SOLIDWORKS Plastics – TriMech

SOLIDWORKS Plastics

Emma Krisfalusi — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 08:23:10 +0000

SOLIDWORKS Plastics

Predict how melted plastic flows during the injection molding process

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Training Course Overview

The SOLIDWORKS Plastics training course teaches you how to use specialized simulation software tools to predict how melted plastic flows during the injection molding process. Predicting how the plastic will flow enables you to predict manufacturing defects such as weld lines, air traps, short shots, and sink marks.

By predicting these defects, you can change the part or mold geometry, the processing conditions, or the plastic material itself to eliminate or minimize them, saving energy, material, time, and money.

The SOLIDWORKS Plastics course covers all the features and functions of both SOLIDWORKS Plastics Professional (for part designers) and SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium (for mold designers).

Course Duration

2 Days (7 hours/day)

Course Type

Practical Hands-on Training

Skill Level

Intermediate Level

Course Preview

Take a look at some of the studies you will be conducting in the SOLIDWORKS Plastics course

Sink Marks

Cooling Analysis

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Course

Analyzing Thin Walled Parts

Weld Lines & Air Gaps

Shrinkage study

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Course Requirements & Benefits

Understand the course requirements and the skills you will acquire after completing the SOLIDWORKS course

Requirements

Attended SOLIDWORKS Essentials

At least 1 month using software

SOLIDWORKS Plastics software

Features Targeted

Applying Meshes

Fill results & weld lines

Inserts, Valve Gates & Hot Runners

Acquired Skills

Able to detect short shots

Able to run cooling & warpage analysis

Able to optimize injection locations & minimize sink marks

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Lessons

The following lessons are included in the course

Lesson 1: Basic Flow Analysis

Basic Flow Analysis
Stages in the Process
- Units
Element Types
- Shell Elements
- Solid Elements
- Manual or Automatic
Meshing
The PlasticsManager Tree
Material
- Polymer
- Using the Databases
- Machines
Injection Location
Running a Flow Analysis
- Flow
- Pack
- Warp
- Cool
Flow Results
- Fill Time
- Weld Lines
- Results Adviser
Exercise 1: Basic Flow Analysis

Lesson 2: Detecting a Short Shot

Detecting Short Shots
Stages in the Process
Fill Settings
- Definition Fill Setting Parameters
- Filling Time and Injection Pressure Considerations
- Report Text File
Flow Front Central Temperature
- Pressure at End of Fill
Design Changes
- Plastics to Modeling
- Modeling to Plastics
- Thickness Change
Simulations After Design Changes
Exercise 2: Short Shots

Lesson 3: Automation Tools

Automation Tools
Stages in the Process
Duplicate Study
Copying Settings
- Plastics File Management
Batch Manager
- Batch Controls
Summary and Report
Exercise 3: Design Changes

Lesson 4: Injection Locations and Sink Marks

Injection Locations and Sink Marks
Stages in the Process
Injection Location Rules
- Positioning the Injection Location
- Single vs Multiple Injection Locations
- Modeling for Injection Locations
- Automatic Injection Location Selection
- Predict Flow Pattern
Sink Marks
- Measure
- Minimizing Sink Marks in Ribs
- Nominal Wall Thickness Advisor
Exercise 4: Minimizing Sink Marks (1)
Exercise 5: Minimizing Sink Marks (2)

Lesson 5: Materials

Material Properties
Stages in the Process
User-defined Database
- Material
Resin Properties
Temperature Properties
- Melt Temperature
- Mold Temperature
- Part Ejection Temperature
- Glass Transition Temperature
Heat Transfer Properties
- Specific Heat
- Thermal Conductivity
Viscosity
PVT Data
Mechanical Properties
- Thermal Expansion Coefficient
- Elastic Modulus
- Poisson’s Ratio

Lesson 6: Mesh Manipulation

Mesh Manipulation
Stages in the Process
Local Refinement of Mesh
- Mesh Density
- Gradation
Element Issues
Mesh Editing
- Mesh
- Mesh Analysis
- Mesh Triangles
- Mesh Nodes
Leader Lines
Solid Mesh
- Solid and Shell Mesh
Solid Mesh Types
- Tetrahedral Elements
- Hexahedral Elements
Exercise 6: Mesh Repairs

