chain length (thus lower molecular weight). As a result, the physical integrity of the part is
substantially less than the specification.
Causes
• Material degradation.
This can be caused by excessive injection speed, residence time or melt temperature.
Improper screw or runner system design may also lead to material degradation.
• Weld line weaknesses.
• Non-optimal crystallinity.
• High residual stress.
• Incompatible materials blended together.
• Too much regrind.
• Improper drying conditions.
Excessive drying either drives off volatiles in the plastic, making it more sensitive to
processing, or degrades the material by reducing the molecular weight.
Remedies
• Set proper drying conditions before molding.
Material suppliers can provide optimum drying conditions for the specific materials.
• Reduce regrind material.
Contact material suppliers to get the recommended levels of regrind to use.
• Change material.
• Optimize the runner system design.
Restrictive sprue, runner, gate, or even part design could cause excessive shear heating that
aggravates an already overheated material, causing material degradation.
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• Modify screw design.
Contact material/machine suppliers to get the right screw design information to avoid improper
melt mix or overheating that leads to material degradation.
• Select machine with smaller shot size.
Minimizing residence time reduces material degradation.
• Reduce residual stress.
• Strengthen weld lines.
Increase melt temperature within limits, not to overheat the material.
3.Solving burn marks problems

Burn marks are small, dark or black spots on the part surface. This phenomenon is also often
referred to as dark streaks or specks.
Causes
• Adiabatically heated trapped air
• Air trapped in pockets may compress, heat up and cause burn marks.
Remedies
• Eliminate air traps.
To prevent burn marks, move air traps to places which can be vented, or where ejector pins
can be added.
Restrictive sprue, runner, gate, or even part design could cause excessive shear heating that
aggravates an already overheated material, causing material degradation.
Contact material/machine suppliers to get the right screw design information to avoid improper
melt mix or overheating that leads to material degradation.
• Select machine with smaller shot size.
• Optimize melt temperature.
Reduce temperature to avoid material degradation from overheating, or increase it to limit
residual stress.
• Optimize back pressure, screw rotation speed, or injection speed.
Balance shear heat against residual stress.
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4.Solving cracking problems
Cracking can cause part failure, a short part life and be visually unacceptable.
Cracks may not be obvious until several days or weeks after production. Hence, it is better to
recognize and remove the potential problem of cracking before production. Moldflow Plastics Insight
provides detailed shear stress results.
Causes
• High residual stresses.
Cracks may occur in regions where internal shear stresses are frozen into the part.
• Weld line weaknesses.
• Differential shrinkage.
Differential orientation, packing and cooling cause differential shrinkage resulting in high
internal stress levels being frozen in.
Remedies
• Minimize residual stress.
Program the ram speed or increase wall thickness to reduce flow induced stresses. Check for
the recommended maximum shear stress value for the material (recorded in the Materials
Database)
• Minimize differential shrinkage.
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5.Solving delamination problems
Delamination sometimes referred to as lamination or layering, is a defect in which the
surface of a molded part can be peeled off layer by layer.
Causes
• High shear stress.
• Excessive use of mold release agent.
• Excessive material moisture.
Excessive moisture heats up and forms steam, which results in delamination on the surface.
Remedies
Eliminate Degradation and Excessive Shear Stress

