Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results

IP_07: Checklist for Simulation Engineers &

Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
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www.moldflow.eu
IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Overview

Content

• Plausibility test
• Meaningful result plots for the “Communicator”
• Additional information
• Useful links

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 2

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Plausibility Test – Boundary Conditions

• Release (up-to-date)?  ASMI / ASMA

• Desired / meaningful results obtained? (p. 5 – 7)

• Solver and model? (p. 9)  DualDomain / 3D

• Mesh quality (adequate)? (p. 9)  layer / mesh matching
• Material data (up-to-date)? (p. 8; 12-13)  date tested
• Process control (meaningful)? (p. 10 & 13-14)
• Does the filling speed fit the flow path length and the wall thickness proportions?
- approx. 100 mm/s, BUT: high WT  fill time longer
• Does the temperature lie in the middle of the processing window?
- Rule: very high temperatures  fill time,
strongly decreasing temperatures  fill time, wall thickness proportions
• Packing pressure profile / clamp force
- Circle of shrinkage around gating location(s)  prolong the packing pressure time
- Elevated volumetric shrinkage in general  increase the packing pressure

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 3

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Plausibility Test – Outcome

Does the report contain an explication of sources for:

• Incomplete filling?  wall thickness distribution, fill time
• High pressure demand?  wall thickness distribution, flow path
• High clamp force?  balancing, pressure, wall thickness distribution
• Temperature differences at flow front  wall thickness distribution, fill time, injection
location

• Increased volumetric shrinkage  Plastic core, wall thickness distribution,

gate diameter, packing pressure profile
• Warpage effects  Fiber orientation, plastic core,
wall thickness distribution

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 4

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Results for the “Communicator”

Sequence: Fill – Pack – Warp

• Filling pattern
• Pressure at switchover
• Pressure curve and clamp force curve
• Temperature at flow front
• Temperature
• Plastic core (3D) (preparation of plot see p. 10) /
frozen layer fraction
• Cooling time
• Volumetric shrinkage
• Fiber orientation
• Deflection in x-direction
• Deflection in y-direction
• Deflection in z-direction

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 5

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Results for the “Communicator”

Preparation of plastic core plots:

1. Get transition temperature from material data base

2.

3.

5.
6.

choose very
4. 7. enter transition high maximum
temperature

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 6

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Results for the “Communicator”

Sequence: Cool – Fill – Pack – Warp

In addition to the results of p. 9

• Flow rate in circuit

• Reynolds number in circuit
• Pressure loss in circuit
• Temperature at mold-cavity interface
(result available if cool (FEM) solver is used)
• Temperature, circuit coolant
• Temperature, mold
• Temperature, part

Remark: The shown / possible results are different depending

on whether the transient or the non-transient cool-calculation
approach was used.

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IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Log File – Indicated Information and Explanation

• Fill – Pack – Warp

(subsequently shown are only the relevant sections of the log file and not the
whole log file)

1 General information:
2 (1) Version in which the calculation was done
(2) Computer name
(3) Starting time of analysis
3 (4) Number of intermediate results
Recommendation for 3D: 50 / 50 / 30 and for
DualDomain/Midplane: 40 / 40 / 20 to guarantee a sufficient
number of results for the evaluation

Material information:
5
(5) Material name
6 (6) Transition temperature of material
(no-flow-temperature)
7 (7) E-modulus of material compound
Reminder: for fiber reinforced material it is always much higher
along than across the fiber orientation
(8) Information about filler
8

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 8

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Log File – Indicated Information and Explanation

• Continued from log file…

Model information:
1
2 (1) Used calculation model
Midplane / DualDomain / 3D?
(2) Only for 3D: Minimum number of layers
through wall thickness
Recommendation: at least 8 when using fiber
reinforced material
When using the DualDomain model the
3 MeshMatching (min. 80%) can be read out from here
(3) Volume, divided in runner and part
(if used also the insert volume)
(4) By software automatically calculated
projected area

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 9

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Log File – Indicated Information and Explanation

• Continued from log file…

Process parameter information:

1
(1) Chosen injection machine
Usually the standard machine is used; changes for the machine are
only needed if a pressure limit or an injection profile is taken into
2
account
(2) Mold temperature and melt temperature
(3) Fill time
Determined or automatic
(4) Point of switch-over
Recommendation: 98%
(5) Chosen packing pressure profile
3 Usually given as percentage of max. peak pressure or as effective
pressure
(6) Chosen cooling time
4 If “automatic” is chosen, the software applies the mold surface
temperature on the part until the below indicated ejection criteria
is reached
5

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 10

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Log File – Indicated Information and Explanation

• Continued from log file…

Filling phase information:

1
(1) Profile of filling phase
Time steps with the particular time, if applicable volume,
pressure and clamp force information
When calculating a cascade process, the opening times of
the particular nozzle groups can be seen
(2) Part information and process information after
end of filling phase
Mass after end of filling phase
(3) End of packing phase
Information about max. clamp force and part weight
should still increase after filling phase
2

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 11

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Information about Wall Thicknesses

• Wall thickness distribution (Midplane, DualDomain or using 3D: “Dimensional Diagnostic“) can be used to check, if
the simulation is based on the correct wall thicknesses
Experienced users know how to export wall thickness information to a Communicator file.

3D / DualDomain

Midplane

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IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Material – Report

• Screenshot of quality indicator; given respectively for

fill-, pack- and warp-analysis 1
(bronze / silver / gold)

• Material report (right click on material  Report)

- as screenshot 3
- copied in the study notes
Remark: Possibly “unknown” or “supplemental” is indicated,
which is to be questioned
(1) General information on material
(2) Test method characterizing each material data 4
(3) Further information about test method
(4) Quality indicator in letters

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 13

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Material – Report

• Possible additional information about material:

• Screenshot of recommended processing temperatures
indicates if the process lies within a reasonable range
1

(1) By material supplier recommended average process temperature

(2) Max. / min. values for melt temperatures and mold wall temperatures
(3) Recommended absolute maximum melt temperature which should not 2
be reached
(4) Limits for shear stress and shear rate

26.06.2013 Autodesk Simulation Moldflow – Interpretation of Results 14

IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Study Notes

• Study Notes can be used to add general

information to the analysis
• Path to the Study Notes in Communicator
View  User Interface  Notes

1 2

• There are Study Notes and Plot Notes:

(1)Study Notes for general information
(2)Plot Notes; particular comments can be added to each result
• Information like CAD version, goal of the analysis, material (maybe info if
substitute material is used), model type, process parameters … can be
summarized at a glance in the notes
• Example for a study text can be sent to you
upon request via email as a txt file

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IP_08: Checklist for Simulation Engineers & Minimal Requirements for Product Specifications
Useful Links

• Link to Communicator: http://download.autodesk.com/us/moldflow/2014/amc2014.zip   

• Free viewer for MFR files

• Autodesk Wiki Help: http://wikihelp.autodesk.com

• Information and learning examples to pretty much all Autodesk products

• Autodesk SimSquad: www.simsquad.com

• Software developer of Autodesk

• Autodesk Simulation TV: http://vp.telvue.com/player?s=autodesk

Videos to general and recent simulation trends and possibilities

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