SolidWorks Plastics
The SolidWorks Plastics 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).
Prerequisites: SolidWorks Essentials and a fundamental knowledge of plastic materials, plastic part design, and/or injection mold design
Updated for SolidWorks 2013
Length: 1½ days
Topics covered:
Introduction
About This Course
Windows 7
Use of Color
Lesson 1: Basic Flow Analysis
Units
Element Types
Meshing
The PlasticsManager Tree
Input Options
Gates
Running a Flow Analysis
Flow Results
Lesson 2: Detecting Air Traps
Air Traps
Switching Modes for Design Changes
Design Changes
Parts Created Using Mold Design Tools
Lesson 3: Detecting Short Shots
Flow Settings
Flow Front Central Temperature
Lesson 4: The Model Manager
Using the Model Manager
Copying Parts and Results
Batch Manager
Summary & Report
Lesson 5: Gate Locations and Sink Marks
Gate Selection Rules
Sink Marks
Lesson 6: Multiple Cavity Molds
Mirroring Cavities
Sketching Runners
Runner Design
X-Y Plots
Lesson 7: Runner-Balancing
Local Refinement of Mesh
Using Runner-Balancing
Lesson 8: Gate Freeze
Solid Mesh
Pack Settings
Flow and Pack Analysis
Pack Results
Lesson 9: Optimizing Cooling Time
Multiple Gates
Lesson 10: Using Inserts
Cavities and Inserts
Materials for Inserts
Lesson 11: Mesh Repairs
Element Issues
Edit Mesh