• Reduce shear stress.
• Remove excessive moisture.
• Avoid excessive use of mold release agent.
Repair the ejection system or other problems to eliminate the difficulty of de-molding instead of
over-using the mold release agent.
• Avoid material contamination.
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6.Solving dimensional variation problems
Dimensional variation is characterized by the molded part dimension varying from batch to batch or
from shot to shot while the machine settings remain the same.
Causes
• Inconsistent shrinkage.
Resulting from: a) Material variations such as property variations, varying moisture content,
inconsistent melt and pigmentation; b) Process conditions variations such as inconsistent
packing and varying mold and melt temperatures; c) Machine variations such as a damaged
check ring and unstable controller.
• Narrow molding window.
Remedies
• Remove excessive moisture.
Poor design could cause material degradation through shear heating or inconsistent packing.
• Replace the check ring if it is broken or worn out.
• Ensure uniform mold temperature.
Make sure the mold temperature is uniform by checking the cooling system.
• Set processing conditions within the molding window.
• Reduce differential shrinkage.
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7.Solving excessive part weight problems
In most cases, excessive part weight is an undesirable molding characteristic. It increases production
cost due to the long cycle time required for cooling the excess material and the additional cost of the
material.
Causes
• Overpacking.
• Unnecessarily thick wall section.
Remedies
• Avoid over packing.
• Use thinner wall sections with ribs.
Thicken only those wall sections that require extra material for structural stability and that cannot
be strengthened using another method.
• Design a part to be made by gas injection molding.
Note: When attempting to balance flows by altering the thickness along particular flow paths, try to
use flow deflectors rather than flow leaders to keep part weight down.
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8.Solving fish eyes problems
Fish eyes are a surface defect that results from unmelted material being pushed with the melt stream
into the cavity and appearing on the surface of a molded part.
Causes
• Low melt temperature.
If the melt temperature is too low to melt the material completely, the unmelted pellets will
merge with the melt stream, marring the surface of the part.
• Too much regrind.
The shape and size of regrind is irregular compared with original material, and can trap more
air and cause the material to blend unevenly.
• Low screw rotation speed.
If the screw rotation speed and the back pressure setting are set too low, there might not be
enough frictional heating to melt the material completely in the barrel before the injection.
Remedies
• Optimize melt temperature.
Contact material suppliers to get the right screw design information to avoid improper melt mix
or overheating that leads to material degradation.
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9.Solving flashing problems
Flashing occurs when a thin layer of material is forced out of the mold cavity at the parting line or
ejector pins location. This excess material remains attached to the molded article, and normally has
to be manually removed.
Causes
• Worn or poorly fitting cavity/mold plates.
Including, mold plate deformations and obstructions (grease, dirt, debris)
• Insufficient clamp force.
The machine clamp force must be greater than the pressure in the cavity (that is, clamp
opening force), to sufficiently hold the mold plates shut.
• Overpacking.
Overpacked sections cause increased localized pressure.
• Non-optimal molding conditions.
Including, material viscosity, injection rate, and runner system. For example, high melt
temperature, which makes a less viscous melt.
• Improper venting.
An improperly designed venting system, a very poor venting system, or a venting system that
is too deep.
Remedies
• Ensure correctly fitting mold plates.
Set up the mold to seal properly. Clean the machine from any obstructions. Add pillar support
or thicken the mold plates if there is any deformation of the mold plate during the molding
process.
• Avoid overpacking.
• Select machine with higher clamp force.
• Vent appropriately.
Use the material supplier recommended venting size.
• Optimize processing conditions.
Reduce pressures and shot size to the minimum required.
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10.Solving flow marks problems
A flow mark or halo, is a surface defect in which circular ripples or wavelets appear near the gate.
Ripples, a similar defect, appear as small fingerprint-like waves near the edge or at the end of the
flow.
Causes
• Material freezing near the gate.
Low melt and mold temperature and low ram speed can result in cold material entering the
cavity. The partly solidified material takes on the form of the flow pattern.
where:
a = normal fountain flow with no ripples
b = flow causing ripples(R)
• Insufficient material compensation.
Early gate freeze-off or low packing pressure may not pack the cavity properly. The material
near the gate then freezes while maintaining the form of the flow pattern.
Remedies
• Optimize the cold well.
Design the cold well in the runner system to trap the cold material during the filling phase. The
proper length of the cold well is usually equal to that of the runner diameter.
Restrictive runner system design can result in premature gate freeze-off. It can however,
increase shear heating for better melt flow.
• Increase mold and melt temperature.
• Optimize packing pressure.
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11.Solving short shot problems
A short shot is the incomplete filling of a mold cavity which results in the production of an incomplete
part. If a part short shots, the plastic does not fill the cavity. The flow freezes off before all of the flow
paths have filled.
To ensure the finished part is of good quality, the part must also be adequately packed with plastic.
Therefore the question to ask is not only, 'Will the part fill?', but, 'Can a good quality part be made?'
Causes
• Flow restrictions.
Due to channels freezing or inadequate runner design.
• Hesitation and long or complex flow paths.
• Inadequate venting.
Back pressure due to unvented air traps can cause a short shot.
• Low melt and/or mold temperatures.

• Insufficient material entering the cavity.
An undersized machine, low shot volume, or inadequate ram speed.
• Machine defects.
Including an empty hopper, blocked feed throat, or a worn non-return (check) valve that
causes loss of pressure or volume leakage.
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Remedies
Before you try one of the methods listed below, check all of the other results, so that you know the
exact cause of the short shot.
• Avoid hesitation.
• Eliminate air traps.
If air traps do exist, they should be positioned in regions that can be easily vented or ejection
pins added so that air can be removed.
• Increase mold and melt temperature.
This will decrease the viscosity of the melt, making it easier to flow through the part.
• Increase ram speed.
This can cause greater shear heating, which can decrease the viscosity of the melt, making it
easier to flow through the part.
• Change part geometry.
Balance flow paths so they fill in an equal time and an equal pressure. You may need to
thicken thin sections, or reduce the complexity of a flow path.
Select a less viscous material (higher melt flow rate). By choosing a material with a higher melt
flow rate, less injection pressure will be required to fill the part.
• Increase the maximum injection pressure for this part.
12.Solving sink mark and voids problems

