Moldflow analysis can be essential to ensure that a mold is capable of producing the strongest and most consistent parts. Is mold flow a necessary step of the process, or is it just extra time and effort?

Here are the top seven reasons why mold designers should always perform a moldflow analysis:

Optimization of Design

Without any tooling or molding necessary, you can answer all the what-if questions ahead of time. Moldflow analysis can point out many concerns or production factors, including:

Material selection issues

Thickness/thinness problems

Structural concerns

Weld line controls

Residual or structural stress issues

Filling concerns

Product function requirements

Sink or appearance problems, and more

Quick & Immediate Decisions

With mold flow analyses, you can make immediate, informed decisions. These decisions can impact multiple areas of the process including:

Product design

Material and process selection

Tooling

And everything else that is central to your production process

There’s no trial and error involved; there are just proven scientific engineering answers from art to part.

Optimization of Injection Molds and Tooling

You have all the information and answers to make the most optimal choices in injection molds and tooling to create the perfect product. Moldflow analysis can show you everything you need:

The optimal gate locations

Balanced filling and packing

Cavity layout

Mitigation of short-shot molding issues

Optimal injection mold materials

Prototype and production tooling

The best cooling layouts

Structural and thermal analyses for tool life

Core pull/deflection issues

Reasons for tool failures

Engineering calculations of pressure or force necessary for each part

Etc…

Trying Different Materials

You’re now able to test out different materials and designs without building any prototype parts or tools. You can get virtual parts with a simulation as well, so you can have full process simulation with minimal upfront investment.

Optimize Overall Cycle Time

Moldflow analyses can optimize your overall cycle time by up to 10-30%. That reduction percentage on just one part can cancel out the cost of a complete flow analysis of multiple molded parts!

Ability to Select the Perfect Source

You can select the right source with expertise and practical experience for simulation, design, tooling, and molding. Otherwise, you would be spending money on analysis costs, as well as all tooling and molding issues, without obtaining any of the savings from upfront process simulation.

Specification

Plastic parts can be optimized for exact machine specification, cycle time, cooling, DOE, and more, without reducing production time or putting any tools on molding machines; this can help improve your bottom-line profit.

The predictive process of mold flow analysis can uncover design issues, save resources, provide for preemptive correction, and speed up overall cycle time and present your business with an abundance of benefits. First-rate Mold provide moldflow analysis as one of it’s many services, with the intent of helping your business improve manufacturing processes and saving time and money. Contact us today and add moldflow analysis to your production as a way to improve the simplicity and quality of your final products.