All other components should all be meshed before you mesh the mold.
- With only the part and inserts visible, click
, and mesh the visible components.
- Add the runner system curves, click
Generate Mesh, and mesh the runners.
- Add an injection location to the runner system.
- Now add the cooling curves to the visible components and click
Generate Mesh, to mesh the cooling channels.
- Add coolant inlets to the cooling channels.
- With all the components visible, click
and check the defaults, then click
Finish to close the dialog and create the mold.
- Hide the runner beams and cooling channel beams, leaving only their curves visible.
- Click
to create the mold surface mesh.
- Check the external and internal mold surface edge lengths. The external length can be as much as 5 times longer than the internal lengths, to minimize computation time.
- Ensure that Check contact interfaces between internal bodies is checked, then click Mesh Now.
- Check the Mesh Log for warnings regarding contact interfaces. Regardless of warnings, if you have part inserts, mold inserts or cores, you should now run the Stitch contact interfaces tool.
- Click
, which is in the Mesh drop-down panel, and enter a merge tolerance.
- Click Show Contact Interfaces to see where there is contact between the various components.
- Hide the Mold surface (Regions) and Mold surface (Elements), and examine the contact areas carefully.
- If there is too much contact, shown in red, decrease the merge tolerance. If there is insufficient contact, increase the merge tolerance.
- Click Apply, then Close to exit the dialog.
- Make the
Mold surface (Regions) layer visible, and click
Mold Mesh again.
- Check the internal and external edge lengths, then click Mesh Now to create the mold surface mesh.
- Hide the Mold External Triangles, and check that there is a surface mesh on all the internal components, including the runner system and channels.
- Show the
Mold External Triangles layer again, and click
Mold Mesh one final time to create the 3D mold.