Sink marks and voids both result from localized shrinkage of the material at thick sections without
sufficient compensation.
Sink Marks
Sink marks appear as depressions on the surface of a molded part. These depressions are typically
very small; however they are often quite visible, because they reflect light in different directions to the
part. The visibility of sink marks is a function of the color of the part as well as its surface texture so
depth is only one criterion. Although sink marks do not affect part strength or function, they are
perceived to be severe quality defects.
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Voids
Voids are holes enclosed inside a part. These can be a single hole or a group of smaller holes. Voids
are caused when the outer skin of the part is stiff enough to resist the shrinkage forces thus
preventing a surface depression. Instead, the material core will shrink, creating voids inside the part.
Voids may have severe impact on the structural performance of the part.
Causes
Sink marks are caused mainly by thermal contraction (shrinkage) during cooling. After the material on
the outside has cooled and solidified, the core material starts to cool. Its shrinkage pulls the surface
of the main wall inward, causing a sink mark. If the skin is rigid enough, deformation of the skin may
be replaced by formation of a void in the core.
• Localized geometric features.
sink marks typically occur in moldings with thicker sections, or at locations opposite from ribs,
bosses or internal fillets.
• High volumetric shrinkage.
• Insufficient material compensation.
Early gate freeze-off or low packing pressure may not pack the cavity properly.
• Short packing or cooling time.
• High melt and/or mold temperatures.
Remedies
• Optimize packing profile.
As sink marks occur during packing, the most effective way to reduce or eliminate them is to
control the packing pressure correctly. To determine the effects of packing on sink marks, use
a simulation package such as Moldflow Plastics Insight.
Alter part design to avoid thick sections and reduce the thickness of any features that intersect
with the main surface.
• Reduce volumetric shrinkage.
• Relocate gates to problem areas.
This allows these sections to be packed before the thinner sections between the gate and the
problem areas freeze.
Restrictive runner system design can result in premature gate freeze-off.
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13.Solving warpage problems
Warpage occurs when there are variations of internal stresses in the material caused by a variation in
shrinkage. Warped parts may not be functional or visually acceptable.
Causes
• Non-uniform cooling.
Temperature differences from one side of the mold to the other can lead to layers freezing and
shrinking at different times and generating internal stresses.
• Inconsistent shrinkage.
Resulting from: a) Material variations such as property variations, varying moisture content,
inconsistent melt and pigmentation; b) Process conditions variations such as inconsistent
packing and varying mold and melt temperatures; c) Machine variations such as a damaged
check ring and unstable controller.
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Remedies
• Minimize differential shrinkage.
• Minimize orientation effects.
Position gates for uni-directional flow, and modify part thickness.
Add features such as stiffening ribs to the design. Alter part design to avoid thick sections and
reduce the thickness of any features that intersect with the main surface.
• Use thinner wall sections with ribs.
Thicken only those wall sections that require extra material for structural stability and that
cannot be strengthened using another method.
Semi-crystalline have naturally higher shrinkage and hence are more prone to warpage.
14.Solving weld and meld line problems

