Moldflow User Group Summit Agenda
Wednesday, October 9th, 2024; 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
8:30-8:40 am – Intros/Agenda
Alex Beaumont, Corporate Development Officer, Beaumont
8:40-9:15 am – “What’s new in Moldflow 2025?”
Hanno van Raalte, Product Manager, Autodesk
During this presentation you will get an overview of what is in Moldflow 2025. We will touch
upon the most important new capabilities, have some tips on how to use them, as well as some
important things to be aware of.
9:15-9:50 am – “STAMP…what is it?”
David Corsi, Design & Simulation Engineering Manager, Beaumont
An accurate simulation is only as accurate as the information provided. One of the most important inputs in plastic flow simulation is the material file itself. If a material file is missing critical tested data, then the simulated results could be compromised. Simulation software generally uses a simplified thermo-viscous-elastic residual stress model due to the lack of good material data in anisotropic thermo-viscoelastic residual stress calculations and crystallization. This model has a constant solidification temperature with available material data obtained under laboratory conditions. It can generally provide acceptable results helping users optimize the processing conditions for mold and part design. However, model calibration and correction can further improve the predicted accuracy. Moldflow uses
9:50-10:25 am – “Moldflow vs. Moldfloor”
Jennifer Schmidt, Senior Instructor, Simulation
Jason Travitz, Senior Instructor, Processing; Beaumont’s AIM Institute
Moldflow simulation is used to aid in material selection, as a mold and part design tool, and as a processing guide. In regards to processing, an analyst may be asked to identify ideal process conditions to meet various part quality requirements with the widest process window possible. Likewise, the analyst may also be asked to troubleshoot/optimize an existing process. Some companies and OEM’s grade an analyst on how well the simulation results match the results from the mold floor. However, consideration must be taken in regards to sources of error between Moldflow and the mold floor. There are numerous sets of process parameters, that if collected and/or reported improperly or are not well
understood between the analyst and the mold floor, provide very little chance of good correlation between Moldflow results and the mold floor data. This talk will highlight several of the sources of error while focusing in on a few key points to consider when using simulation for process development and troubleshooting.
10:25-10:50 am – NETWORKING BREAK
10:50-11:25 am – “Hot gate insulation – is the default assumption safe?”
Jerry Rooney, Design & Simulation Engineer, Beaumont
By default, Moldflow assumes good insulation between Hot Gate elements and Part elements. Consequently, the mold temperature near the gate is quite uniform, and shows little evidence of the heat load from the nearby hot gate. The goal was to determine if manipulating the insulation properties of the hot gate produces notably different results in terms of packing and warpage. The results show increases in local shrinkage near the gates and slight changes to warpage magnitudes. Warpage trends remained the same in all scenarios. Additional simulations should be performed to determine the trends on a variety of materials and part designs.
Lastly, future work should involve taking actual temperature measurements from a production tool and comparing to simulation outputs.
11:25-12:05 pm – “Moldflow Monday – Miscellaneous Moldflow Concepts, Workflows, and Best Practices”
Mason Myers, Principal Implementation Consultant, Autodesk
Join us for “Moldflow Monday,”; where we delve into a wide array of miscellaneous Moldflow concepts, workflows, and best practices. This session aims to enhance your understanding of Moldflow’s versatile capabilities, providing insights into advanced techniques and efficient workflows. Whether you’re tackling common challenges or seeking to optimize your simulations, our expert tips and innovative approaches will help you achieve superior results. Perfect for both seasoned professionals and newcomers, this discussion is designed to elevate your Moldflow proficiency and drive your projects to success.
12:05-12:50 pm – NETWORKING LUNCH
12:50-1:25 pm – “How Variation in Material Can Affect Characterization and Simulation Results”
Jacob Trott, Material Characterization Manager, Beaumont
Proper material characterization is critical for the effective use of mold filling simulation software. However, it is imperative to understand how material variations can create variation in lab tested data, ultimately leading to a wider variation in simulation results. Understanding these implications can aid in the successful use of simulation software, generating less iterative changes, and providing correlation between simulation and reality.
1:25-1:35 pm – “Update on the Moldflow Material Characterization move from Melbourne, Australia to Erie, PA”
Jacob Trott, Material Characterization Manager, Beaumont
1:35-2:10 pm – “I Need a Moldflow, and I needed it Yesterday”
Eric Madler, Design & Simulation Engineer, Beaumont
Generally, when a MoldFlow analysis is requested, our customers expect results as soon as possible. The customer may say something like “We need this simulation expedited” or “We needed it done yesterday”. In this presentation we will show you some tips and tricks on how to speed up the set-up process by utilizing some built-in features within Moldflow you may not be aware of.
2:10-2:45 pm – NETWORKING BREAK –
2:45-3:10 pm – “Tools to Investigate Weld Line Strength and Product Performance”
Matt Jaworski, Sr. Solutions Engineer PhD, Autodesk
We all know weld or knit lines can be a problem for plastics part, but how far do you go to investigate how significant they will be in Moldflow? In this talk we will review tools and workflows in simulation that analysts can use to help investigate and reduce/eliminate product performance issues related to weld lines. The importance of mesh, material and processing factors, results interpretation, custom plots, API scripts & Helius PFA/Advanced Materials Exchange workflows will all be presented in the hopes that users go beyond just looking at weld line or weld surface plots for more informed decision making and risk reduction.
3:10-4:00 pm – Panel Discussion: “Ask Beaumont”
Get a chance to ask the tough questions regarding the ins and outs of Moldflow. What keeps you up at night? The Beaumont team will be put on the spot to help by sharing their perspectives and ideas, creating a thought-provoking and educational experience for attendees.
Our Speakers:
