Next-generation simulation for smart manufacturing

CoreTech System (Moldex3D) has released Moldex3D R17, the next-generation plastics moulding simulation solutions designed to enable organisations around the globe to realise smart manufacturing through digital transformation. The latest release of Moldex3D provides more comprehensive and realistic simulations to help users close the gap between the physical and virtual worlds. The new user interface and the unified simulation workflow allow users to gain deeper insights into product performance faster, accelerating the decision-making process. In addition, to tackle the ever-growing demand for lightweight components in the automotive and aerospace sectors,  Moldex3D R17 offers significant advancements in composites simulation solutions to meet various manufacturing needs.

 

Enhanced capabilities 

Aiming to bring simulation one step closer to real-world manufacturing, Moldex3D R17 introduces new and enhanced capabilities for integrating physical moulding into the virtual world, enabling the simulation software to better capture crucial information from the physical world. It allows users to consider the dynamic machine response of an injection moulding machine to ensure that the optimised processing conditions obtained from the analysis can be directly applied on the shop floor, bridging the gap between simulation and manufacturing. In addition to machine characteristics, Moldex3D’s barrel compression functionality provides a more realistic prediction of material behaviours by simulating the actual compression behavior of melts inside the barrel and the nozzle, which empowers engineers to take into account the effect of material compressibility when injecting into the cavity, generating a more accurate injection pressure prediction.

 

Moldex3D Cooling analysis with R17 delivers the capability to help users better evaluate the performance of mold temperature controllers by providing crucial data, including maximum pressure drop, total flow rate and heat dissipation. Through seamless integration between the physical and the virtual worlds, engineers can fully leverage simulation data to make more informed decisions.

 

 

Meeting lightweighting goals  

Simulation plays a major role in helping manufacturers easily transition to lightweight materials and manufacturing processes. In the latest release, Moldex3D continues its technology leadership in fibre composites simulation with the introduction of Flow-Fiber Coupling analysis, which empowers engineers to more accurately capture the anisotropic flow behaviour induced by fibre orientation. Composite components that deal with high concentration of fibres and demand high accuracy will greatly benefit from this novel coupling method. Moldex3D Fiber orientation analysis with R17 now supports a new filler type—flat fibres to enable greater design freedom and help achieve better mechanical properties and improved dimensional stability.

 

For advanced lightweight manufacturing processes, the Moldex3D Material Lab provides comprehensive material testing services for characterizing critical material parameters, including the expansion ratio of polyurethane foam. Moldex3D R17 enables users to further predict the expansion ratio in PU Chemical Foaming analysis to more accurately predict foam height and shape for creating better polyurethane moulded parts. Also available in R17 is an improved RTM Wizard, which streamlines the mesh preparation process, increasing simulation productivity.

 

Moldex3D Studio seamlessly integrates all simulation processes on a single, unified platform, and greatly enhances the way users can view and interact with a model. For example, users can now use Measurement and Scale tools in Studio to directly measure shrinkage values and make instant design changes to compensate for shrinkage. Moreover, with the new postprocessing and visualisation functionality along with faster rendering performance in R17, engineers can now quickly unlock the hidden insights behind the model, mitigating manufacturing risks and accelerating product development.