A weld or meld line on plastic parts can cause structural problems and/or be visibly unacceptable.
Difference between weld and meld lines
The difference between a weld and meld line is simply determined by the angle at which the
converging flow fronts meet.
In the above diagram, the converging flow fronts (indicated by red arrows) meet. If the angle, , is
greater than 135° a meld line will form. If is less than 135° a weld line will form.
Weld Lines
When a weld line forms, the thin frozen layers at the front of each flow path meet, melt, and then
freeze again with the rest of the plastic. The orientation of the plastic at the weld is therefore
perpendicular to the flow path. The following animation shows plastic filling a cavity. The weld line
occurs where two flow fronts meet, and the polymer molecules are misaligned.
It is the sharp difference in molecular orientation at the weld which causes the significant decrease in
strength at this point.
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Meld Lines
A meld line occurs when two flow fronts blend together at an oblique angle. The orientation of the
plastic molecules is therefore more uniform than the orientation after a weld line has formed. The
following diagram shows the length of a part where a meld line forms.
The red arrows show the direction of plastic flow. The white lines represent the orientation of the
polymer molecules after the meld line has formed.
Meld lines are normally stronger than weld lines and are often much less visible.
Remedies
Weld and meld lines on a plastic part can cause structural problems and be visually unacceptable. (A
line, notch and/or color change can appear.) Therefore weld and meld lines should be avoided if
possible (when the cavity has unbalanced flow paths unnecessary weld and meld lines can occur).
If it is not possible to remove a weld/meld line, it should be positioned in the least sensitive area
possible. Avoid weld lines in areas which need strength, or which need to appear smooth. This can
be done by changing the polymer injection location or altering wall thicknesses to set up a different fill
time. In a different fill time, flow fronts may meet at a different location and therefore the weld/meld
line will move.
Moving...
• Alter gate positions.
• Change part thickness.
Improving the quality
• Increase melt & mold temperature.
This will allow the flow fronts to weld to each other better.
• Increase ram speed.
• Optimize runner system design.
Reduce runner dimensions while maintaining the same flow rate to make use of frictional
heating.
Note: The processing conditions help to determine the quality of the weld or meld line that has
formed. A good weld occurs when the melt temperature is no lower than 20°C below the injection
temperature.
110
15.High volumetric shrinkage problems
Volumetric shrinkage is the contraction of polymer due to the change in temperature from melt
temperature to ambient temperature.
High volumetric shrinkage can cause part warpage, sink marks, critical dimensions that are too small,
and internal voids.
Excessive wall thickness and inadequate packing can both contribute to high volumetric shrinkage in
a part.
The key result to use to identify high volumetric shrinkage are the shrinkage results.
To reduce volumetric shrinkage, you can alter:
• Part design (wall thickness).
• Mold design (gate positions).
• Processing conditions (increase packing pressure).
16.Overpacking problems
Overpacking is when extra material is compressed in one flow path while other flow paths are still
filling.
Overpacking
Overpacking occurs when the easiest (shortest/thickest) flow paths fill first. Once this flow path has
filled, it will still be under pressure as extra plastic is injected into the cavity to fill the remaining flow
paths. This pressure will push more material into the already full flow path, causing it to have a higher
density and lower shrinkage than other regions. The overpacked fill path will have frozen under
pressure, so stresses will be frozen in.
Note: The key result used to identify overpacking is the fill time result. Display the fill time at 100% fill
and look for any flow paths that do not finish at the same time as the first path.
In the above diagram, the white lines represent the polymer molecules. Note that the flow paths are
not balanced and overpacking will occur in the left of the model.
Overpacking generally occurs in sections with the shortest fill time. It can cause a range of problems
including warpage due to non-uniform shrinkage, increased part weight due to wasted material and
non-uniform density distribution throughout the part.
What to do
To solve problems caused by overpacking, balance the flow paths.
• Thicken or thin parts of the model to act as flow leaders or deflectors.
• Move the injection location to a position that will define similar length flow paths.
• Divide the cavity into imaginary sections, and use one injection location for each section.
• Remove unnecessary gates.
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Chapter 16
Glossary of Terms
Air Shot
An air shot is the injection of polymer melt into the air, instead of into the mold. The main
purpose of an air shot is to act as a "test run," to make sure that the machine is operating properly.
The cylinder is pulled back from contact with the sprue bushing and the injection piston is
moved forward, forcing melted plastic from the nozzle. If the melt is caught in a metal cup, a
pyrometer probe can be used to check the temperature of the melt as it exits from the nozzle. This is
one of the more accurate measurements of the melt temperature.
Air Trap
An air trap is an air or gas bubble that has been trapped by converging flow fronts or trapped
against the cavity wall. This causes a surface blemish on the part. Air traps can be prevented by
changing the gate location or part thickness. Good practice is to place vents in the mold at the air trap
location.
Amorphous Polymers
Amorphous polymers are a family of polymers that are characterized by entangled polymer
chains that are loosely bound. The term amorphous indicates that there is no preferred orientation of
the molecules, relative to each other, without external force. During injection molding amorphous
polymers have orientation.
Amorphous polymers are in a super-cooled liquid state and generally shrink less than semi-crystalline
polymers. Amorphous polymers exhibit no x-ray diffraction pattern, because they are not crystalline in
nature.
See also Crystalline Polymers, Semi-crystalline Polymers
Anisotropic Shrinkage
Anisotropic shrinkage is shrinkage that has different magnitudes in different directions.
Anisotropic shrinkage occurs in filled materials due to the restriction of shrinkage along the fiber
length, which tends to be in the flow direction. It also occurs in un-filled materials when the molecules
have insufficient time to relax from the viscous elongation due to shear during flow.
Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratios of mesh elements are important because they affect the accuracy of any
analysis you run. Aspect ratios are especially important in sensitive areas such as gates, or gas
channels in a gas-injection simulation. Aspect ratios are defined below.
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The aspect ratio of beam (1D) mesh elements is length/diameter.
The recommended aspect ratio for cooling channels is 2-3. The recommendation for channels
very close to the mold cavity surface is 1.Normalized format is recommended as the primary
measure, except where standard format needs to be used for the purpose of compatibility with
previous Moldflow products. Normalized format is an easier measure for debugging and can cope
with all possible triangles.
In the definitions below, AR is Aspect Ratio.
Normalized
For 2-dimensional mesh:
AR = (4 * SQRT (3) * Area of triangle) / sum of squares of edge lengths.
Range: 0.0 (straight line) to 1.0 (equilateral triangle).
AR = (72 * SQRT (3) *Volume of tetra) / (sum of the 6 edge lengths)1.5.
Range: from 0.0 (flat tetra) to 1.0.
Standard
AR = longest side squared / (2 * triangle area)
Range: 1.16 (equilateral triangle) to infinity (straight line).
AR = longest edge length / (shortest perpendicular height) * sqrt(1.5)
Range: 1.16 (equilateral triangle) to infinity (flat tetra).
The recommended minimum and maximum 3D aspect ratios are 5 and 50, with the typical value at
15.
The term aspect ratio is also used when describing fibers.

In this context, aspect ratio is the ratio of the length of the fiber to the diameter.
Automation
Automation is the science of machinery or mechanisms which are so self-controlled and

