COMPANY CATEGORY
SECOND PRIZE WINNER
Project Name: Fully Automated Optimization Workflow for Injection Molding Design
Company: Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG
By Steffen Aldinger, Florian Seybold
Summary
Millions of structural plastic components are manufactured at Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG each year. While the warpage is critical for the functionality and appearance of the components, cost-effectiveness is determined by cycle time and the size of the required molding machine.
We present a simulation workflow using Moldex3D that enables a fully automated optimization of all these objectives.
The main benefit of the workflow is the simultaneous parameterization of the component geometry, the process conditions, and the mold design. This enables us to consider the whole design and manufacturing process, beginning at the component development, to the mold making, and finally the production.
Challenges
- Optimization of geometry design, mold design and process conditions
- Component quality and production cost
- Automation of the whole simulation process
Solutions
The core solution is using the Moldex3D API to automate the simulation process. No user input is required to run a complete simulation. Furthermore, other functionality can be integrated as well. We use a CAD system to automatically create and vary the component geometry. Apart from the component geometry, the software allows us to vary many parameters related to the mold design and the molding process, too.
Our fully automated optimization workflow is based on statistical design of experiment and mathematical optimization algorithms. It helps us to find the global optimum of for warpage, filling behavior, cycle time and other target metrics, while reducing development time significantly.
Benefits
- Finding the global optimum of warpage, filling behavior, cycle time
- Fully automated simulations
- Less development time
Products Used
- Moldex3D Advanced Package
– Flow
– Pack
– Cool
– Warp
– Designer BLM
Meet the Team
