Customer Profile

• Customer: Lite-On Technology
• Industry: Electronics
• Solution: Moldex3D Advanced Package
• Region: Taiwan

Lite-On Technology is a leading provider of innovative products for both global and domestic markets, including imaging products, enclosures, power supplies and LEDs. Lite-On’s primary objective for all product lines is to be number one in Taiwan and within the top three in the global market. Lite-On is also the world’s largest notebook adapter manufacturer, holding a 60% global market share. Other major products including projector power supplies, phone camera modules, keyboards, and enclosures have large global market shares.(Source: Lite-On Technology)

Executive Summary

As Gas-assisted injection molding (GAIM) process has been widely used in the mold industry to reduce energy use and costs, Lite-on Technology, a professional provider of imaging products, enclosures, power supplies and LEDs, applies this process to its products and verifies the process with Moldex3D GAIM module. Lite-on Technology adjusts and optimizes the process parameters prior to real manufacturing to understand the penetration length of the gas, resulting in saving costs of material and time.

Challenges

The flatness of the paper feed tray plays a crucial role in the function of ADF scanner. As uneven shrinkage will have direct impact on the feeding process, it’s necessary to resolve the deformation problem in advance. However, how to visualize 3D gas penetration behaviors inside the cavity to avoid any potential issues is definitely a challenge. Therefore, Lite-on must find an appropriate solution to assure product quality and reduce costly real mold trials.

Solutions

To achieve its goal of better product quality, Lite-on Technology verified the GAIM process with Moldex3D GAIM module in early stage and compared the outcomes between the simulation analysis and the mold trial. By evaluating the simulation result, Lite-on Technology is able to identify the allowable displacement values and control the flatness of Z axis around ±0.3mm.

Case Study

The objective is to determine the best gas needle location and the gas penetration status via gas assisted simulation analysis in order to reduce the warpage problems on both sides and middle of the part. While the high temperature zone was in the end of the flow channel, the gas needles are placed in the left and right sides of the flow end with lower temperate to enable the gas easily penetrate into the areas with higher temperature and lower pressure.

The gas needle locations on sides help improve warpage problems.

In this case, Lite-on Technology identifies ideal gas needle locations and eliminates warpage problems with the unique capability that Moldex3D GAIM provides, which allows users to determine parameters including gas enter time and delay time, gas injection points, overflow regions, etc. Verifying the result by Moldex3D GAIM simulation, Lite-on ensures that the gas penetrated into the higher temperature region near the gate and reached the ideal results. With the help of Moldex3D, Lite-on Technology can thoroughly examine the original design and clarify the variance between the analysis and actuality via practical mold trial.

The simulation analysis results correspond with the short shot result from real mold trial.

Results

Through Moldex3D GAIM simulation, Lite-on Technology significantly reduces warpage to meet the requirement for dimensional stability. As a result, the X-displacement has been reduced by almost 45%; the Y-displacement has been reduced by 40%; and the Z- displacement has been reduced by 64%. Moreover, the analysis also demonstrates an agreement with simulation and molding trials for the secondary penetration phenomena.

The analysis demonstrates the ability to simulate the secondary penetration behavior.