automatic that manual input is not required during operation. Automation is the technique of making a
process automatic.
B-Splines
A b-spline is a mathematical function that defines free-form curves and surfaces. IGES files
that use b-splines instead of parametric splines are generally smaller in size.
Back Pressure
Back pressure is pressure that opposes the screw as it returns. The purpose of increasing
back pressure is to make it harder for the screw to return. This increases the shear heating and the
mixing of the material, which results in improved polymer melt quality.
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Baffle
A baffle is a cooling system component which is constructed by inserting a metal plate in the
cooling lines which forces the coolant to flow up one side of the plate and down the other. It is used to
regulate and direct the passage of coolant fluid so that the coolant can travel into difficult areas for
more efficient cooling. By interrupting the flow in the cooling lines the baffles create turbulence
around bends and improve the heat transfer capability of the coolant.
Balanced Flow
Flow is balanced when the extremities of the mold fill at the same time and pressure, as
shown in the illustration below. Balanced flow leads to uniform orientation, uniform shrinkage and
less internal stress and warpage of the part. It also leads to cost savings with reduced material
usage. Gate location, runner system design and part thickness affect flow balance.
Barrel
The barrel is the cylinder of the plasticating chamber of an extruder or injection molding
machine. The cylinder forms the chamber within which the plastic resin is converted from a solid form
to a viscous melt.
Barrel Capacity
The barrel capacity is the maximum weight of material that a machine can produce from one
forward motion of the ram or screw. See Shot capacity and Shot size.
Barrel Effect
The barrel effect is the effect of material compressibility while the material is in the barrel of the
injection molding machine. This compressibility can be significant. A simulation that calculates and
uses the barrel effect will produce more accurate results.
Batch
A batch is the quantity of polymer that is made in one operation. A batch is also referred to as a lot.
Bending Moment
A bending moment is the force or load applied to an entity that produces bending of that entity around
an axis.
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Boss
A boss is a raised projection in a molded part that usually has a hole in it to provide additional
material for supporting a mechanical fastener, such as a screw.
Boundary Representation Solid
A boundary representation solid is a model format produced from a surface modeling CAD
system. The solid is defined as a list of surfaces that enclose a volume.
Bubble
A bubble is a spherical, internal void caused by air or other gas trapped within a molded plastic
product. A bubble differs from a blister in that the bubble is contained within the part, whereas a
blister is on or near the surface of the part and generally causes deformation of the surface. A bubble
also differs from a void, which is developed as a vacuum during cooling.
Bubbler
A bubbler is cooling system component. It is a central circular channel that can be introduced
into the mold and is used to regulate and direct the passage of coolant fluid, so that the coolant can
travel into difficult areas for more efficient cooling. The coolant flows through the central channel and
then out and around the outside of the channel to the outlet point.
Both baffles and bubblers have the effect of increasing flow turbulence and thus increasing
heat transfer due to the inclusion of additional bends in the coolant flow system. Their geometrical
shape also enables the application of cooling to restricted areas.
Buckling
Buckling is the conversion of in-plane membrane energy to bending energy and usually
involves large deformations of the part. It is the principle mode of failure of a planar thin structure
under excessive in-plane loading.
Burn Mark
A burn mark is a defect that appears as a brown or black mark on the part surface. A burn
mark can be caused by an un-vented air trap. This occurs when the trapped air is heated very quickly
as it is compressed, burning the surrounding plastic. Velocity profiling is often used to prevent this
problem, by giving air more time to escape from the mold.
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CAD
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is the process of using computer software programs to design parts,
tools, molds, and assemblies.
CAM
Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), is the use of computers and computer technology to control,
manage, operate, and monitor manufacturing processes.
Cavity
The cavity is the region within the mold that fills with plastic to form the part.
Center Gate
A center gate is a gate which is located in the center of the part. It can be a sprue (direct) gate or
pinpoint gate.
Check Ring
A check ring is the sliding ring of the non-return valve on the front of the screw. The check ring
allows melted plastic to flow forward to the front of the screw during plastication, and prevents flow
back into the screw during injection. The check ring is a high wear item that can leak during injection,
effectively reducing the pressure that is applied to the melted plastic.
See Non-Return Valve..
Chiller
A chiller is a self-contained system comprised of a refrigeration unit and a coolant circulation
mechanism consisting of a reservoir and a pump. Chillers maintain optimal heat balance by
constantly recirculating chilled cooling fluids to injection molds.
Clamp Capacity
Clamp capacity is a measure of the largest projected area of cavities and runners that an
injection molding machine can safely hold closed at full molding pressure.
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Clamp Force
Clamp force is the force required to hold the mold closed while an opposing pressure is exerted by
the plastic injected into the cavity.
Closed Volume
A closed volume is a group of surfaces connected together to form a polyhedron. A closed
volume has no free edges. The structure is used to form inserts and the mold boundary for a cooling
analysis.
Cooling Channel
A cooling channel is a passageway in a mold for circulating water or another cooling medium,
in order to control the temperature of the metal surfaces in contact with the plastic being molded.
Cooling channels are typically connected to form a circuit. Cooling channel configurations can be
serial or parallel.
Cooling Time
Gross cooling time is the time after the velocity phase until the part is sufficiently cooled to be
ejected from the mold. Therefore, gross cooling time is the sum of the pressure phase (packing and
holding) and the net
cooling time. The net cooling time is the time after the pressure phase and before the part is ejected
from the mold.
Cracking
Cracking is the formation of a narrow separation in a plastic component, usually by the rupture of
chemical bonds due to internal and external stress.
Cycle Time
Cycle time is the time from the ejection of one part to the ejection of the next part. Cycle time is the
sum of:
• filling time
• packing time
• cooling time
• mold open time.
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Density
The density of a plastic part is measured by dividing its mass by its volume. A denser part has more
plastic molecules and more weight per volume. A part can have some regions with higher density
than others.
Disc Gate
A disc gate is a mold gate used in an identification of a molded part, generally having the same
cross-section as the mold runner.
Draft Angle
The angle included in the part design to allow the part to be easily ejected from the mold.
Dwell
Dwell is a pause in the mold closing cycle of a compression molding operation to permit gas to
escape from the molding material.
Ejection
Ejection is the removal of molded parts from the mold by mechanical means, or with compressed air.
Ejection Temperature
Ejection temperature is the averaged temperature of the part at the time it is ejected from the
mold.
A molded part should be ejected only when it has enough strength to undergo the force of ejection,
without excessive warpage or marks from ejector pins. The ejection temperature depends on the
resin, part thickness,
application, and shop floor practice. A part ejected at a higher temperature can reduce the cooling
time, but may increase warpage.
Ejection Time
Ejection time is the moment when the mold opens to eject the part. For example, an ejection
time of 42 seconds indicates that 42 seconds elapse from the moment the mold closes for injection
until the moment the mold opens for ejection.
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End of Fill