Lesson 7: Detecting Air Traps

Detecting Air Traps
Stages in the Process
Air Traps
- Dieseling Effect
- Plot Ranges
- Thickness Analysis
Venting
- Venting Analysis
- Venting Locations
Exercise 7: Air Traps

Lesson 8: Gate Blush

Gate Blush
Stages in the Process
Runner Elements
- Domains
Gate Blush
- Shear Stress
- Reducing Gate Blush

Lesson 9: Packing and Cooling Times

Packing and Cooling
Stages in the Process
Flow/Pack Switch
Pack Stage
- Pack Settings
Pack Analysis
Pack Results
X-Y Plot
- Volumetric Shrinkage at End of Packing
Cooling Times
- Temperature at Post-Filling End
- Nodal Temperature
Exercise 8: Packing and Cooling Times

Lesson 10: Reducing Cooling Times

Reducing Cooling Time
Stages in the Process
Multiple Injection Locations
- Clipping Plane Mode
- Jetting
Exercise 9: Optimizing Cooling Time

Lesson 11: Multiple Cavity Molds

Multiple Cavity Molds
Stages in the Process
Mold Layouts
Channel Design
Runner Channel Design
- Runner Types
- Element Count
- Searching for Polymers
Runner Wizard Channel Design
Family Mold Layout
Using Runner-Balancing
Exercise 10: Multiple Cavity Molds
Exercise 11: Runner-Balancing

Lesson 12: Symmetry Analysis

Symmetry Analysis
Stages in the Process
Case Study1
Case Study2
Symmetry Face

Lesson 13: Valve Gates and Hot Runners

Valve Gates and Hot Runners
Stages in the Process
Hot Runners
Valve Gates

Lesson 14: Reaction Injection Molding

Reaction Injection Molding
Stages in the Process
Reaction Injection Molding

Lesson 15: Using Inserts

Using Inserts
Stages in the Process
Cavities and Inserts
Materials for Inserts
- Insert Settings
- Hiding Cavities and Inserts

Lesson 16: Multi Shot Mold

Multi Shot Mold
Stages in the Process
Multi Shot Mold
- Domain Order

Lesson 17: Gas Assistance Molding

Using Inserts
Stages in the Process
Gas Assist
- Material Selection

Lesson 18: Cooling Analysis

Cooling Analysis
Stages in the Process
Cooling
Cooling Channels and Mold Bodies
Coolant
Mold
Cool Settings
- Cooling Simulations
- Cool Flow Field
- Cool Pipe
- Coolant Entrance
- Mold Wall Temperature
Cool Analysis
- Cool
Cool Results
Baffle
Bubbler
Exercise 12: Cooling Analysis

Lesson 19: Warpage Analysis

Warpage Analysis
Stages in the Process
Shrinkage
- Reducing Shrinkage
Warpage
Warp Settings
Warp Results
Reducing and Fixing Warped Parts
- Thermal Contributions to Warping
- Typical Warp Shapes
- Residual Stress

Training Methods

Choose the training method right for you

Group/Public Training

Receive training as a group (limited amount per class) from certified instructors using vendor approved training content and methodologies.

Training is delivered either live online or in a traditional classroom environment.

Advantages

Cost effective training method.
More effective than video based training, with videos learners are often not as focused on the training and skip exercises.
Learn more through group questions and feedback.

Private Training

This style of flexible training is perfect for teams or individuals who are faced with a specific challenge and require personalized courses with on-the-job coaching.

Training is available live online, in-person classroom or onsite at your location.

Advantages

Use our state-of-the-art mobile classroom at your facility.
Bring your team up to a consistent level of knowledge by having them take the same training at the same time.
Benefit from flexible scheduling options.

Upcoming Training Courses

Choose a scheduled SOLIDWORKS Plastics course

Date & Time

April 24, 2024 - April 26, 2024
9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET

Location

Live Online

Date & Time

June 26, 2024 - June 27, 2024
9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET

Location

Live Online

Date & Time

August 21, 2024 - August 22, 2024
9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET

Location

Live Online

Date & Time

October 24, 2024 - October 25, 2024
9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET

Location

Live Online

Date & Time

December 11, 2024 - December 12, 2024
9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET

Location

Live Online

Are you using SOLIDWORKS to its full potential?

Enhance your skills and capabilities with a SOLIDWORKS Training Assessment from TriMech.

