WEBINAR: Wake-Up Call to the Benefits of Simulation for Warpage and Windage

The O₂ metering valve bracket CAE Services worked on using Mold Flow simulation software to solve warpage issues. Photo credit: Ventec Life Systems.

“Mold flow simulation is so good because of its ability to filter out what is causing warpage,” CAE Services Director of Engineering Tim Lankisch says. Warpage is not always about cooling. Consider new gate location, pressure improvement, L-shape warpage improvement and volumetric shrinkage improvement. The key is good material data!

Take, for example, the bracket-02 metering accumulator CAE Services worked on in a very short amount of time that involved perpendicularity issues and excessive sink (when going from a machined design to an injection mold design). CAE got engaged and got it done with Mold Flow simulation in 18 days!

The key was identifying the warpage issue. “So you’ve done everything you can and you still get a warped part … then what?” Lankisch asks. The next step was Kentucky Windage where you are “biasing steel in the opposite direction of the warpage.” The challenge is determining the windage factor, which is traditionally calculated by trial and error—a lot of back and forth between the molder and mold builder.

“Tuning loops are commonly 9-13 weeks, but with Moldflow windage analysis you can knock it down to as little as one week,” Lankisch says. It’s all about doing BEFORE instead of AFTER. CAE proved that rapid mold flow and rapid windage are possible!

Here are some of the questions answered during this 45-minute webinar:

How can windage be added when there is tool action like lifters or slides?
How do you determine if and when windage changes should be considered?
When you adjust your windage scale factor on your CAD model or your mesh, is that action performed in Moldflow? Or is that another software?
Is CAD morphing applied to a part model or a tool model?
How were shrinkage values determined? Is it with material test data?
Following the windage analysis and CAD morphing, did you simply provide the modified CAD to the toolmaker who could then cut the tool to that data?
What is your advice on the best method to transfer process conditions from the simulation to the machine?
How important is your mesh for windage? How can you build confidence upfront that your mesh is as accurate as it can be before committing to windage?
How long does it take to prepare the windage 3D model for a part like a car cockpit module?
Does CAE offer services to revise the part design to minimize warpage after mold flow cool & warp are completed?
I’m guessing the difference in results between the Moldflow analysis and the Moldex analysis was due to the old and new material data?
You mentioned simulation usage is picking up why do you think that is?
What is the most common barrier to companies using simulation?
You mention mentoring; talk about that a bit compared to straight-up training.