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.

Things to look for

• Pressure spikes from areas in the part that are difficult to fill.
• Clamp force exceeding the guideline.
  Tip: Find the maximum value by clicking Advanced in the Process Settings Wizard, selecting an injection molding machine, and viewing the Clamping Unit tab.