Learn More

SOLIDWORKS Plastics

Rod Mackay — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 15:45:00 +0000

Software

SOLIDWORKS Plastics

Plastic parts and injection mold simulation software

What is SOLIDWORKS Plastics software?

SOLIDWORKS® Plastics makes it easy for companies that design plastic parts or injection molds to predict and avoid manufacturing defects during the earliest stages of design, eliminating costly rework, improving quality, and accelerating time-to-market.

Intuitive workflow and design advice

SOLIDWORKS Plastics works directly on your 3D model, avoiding translation issues. You see the impact of design changes right away. Powerful and fast state-of-the-art meshing covers geometries from thin-walled parts to very thick and solid parts.

An intuitive interface leads you step by step. Guided analysis, intelligent defaults, and automated processes ensure correct setup, even if you rarely use simulation tools. The SOLIDWORKS Plastics material database contains thousands of commercial plastics and is fully customizable.

Part designers get rapid feedback on how modifications to wall thickness, gate locations, materials, or geometry can effect the manufacturing of their part, while mold designers can quickly optimize multicavity and family mold layouts and feed systems—including sprues, runners, and gates.

Overview Demo

Get to know SOLIDWORKS Plastics

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Capabilities

SOLIDWORKS Plastics provides technical insights to engineers during the design process so they can innovate while reducing costs and time to market.

Optimize Plastic Part Production

SOLIDWORKS Plastics products can be used to optimize part wall thickness, gate locations, and runner system size and layout to ensure the mold works right the first time, reducing or eliminating the need for rework.

Scrap Reduction

SOLIDWORKS Plastics makes it easy to analyze design iterations at the earliest stages of product development—when the cost of change is least and the impact on manufacturability is greatest—increasing part quality and minimizing production scrap rates.

Reduce time to market

SOLIDWORKS Plastics helps to predict and avoid potential manufacturing defects before any mold tooling is cut, virtually eliminating the need for time-consuming and costly mold rework and ensuring project deadlines and ship dates are met on time and within budget.

Collaborate and Report

SOLIDWORKS Plastics provides automated report generation tools that facilitate the sharing and interpretation of simulation results, allowing increased collaboration among extended development teams.

"Evolve Design Solutions appreciates the excellent customer service, product knowledge and technical support provided by TriMech, our SOLIDWORKS Value Added Reseller (VAR).”

Aldo Balatti

Principal, Evolve Design Solutions

“Our engineering processes are well defined and well documented. I can tell new customers with confidence that we’re delivering on milestones because we’re tracking our performance on speed and quality every day.”

Ray Minator

Owner, Inertia Engineering + Design

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Features

Optimize your plastic part design process with a suite of easy-to-use solutions

Plastic Part Analysis

Intuitive simulation software designed specifically for Plastic Part Designers

The most cost-effective time to optimize plastic parts for manufacturability is during the initial stages of product design. Skipping this step often leads to an inefficient mold design with an extremely narrow “good parts” processing window, resulting in high reject rates and time-to-market delays.

CAD-integrated: fully embedded in the SOLIDWORKS 3D design environment so you can analyze and modify designs for manufacturability while you optimize for form, fit, and function
Easy to learn and use: takes only minutes to learn and does not require extensive analysis or plastics expertise
Facilitates design team communication: web-based HTML reports make it fast and easy to communicate simulation results and design advice to all members of the design-to-manufacturing team

Mold Design Analysis

Intuitive simulation software designed specifically for Mold Designers and Mold Makers

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Professional gives designers or builders of injection molds an accurate, easy-to-use way to optimize them. Quickly create and analyze single, multicavity, and family mold layouts.

Avoid costly mold rework: ensure molds will work right the first time to avoid time-consuming, costly, and unnecessary rework
Optimize feed system design: analyze sprues, runners, and gates to balance runner systems; optimize gate type, size, and location; and determine the best runner layout, size, and cross-sectional shape
Estimate cycle time, clamp tonnage, and shot size: quote tooling projects quickly and accurately; size the injection molding machine for a given mold; optimize cycle time, and reduce plastics material scrap

Advanced plastic part simulation

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium includes advanced simulation functionality that allows users to analyze mold cooling line layouts and predict molded part warpage.

