AIM Processing Small Plastic Parts Blog

Today’s complex injection molded parts often require more complicated designs with more contours and more walls throughout. This can complicate fill patterns, cause unexpected voids/gas traps, and introduce warp. As a result, it has become increasingly critical to ensure uniformity so that the end products offer the expected strength and performance they are designed for. That’s where mold flow analysis comes in.

Mold flow analysis is a crucial step in many modern injection molding projects. Essentially, simulation software predicts and optimizes the flow of molten plastic into the mold cavity. It’s one of the many tools AIM Processing can use to achieve the higher levels of precision that today’s customers demand. Below, we take a closer look at what goes into mold flow analysis to improve your end products.

A Look Inside the Injection Mold Flow Analysis Process:

Optimizing Part Designs

Essentially, mold flow analysis predicts how the molten plastic will flow within the mold to create the finished part. This helps us identify potential design issues such as air traps, voids, or weld lines. In many cases, we can make design adjustments to the part design or gate location before production begins to avoid these issues – which would otherwise be a more costly and time-consuming process without mold flow analysis.

Crucially, flow analysis also helps us determine the optimal wall thickness throughout the part to ensure consistent material flow and proper filling. That ultimately improves the overall part strength while minimizing material usage.

Optimizing Mold Designs

In injection molding, optimizing part design goes hand in hand with optimizing the design of the mold itself. Perhaps most crucial is gate location. By analyzing how plastic fills the mold, optimal gate locations and numbers can be determined to ensure even filling and minimize defects. Design of the cooling system is also crucial. Mold flow analysis helps us achieve the most efficient cooling channels possible for each part, leading to uniform cooling rates and reduced cycle times.

Optimizing the Injection Molding Process 

Beyond optimizing the designs of the part and the mold, flow analysis also helps us optimize the parameters of the injection molding process itself. Careful analysis helps us ensure that we operate within standard injection pressure and speed conditions to avoid defects such as short shots or flash. Simultaneously, precise temperature control ensures the appropriate mold and melt temperatures are used, which are critical for proper material flow and part quality.

Reducing the Number of Part Defects

One of the main goals of employing mold flow analysis is to reduce the number of manufacturing errors and part defects. By simulating the molding process, flow analysis lets us mitigate issues that can lead to warping, shrinkage, and other quality issues, ensuring better dimensional accuracy of the final part with a superior finish.

Optimizing Material Selection

Mold flow analysis can also help us in choosing the ideal material for your specific injection molded parts. We can simulate how different materials will flow into the mold under specific conditions so that no unforeseen quality issues arise once production is underway. Selecting the optimum material enhances your project in a number of ways: it ensures the quality and performance of the end product while potentially reducing the costs of choosing a less effective material.

Quality-Assured Plastic Injection Molding Services

AIM Processing is one of the leading injection molding companies in the Denver region and beyond, serving customers worldwide since 1993. By employing advanced injection molding process controls and technology, we ensure our customers receive the highest quality products possible – manufactured to their specifications and delivered on time