Clamp force result

The Clamp force result is a time-series result which shows the force of the mold-clamp over time.

The clamp force is the resultant value of the pressure distribution over the entire part. It is a history of the force resultant from filling and packing pressure that acts to open the mold.

Using this result

The clamp force is a function of injection pressure and the projected area of the part. The projected area is the area of the model projected onto the XY plane. A good clamp force history result should show that the maximum clamp force applied is less than approximately 80% of the machine limit, allowing the remaining 20% as a safety factor.

There are other factors that affect the necessary safety margin such as sliding cores, guide pins and other tool dependent pre-loads required by the tool configuration. If your design requires these, then you should allow a larger safety factor.

Note: For the clamp force calculations to be correct, the model orientation must be such that the clamp force is applied along the Z axis direction. The clamp history result can produce misleading results if your model has overlapping surfaces on the XY plane, as the clamp force for these surfaces is added.

Note: Changes such as those above can only be made using a licensed Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Adviser or Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Insight product.

Things to look for

• Pressure spikes from areas in the part that are difficult to fill.
• Clamp force exceeding the guideline.