Cooling line analysis: Design and analyze simple or complex mold cooling line layouts
Reduce time and cost: Optimize cooling system design to minimize cycle times and decrease manufacturing costs
Improve overall process: Optimize part and mold design, material selection, and processing parameters to reduce or eliminate molded part warpage

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Packages

Three simulation packages to choose from

Package

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Standard

Ensure parts are manufactureable during the design process. Easy to learn and use, SOLIDWORKS Plastics Standard is fully embedded within SOLIDWORKS CAD so you can analyze and modify part designs at the same time you optimize for form, fit, and function.

Package

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Professional

Builds upon SOLIDWORKS Plastics Standard to analyze mold designs. With easy-to-use tools you can quickly analyze single-and multi-cavity, and family mold layouts including sprues, runners, and gates, to estimate cycle time, and to optimize feed system design.

Package

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium

Includes SOLIDWORKS Plastics Professional with advanced simulation functionality to analyze mold cooling line layouts, and part warpage. Optimizing cooling line minimizes cycle times and decreases manufacturing costs.

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Matrix

Compare the different versions of SOLIDWORKS Plastics software

Capability	SOLIDWORKS Plastics Standard	SOLIDWORKS Plastics Professional	SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium
Ease of Use	●	●	●
Design Data Reuse	●	●	●
Materials Database	●	●	●
Meshing	●	●	●
Parallel Computing (Multi-core)	●	●	●
Filling Phase (1st Stage Injection)	●	●	●
Instantaneous Fill Time Plot	●	●	●
Sink Mark Analysis	●	●	●
eDrawings Support	●	●	●
Fill Time	●	●	●
Ease of Fill	●	●	●
Results Adviser	●	●	●
Pressure at End of Fill	●	●	●
Flow Front Temperature	●	●	●
Temperature at End of Fill	●	●	●
Shear Rate	●	●	●
Cooling Time	●	●	●
Weld Lines	●	●	●
Air Traps	●	●	●
Sink Marks	●	●	●
Frozen Layer Fraction at End of Fill	●	●	●
Clamp Force	●	●	●
Cycle Time	●	●	●
Symmetry Analysis		●	●
Packing Phase (2nd Stage Injection)		●	●
Runner Balancing		●	●
Runner Design Wizard		●	●
Sprues and Runners		●	●
Hot and Cold Runners		●	●
Multi-cavity Molds		●	●
Family Molds		●	●
Mold Inserts		●	●
Volumetric Shrinkage		●	●
Density at End of Pack		●	●
Exports STL, NASTRAN		●	●
Export with Mechanical Properties ABAQUS®, ANSYS, DigiMat®		●	●
Cooling Lines			●
Baffles and Bubblers			●
Conformal Cooling Channels			●
Runner Domain Category			●
Sink Mark Profiles			●
Mold Temperature at Cooling End			●
Displacement Due to Residual Stress			●

SOLIDWORKS Plastics Benefits

Easy to use software which will adapt to your business process

Boost product innovation

Grow market share and differentiate through groundbreaking product design.

Empower the engineering team with intuitive, powerful 3D simulation tools to compare design scenarios and new ideas to bring innovative products to market.

Decrease development costs

Reduce the need for costly prototyping by integrating virtual testing early in product development.

Reduce outsourcing costs by testing performance and functionality internally.

Improve production efficiency

Improve plastic part production performance, verifying part and mold designs in the earliest stages of development.

Make changes early

Reduce the challenge of determining how your part or mold design impacts manufacturing and how manufacturing will impact your design.

Looking for a Cloud Alternative?

3DEXPERIENCE Works provides a Safe, Social, Connected, Informed and Structured alternative to SOLIDWORKS Plastics for team leaders, project managers and other professionals who want to manage data on the cloud and collaborate without constraints.

Safe: Customer controlled access. Transparent cloud backup. Encrypted communication protocols. Data always safe-no overwrite, no loss of data.

Social: Integrated structured and unstructured collaboration tools enabling social innovation. Collaborate on product design or engage with your stakeholders early in product development.

Connected: Every user always connected to a single, common database. Access data anywhere, anytime, on any device. Review and markup models.

Informed: Choose from the widget library, Create and share Dashboards. Get the latest information about your product development. Always have access to your latest data.

Structured: Zero overhead data management - store and manage data across collaborative spaces, share information in communities. Find indexed data faster by using tags, custom search, etc.

Learn more