How to perform Molding simulation with Fiber orientation

MilanRaval
MilanRaval
Altair Employee
edited October 21 in Altair HyperWorks

Introduction

Fiber orientation refers to fiber tensor alignment in the Injection Molding Process. It is influenced by many factors like Cooling rate, Temperature, Injection Speed, Mold geometry, etc.  For high-quality part manufacturing, Fiber-infused materials are used by the manufacturers. In major industries like Automotive and Aerospace where material strength and mechanical compatibility are essential, these types of material are used.

 

Problem Statement

In this article, we will look into the setup and analysis of the Injection Molding process for Fiber-infused material. Fiber orientation significantly affects tensile strength, stiffness, and impact resistance. Typically, parts have higher strength along the direction of fiber alignment. Uneven fiber orientation can lead to warping and dimensional changes during cooling, impacting the final part quality. 

 

Setup For Fiber Orientation

To set up fiber orientation in Inspire Mold, the user simply needs to edit the material properties with Fiber info. The image below shows how to fulfill this requirement in Inspire Mold. Steps to set-up material with fibers:

  1. Open Inspire Mold and designate part cavity.

  2. In the micro dialogue box, access the material properties through the view material icon.

  3. Click edit to be able to change the properties of the current material. This allows the user to rename, and save the new material in the My Materials tab. 

  4. Navigate to the Rheological property tab > Fiber Info> Provide the information on fibers.

  5. Save and select the material to be used for simulation.

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Once the rest of the model setup is done, Click on the play button from the Advanced icon. A run analysis dialogue box will open up. Here, the user can define the stages like Filling, Packing, Cooling, and Warpage along with Compute fiber orientation as well as mesh criteria.

image

 

Once the simulation run is finished, results can be accessed through the Advanced icon. Users can navigate to results types called Fiber orientation in the Filling, Packing, and Cooling stages to visualize the behavior of fibers during the process by playing the animation. The tensor plot can be enabled through the hamburger icon highlighted in the image below:

image

 

NOTE: Inspire Mold 2024.1 supports fiber orientation for Filling, Packing, and cooling stages only. Warpage results are not dependent on fiber-reinforced materials. This functionality will be added in future releases.

 

Summary

Inspire Mold being a designer's tool provides a quick and smooth experience for the user to set up and analyze new designs with fiber-infused materials. Utilizing Inspire Mold can help predict fiber orientation and optimize mold design and processing conditions. Adjusting parameters like injection speed, temperature, and cooling rate can help achieve a more favorable fiber orientation. Choosing the right type of fiber info in the material can enhance the overall performance of the molded part.

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