The end of fill occurs when the polymer has reached the extremities of the mold cavity and the mold
is volumetrically filled.
Fan Gate
The fan gate is the opening between the mold runner and the mold cavity which has the shape of a
fan. This shape helps reduce stress concentrations in the gate area by spreading the opening over a
wider area.
Filler
Fillers are materials that can be added to a polymer for injection molding. Adding a filler to a polymer
can increase the strength of the polymer and ensure that good quality parts are produced.
Fillet
A fillet is a rounded interior corner of a part that makes the part stronger.
Filling Analysis
A filling analysis calculates the flow front position from the start of injection to when the cavity
is filled (100% shot volume). It is used to provide a prediction of the filling behavior for a part, plastic
material, and a set of process conditions.
Filling Phase
The period during the injection molding process when plastic is injected to fill the cavity.
Filling Time
The time required for the injection molding machine to fill the part.
Flash
A flash occurs when the polymer is not totally contained within the mold cavity. The most
common causes of flash are an excessive velocity stroke, injection velocity, packing pressure, and a
low clamp force.
Remove flash by either reducing the injection velocity or increasing the clamp force.
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Flow Leaders and Deflectors
Flow leaders and deflectors are surfaces with thicknesses designed to direct the flow front,
either by attracting it (leaders) or by deflecting it (deflectors). Flow leaders are thicker parts of the
cavity (indicated by the yellow arrow in the figure below) which attract the flow. Deflectors are thinner
parts of the cavity (indicated by the red arrow) which constrict the flow and slow it down.
Flow Path
A flow path is a route along which molten plastic moves within the cavity.
Gate
The gate is the channel through which the molten polymer flows from the runner into the cavity.
Generally, the gate is small and solidifies first.
Gate Freeze
Gate freeze is the moment during the packing phase when polymer at the gate has frozen solid and
no more polymer can be packed into the mold cavity.
Hesitation
In a part with multiple flow paths, the flow can slow down or hesitate in thin regions. This
allows the melt to cool in thin regions and in some cases freeze before filling is complete, causing
short shots. Flow hesitation is most likely to occur in parts containing thin diaphragms, ribs and
hinges.
Hydraulic Pressure
Hydraulic pressure is the pressure applied to the injection ram during the injection phase.
Setting hydraulic pressure is one way of specifying the injection pressure of the polymer.
Injection Location
The injection location is the place where the molten plastic is forced into the mold
cavity.Different injection locations can have different effects on the appearance and quality of the part.
Injection Pressure
The injection pressure is the pressure that is applied to the ram during the injection phase.
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Injection Velocity
The injection velocity is the speed at which polymer is injected into the mold cavity during the
injection phase. If the injection velocity is too high, it can cause part defects such as flash and
delamination.
Injection Volume
The injection volume is the amount of polymer injected into the mold cavity during the velocity phase.
Insert
An insert is a component that is placed into the mold before the injection phase and is
anchored into the plastic part by being partially or wholly surrounded by the injected plastic. Typical
inserts may have threads, may be electrically conductive, or may be a different plastic material.
Loop
A group of connected curves that form a complete boundary of a surface.
Meld Line
A meld line is a weakness or visible flaw created when two or more flows meet and converge
while filling a part. A meld line is typically formed by parallel flows, whereas weld lines are formed by
flows meeting at higher angles, often head-on. Meld lines tend to be less weak than weld lines. The
quality of the meld line is dependent on the material type, the type and amount of fillers, and the
pressure and temperature at the meld line. You should move meld lines to areas where strength is of
less importance and visual appearance is less obvious. Meld lines can be moved by changing gate
location, runner design and/or wall thickness.
Melt Density
Melt density is a single point density value of a polymer at its average processing temperature, and at
zero, or near zero, pressure.
Melt Temperature
The melt temperature is the temperature of the polymer as it starts to flow into die.
121
Mesh
Injection molding simulation involves solving the governing equations of mass, momentum,
and energy numerically over the physical domain. The numerical implementation involves discretizing
the physical domain into a number of sub-domains, or elements. The dependent variables (velocity,
pressure, temperature) are approximated within each element. In short, the continuous domain is
broken into many connected sub-domains and the dependent variables are approximated over the
whole domain. Mesh density is the number of elements
per unit area. In general, the more elements in the mesh, the more accurate the analysis results, at
the expense of longer calculation times.
Model
A mathematical description of the relationships of the physical entity being described. For
example, a geometry model is a mathematical description of the physical shape and characteristics
of the part. Other models include viscosity model, process model; etc.
Mold
The mold is the steel tool used on the injection molding machine. The mold acts as a heat exchanger
in which the molten thermoplastic solidifies to the shape defined by the cavity.
Mold Open Time
Mold open time is the duration of time during which the mold is open. Mold open time begins
when the mold opens for part ejection and ends when the mold closes so that the screw can begin
moving forward for injection.
Mold Temperature
The mold temperature is the temperature of the steel mold.
Node
In the context of model geometry
A node is a special coordinate position in space. Nodes are saved with a model.
When modeling, you typically create nodes and then use nodes to create curves and regions.
Nodes take on special significance when you assign boundary conditions to them. For example, you
might assign an injection location, a coolant inlet, a constraint, or a load to a model node.
In the context of mesh
When you mesh a model, MPI typically converts your model nodes to mesh nodes, and also
generates additional mesh nodes. Mesh nodes are the vertices of midplane, surface, and 3D mesh
elements and the ends
of beam elements. The graphic below shows mesh nodes at the vertices of a triangular element and
a beam element. When you run an analysis, certain results are recorded at mesh nodes.
122
Nominal Part Thickness
Nominal part thickness is the thickness of the part at the thickest section.
Nozzle Pressure
Nozzle pressure is the pressure applied to the polymer at the nozzle. Setting nozzle pressure is one
way of specifying the injection pressure of the polymer.
Orientation
During shear flow, polymer molecules align themselves in the direction of flow. The extent of
this orientation depends on the shear rate to which the material is subjected and the temperature of
the melt. When the material stops flowing, the induced molecular orientation begins to relax at a rate
dependent on the material's relaxation time and temperature. If the material freezes before relaxation
is complete, the molecular orientation is "frozen in". Frozen-in orientation affects the mechanical
properties of the material and also the shrinkage in the direction of material orientation. For a given
element, the mechanical properties and the amount of shrinkage are different in directions parallel
and perpendicular to the direction of material orientation.
Overpacking
Overpacking occurs when extra material is compressed into one flow path while other flow
paths are still filling. The shortest and thickest flow paths fill first, resulting in overpacking.
Overpacking can cause warpage, flashing and excessive cycle time and part weight. Overpacking
generally occurs in sections with the shortest fill time.
[
Parting Plane
The parting plane is the surface of the two mold halves that separates when the mold opens.
Pinpoint Gate
A pinpoint gate is a small gate, generally 0.75mm or less in diameter. In multi-cavity molds, the
dimensions of pinpoint gates must be held within very tight tolerances in order to fill all cavities at the
same time.
The advantage of such a small gate is that it leaves a small, easily removed mark on the part.
Disadvantages include the following:

