Digital prototyping gives designers and engineers the ability to virtually explore a complete product before it is built—so they can design, visualize and simulate products from the conceptual design phase through the manufacturing process. By using a digital prototype, users access real-world performance of a design with less reliance on costly physical prototypes.

While simulation has been a part of moldmaking processes for quite some time, it has historically been used to drive troubleshooting and validation efforts, rather than design. The problem with limiting simulation to these areas is that it focuses on problem fixing and problem-avoidance, rather than on trying to create truly optimized designs. Simulation software should predict and optimize how components will perform throughout each phase of the design and manufacture process.

Digital prototyping aims to bring simulation into the process much earlier, so designs can be optimized using analysis results. Changes are much cheaper to make digitally on a computer than on a piece of steel that’s already been cut.

Nobody knows this more than moldmakers: mold costs can easily run from as low as $10,000 to more than $100,000, depending on the complexity of the mold. The more complex the mold, the higher the cost—and the more important it is to use simulation.

By implementing simulation earlier in the development stages, mold designs can be analyzed and improved iteratively so potential problems are solved preemptively and products are optimized prior to starting production. This method has proven to be extremely effective because quality is now designed into the product and less testing is required in the later stages, which improves the overall efficiency of new product development.

For moldmakers and mold designers who are “down in the trenches”, the right digital prototyping package translates into a host of benefits, including the ability to verify part design manufacturability and quality; the ability to lay out and optimize the gate and runner systems for single-cavity, multi-cavity and family molds; and, the ability to predict processing requirements and quote mold jobs.

To enable effective simulation in the design process, companies should keep a few key elements top of mind:

Simulation software should be easily accessible by any member of a design-to-manufacturing team, and the user interface and number of analysis options should be configurable based on job function, knowledge, skill and experience.

The software should integrate easily with existing CAD applications, and should export to a number of industry standard formats, including Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
Lastly, the software must come with a strategic implementation plan that covers everything from licensing and training, to technical support and material testing to ensure simulation is incorporated into the best practices of the organization.

About First-rate Mold Solution Co. Ltd.
First-rate Mold Solution Co., Ltd. is based in China and engaged in supply of industry design,mold design,mold manufacturing,molding analysis,project management service,Our team has rich experience in the mold industry, We have first-class engineers in the fields of mold design, injection molding, metal stamping, metal die-casting, hot press molding and etc, we are enthusiastic to our industry and sufficiently inquisitive to learn，eternal adherents of leading-edge technologies in industrial design and manufacturing, such as the Mold technology in the United States, Germany mold technology, the mould technology in the United Kingdom, France mould technology,Italy mold technology, Japan mold technology and so on.

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