Molding window

In this task you will use the Molding Window analysis to check how the injection location, material and processing conditions will affect the final product.

Note: The tutorial is based on the classic interface. To locate the same command within the ribbon interface, use the Command Search feature. A short tutorial explaining this feature is located at Get Started tab > Command Search.

1. Select the material you want to use. For this task, use the default material, Generic PP . (The Material selection tutorial has instructions for quickly selecting the required material).
2. Click (Analysis > Analysis Wizard).
3. Ensure none of checkboxes in the Sequence tab are selected.
4. Select Molding Window and click Analyze. Molding Window analyses output one result. The Zone (molding window) result shows how different combinations of melt temperature, mold Temperature and injection time impacts on the quality of the finished part.
5. Select the Zone (molding window) result in the Study Tasks pane. The Molding Window pane is displayed in the Project panel.
6. In the Molding window pane, move the sliders in the parameters sections to investigate how altering a parameter will impact on the final part.

During a production run there will be variations in processing conditions. An injection molding machine will also behave differently on a cold winter morning compared to a hot summer afternoon. It is important that the combination of processing parameters specified falls within the largest favorable area on the Zone (molding window) result. This will provide maximum production flexibility.

Complex parts may not have a large enough molding window. To overcome this, you may need to do one or more of the following:

• Alter the gate location.
• Increase the number of gates.
• Select a material with a different viscosity.
• Alter the part thickness.

The part we are investigating shows a solid band of green Preferred conditions across the range of parameters.