• The melt tends to freeze early in a pinpoint gate, as the flow slows. For this reason its use is
limited to small parts and to resins with good fluidity.
• Pinpoint gates often require a third plate (for part removal), increasing mold expense.
• Pinpoints gates can lead to very high shear rate and high entrance pressure loss.
An indirect gate is a variant of a pinpoint gate. Indirect gates are used when the injection location
must be transferred from center of part.
123
Point
A point is a position in space. The first stage of creating a model is usually the creation of points,
which are then joined together to create surfaces.
Poisson's Ratio
The Poisson's ratio (n12) pertains to a material under tensile stress, and is defined as the ratio
of lateral (or transverse) contraction strain (in the second principal direction) to the longitudinal strain
(in the first principal direction).
Polymer
A polymer is a natural or synthetic compound, usually of high molecular weight. Its long-
chained structure consists of repeated linked molecular units called monomers (or mers). Monomers
are relatively light and simple. A chemical polymerization process builds polymers from monomers.
Although the term plastics is often used as a synonym for polymer, plastics are actually one type of
polymeric compound. Plastics are generally formulated with plasticizers, stabilizers, fillers, and other
additives for the purpose of processing and performance. Non-plastic polymeric systems include
rubbers, fibers, adhesives, and surface coatings. Processing polymers into end products mainly
involves physical phase change such as melting and solidification (for thermoplastics) or a chemical
reaction (for thermosets).
Process Control
Process control is the monitoring and correction of production. For example, Moldflow Plastics
Xpert provides process control by monitoring the status of selected process parameters, finding any
parameters that move out of the acceptable range, and taking corrective action to bring those
parameters back under control.
Process Parameters
Process parameters are variables that typically correspond to molding machine settings. Commonly
used process parameters include:
• Maximum injection pressure
• Screw cushion
• Pressure stroke
• Cycle time
• Charge stroke
• Mean injection pressure
124
Processing Conditions
Processing conditions are the variables that control the molding process. These include:
• the injection velocity
• the pressure applied to the melt
• the mold and melt temperatures and
• the material grade being used.
Purging
Purging is the cleaning of one color or type of material from the injection molding machine.
This can be done by forcing the material out with a new color, a new material, or with another purging
material.
Racetrack Effect
The racetrack effect occurs when molten plastic flows into thicker regions more easily than thin
regions. The flow divides and then fills thicker sections before combining again to fill the thinner
sections. The recombined flow can reverse to meet the oncoming flow in the thinner section. The
racetrack effect can cause air traps, weld lines and regions of high internal stress.
Rib
A rib is a long, thin intersecting wall that is used to reinforce the outer walls of the plastic part.
Screw
The screw is the part of the injection molding machine that pushes the polymer into the mold,
that is, the shaft that rotates within the barrel of the injection molding machine to process and prepare
the material for injection.
Shear
Shear is a type of deformation caused by friction between the moving plastic and the mold wall.
Short Shot
A short shot is the incomplete filling of a mold cavity which results in the production of an incomplete
part.
125
Shot Size
The shot size is the distance between the screw back position and the zero screw position of
an injection molding screw. This is a measure of the polymer available for injection for each part.
Shot size is also known as charge stroke.
Shot Weight
In injection molding, the shot weight is the mass of plastic delivered in one complete filling of
the mold, including the molded parts, sprue, runners, and flash.
Shrinkage
Shrinkage is the reduction in the dimensions of a plastic part, compared with the mold
dimensions. Shrinkage occurs as the polymer cools. Shrinkage can vary in different directions.
Crystalline and semi-crystalline materials are particularly prone to thermal shrinkage; amorphous
materials tend to shrink less. Excessive shrinkage can be caused by the following factors:
• low injection pressure
• short pack-hold time or cooling time
• high melt temperature
• high mold temperature
• low holding pressure.
Sink Mark
A defect on the surface of a molded part. Sink marks are caused mainly by thermal contraction
(shrinkage) during packing, if the temperature and pressure are not controlled correctly. They can
occur on the opposite side from ribs or bosses because the additional thickness causes increased
contraction.
Specific Heat
The specific heat (Cp) of a material is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of
a unit mass of material by one degree Centigrade. It is essentially a measure of a material's ability to
convert heat input to an actual temperature increase. It is measured at zero pressure and a range of
temperatures, or averaged across the temperature range of 50C to the material's maximum
processing temperature.
The unit of measure for specific heat is J/kg-C, Joules per kilogram celsius.
Sprue
The sprue is the main feed channel that connects the mold cavity with runners leading to each cavity
gate.
126
Start of Fill
The start of fill is the time at which melted polymer starts to flow. This happens after the screw has
started to move and corresponds to the start of the pressure rise in the nozzle.
Tensile Strength
Tensile strength is the maximum nominal stress sustained by a material being pulled from both ends,
at a specified temperature and at a specified rate of stretching.
Thermal Conductivity
The thermal conductivity of a material is the rate of heat transfer by conduction per unit length per
degrees Celsius. It is expressed in units of W/m.°C. It is essentially a measure of the rate at which a
material can dissipate heat, and is determined under pressure and averaged across the material's
melt temperature range.
Thermal Degradation
Thermal degradation is a break down of material quality, resulting in poor parts. Thermal degradation
may occur if the barrel temperatures are too high, the rotational speed of the screw is too fast, or the
nozzle diameter is too small.
Unbalanced Flow
Unbalanced flow occurs when polymer melt completely fills some flow paths in the mold before other
flow paths have filled.
Underflow
Flow fronts from 2 directions meet, then pause momentarily, long enough for a frozen layer to
develop, then the polymer in one of the flows reverses direction and flows back between the outer
frozen layers. When the flow reverses the frozen layer partly re-melts due to frictional heating. This
flow reversal gives poor part quality, both from surface appearance and structural viewpoints. To
avoid underflow balance all flows so that their flow fronts meet at the end of fill.
Uni-directional Flow
Uni-directional flow is flow in one direction, with a straight flow front, during the filling phase.
This is desirable because it improves the mechanical properties and quality of the part. Flow direction
is determined by polymer injection location.
127
Velocity to Pressure Changeover
This is the position of the screw when the machine switches the screw displacement control from
velocity control (used in the filling stage), to pressure control (used in the packing stage).
Vent
A vent is a small channel at the end of a flow path that allows air to escape the cavity.
Viscosity
The viscosity of a material is a measure of its resistance to flow within a mold cavity.
Voids
Voids are caused by the plastic pulling away from the middle of the part as the molten plastic
cools. The problem is material shrinkage during the cooling phase. Voids are a cosmetic defect if the
part is transparent and can be a structural defect if the void is large.Eliminate voids by using proper
cavity pressurization in the packing phase.
Warpage
Warpage is a part defect caused by a non-uniform change of internal stresses.
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Chapter 1

