Click to View Sample Moldflow^® Analysis Report

Working with CEPS, below are typical problems that can be avoided by running a Moldflow^® Analysis:

Air traps
An air trap is a pocket of air caught inside the mold cavity during injection, which can then appear in the part as a void or a bubble. It can result in a cosmetic surface defect or a structural defect. Knowing where these air traps might occur enables a pro-active part or tool design solution to prevent them prior to mold manufacturing.

Warpage
As stress mounts due to varying wall thicknesses, warpage can occur due to the different rates of cooling and shrinkage. This can be detrimental when assembling mating parts, trying to keep flatness on large parts, or circularity on cylindrical parts. Knowing how the part geometry is going to behave prior to production can have huge cost benefits by enabling the part designer to see what area of the geometry is causing the warp in order to make design changes before the mold is in production.

Sink Marks and Voids
Sink marks are local depressions seen on the surfaces of parts created by thicker sections beneath, commonly ribs or bosses. Voids are vacuum bubbles created within the core of material that is sinking. Moldflow^® can predict where there might be the possibility of sinks and voids can prevent unwanted cosmetic issues and the possibility of weakness in an area of part that requires mechanical strength within its application.

Knit Lines or Weld Lines
When separate melt flows traveling in opposite directions come together they can form knit lines. They usually occur where there are apertures and holes through the part geometry and are common when there is more than one gate. Moldflow^® can predict where such lines will be and thus enable one to judge if there will be any affect on the integrity of the part, especially if these appear in an area that is undergoing loads that could lead to fracture. This knowledge allows the user to change the position of gates and vents to redirect the weld and knit lines away from areas that require mechanical integrity.

Click to View Sample Moldflow^® Analysis Report