STUDENT CATEGORY
FIRST PRIZE WINNER
Project Name: Study of the Application of Analysis and Practice of the Lightweight-process of Shoe-midsoles through Moldex3D Foam Injection Molding
School: Feng Chia University
By Jun-Hao Mao, Hsin-Shu Peng
Summary
With the development trends of lightweight products, green circular economy, and intelligent production with integration between virtuality and reality, molding analysis technology plays a crucial role. This study demonstrates the lightweight trend of shoe structure in the current footwear market. Through the foam injection molding (FIM) in the professional molding analysis software Moldex3D, we used recyclable molding material (SEBS elastomer) to predict the configuration influence of the gate and the change of molding pressure for hot melt with bubble in the filling process. We verified the shrinkage characteristics of the SEBS/FIM injection molding manufacturing process by simulation and experiment and we also replaced the shoe structure products of the mixing foam injection molding with a foaming agent, so that the collision absorbing effect of foam molding will be able to enhance the demands for shoe insoles in the industry.
Challenges
- We used the professional molding analysis software to study the impact of the gate design on the flow of melt and the change of molding quality
- We applied the foam injection molding to overcome the product surface defects of conventional molding and obtained the size that meets the requirements
- We predict the growth of bubble structure and reduce the materials used in product molding to reduce the cost of materials and achieve the goal of lightweight
Solutions
For the shoe insole products analyzed in this case study, we used the SEBS elastomer materials that can be recycled and reused in order to reduce the weight of products and overcome the shortcoming of product surface shrinkage, as well as to fulfill the demand for a green circular economy. Moreover, we conducted a simulation analysis and experiment verification with the FIM module. We used Moldex3D to analyze the impact on the foaming characteristics from the different gate design of the foam injection product with uneven thickness and its flow behavior in order to understand the impact of FIM on the shrinkage characteristics of the product surface and the gate design that affects the bubble growth.
Benefits
- Integration of product design, CAE analysis, gate design, and molding and measurement of elastomer materials. The analysis and results of the experiment are highly consistent and the development trend of integration between virtuality and reality is achieved
- Reduce the weight of the product by more than 10% and the goals of lightweight product requirement and foam molding are achieved
- Fulfill the requirements of a green circular economy, lightweight products, and FIM manufacturing process. Improve the SEBS/FIM manufacturing process and discuss the analysis/experiment application of flow gate configuration and thickness distribution, which will be of great help to the current and future development of business operators in the industry as well as the competitiveness of the industry
Products Used
Meet the Team
It is a great honor to be awarded “First Prize” in the student group of the 2020 Moldex3D global molding contest. This award is significantly meaningful to us. It is great recognition from the judges and Moldex3D!
First of all, we would like to thank the host of the contest “CoreTech System Co, Ltd. ” for conducting this competition, so that we had the opportunity to understand the beauty of analysis, practical experience, and industry-academia research! It is a great honor for students to receive the award and great recognition for our research lab, which is a motivation for us to continue to put in more effort!
Furthermore, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the honorable judges and officials who participated in this content review. Thank you for your recognition and encouragement, which will push us to strive for improvement, advancement, and innovation.
Lastly, we would like to thank our advisors and all seniors in our research team! As they provide suggestions and guidance, as well as to conduct mutual discussion with us to solve all of the encountered problems. We would like to thank our advisors and all of the members in the research team for their support. Thank you all!