Introduction to Computer Aided Engineering and MoldFlow

Computer Aided Engineering

Generally a finite element analysis involves the following steps:

The steps involved in the analysis for plastics are as follows:

Application to Practical Mould Design

Why do we need flow analysis?

What is available through CAE analysis?

- Mouldability of the part

About the Software

The modules available in flow analysis software are:

1. Description of the part geometry

2. Raw Material Properties

Mold temperature, Melt temperature, Injection time or Flow time.

4. Process Machine Parameters

Determination of the Optimum processing conditions

Determination of Runner and Cavity flow balance

Optimization of injection and Packing profiles

• The position of weld and melt lines and nature of weld

Shrinkage and Warpage Analysis

• Deflection of the part

Advantage of Computer Aided Engineering

front is the line joining all nodes that

5, 3, 6 and 4). This is the initial flow

from node 1 - these nodes are all

2. Assume that node 2, on the 9 14 19

initial flow front, is the first to fill.

all the nodes connected to node

always takes the path of least 5 3 13

to node 1 fill before those

now added to the flow front. The

flow front - is either 7, 3, 6 or 4.

4. Assuming that node 6 is the

expanded as shown. The next node

5. Assuming that node 7 has

7. After the last node (node 4)

flow front is as shown. One of the

the next to fill and the cycle of “node

changing the gate position,

runner material by volume and R a tio 1 :1

gives a lower ratio of runner to 8 cu .c m 8 cu .c m

affect the balance of flow paths.

The most efficient filling pattern

possible volume for a given

have the same length and

Shear stress during filling should be Maximumshear stress

Using a higher temperature, lower

pressure, or a combination of both may

by changing the location of one or more

Position gates as far away as possible Avoidinghesitation

in a thin path and is therefore losing

the current pressure is filling. By the

hesitating plastic may have frozen

Design runners to increase melt

material degradation due to long

exposure at high temperatures.

Frictional heating is increased and

Specifically MPI/FLOW offers:

These functions can be divided into two groups:

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