Quick Start Guide
Follow the steps below to perform a structural analysis of an injection molded part.
Use Moldflow to model a molded part
With Moldflow, perform an analysis to predict fiber orientations and (or) residual strains for your molded part. A Fill + Pack analysis sequence is required for use with Advanced Material Exchange. The Fill + Pack analysis is used to predict the behavior of composite materials.
With injection-molded composites, the fiber orientation distributions show a layered nature, and are affected by the filling speed, the processing conditions, material behavior, and the fiber aspect ratio and concentration. Without proper consideration of the fiber behavior, there is a tendency to overestimate the orientation levels. The use of the Fill + Pack analysis sequence allows for improved orientation prediction accuracy over a range of materials and fiber contents. Specifically, we recommend using the default Moldflow Rotational Diffusion model (first available in 2017 R2) to predict fiber orientations.
For unfilled materials, since no reinforcing fibers are present, we only need to capture the distribution of residual stresses and strains in the part. Advanced Material Exchange supports both isotropic and orthotropic unfilled materials. View the Working with Moldflow section for more information on how unfilled materials are handled.
Generate an Ansys or Nastran input file
Create a structural model of your part using ANSYS or Inventor Nastran In-CAD. Set up the analysis, including the mesh, material, boundary conditions, and loads. The model is then imported into Advanced Material Exchange.
Map fiber orientations, residual strains, and weld surfaces to the structural model
Map the fiber orientations, the residual strains, and the weld surfaces from the Moldflow model to the structural model with Advanced Material Exchange. Mapping these results to the structural model from the molded part allows you to perform a more accurate structural analysis.
Export the results and run the analysis
Export the input file and the structural interface file (.sif) to perform your structural analysis. The input file contains the part geometry, mesh, load, and boundary conditions. The structural interface file contains the mapped fiber orientations, residual strains, weld surfaces, and the nonlinear material definition.
To submit the Ansys model for analysis, ensure that the input file and the structural interface file are in the same directory, and submit from the command line. The input and structural interface files must have the same name. For example, jobname.inp and jobname.sif. Nastran input files are imported back into Inventor Nastran In-CAD to be run.