3DEXPERIENCE"

TUTORIALS
SOLIDWORKS
PLASTICS
2021
Contents
Legal Notice................................................................................................................................................. 8
Tutorial 1: Filling a Plastic Part .................................................................................................................... 9
Activating the SOLIDWORKS Plastics Add-In ........................................................................................ 10
Opening the Part File ............................................................................................................................ 11
Creating a New Study............................................................................................................................ 12
Assigning a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................... 13
Specifying the Injection Location .......................................................................................................... 14
Creating a Shell Mesh ........................................................................................................................... 15
Running the Flow Analysis .................................................................................................................... 16
Viewing Flow Analysis Results .............................................................................................................. 17
Further Exploration of Analysis Results ................................................................................................ 18
Saving the Part and Closing the Session ............................................................................................... 19
Tutorial 2: Detecting a Short Shot ............................................................................................................ 20
Opening the Part File ............................................................................................................................ 21
Creating a 3D Sketch Point for the Injection Location .......................................................................... 22
Creating a New Study............................................................................................................................ 23
Assigning a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................... 24
Specifying the Injection Location .......................................................................................................... 25
Creating a Shell Mesh ........................................................................................................................... 26
Running the Flow Analysis .................................................................................................................... 27
Viewing Flow Analysis Results .............................................................................................................. 28
Increasing the Injection Pressure Limit and Rerunning the Flow Analysis ........................................... 29
Investigating the Predicted Maximum Clamping Force........................................................................ 30
Increasing the Clamp Force Limit and Rerunning the Flow Analysis .................................................... 31
Viewing Flow Analysis Results .............................................................................................................. 32
Further Exploration of Analysis Results ................................................................................................ 33
Exploring Other Remedies for a Short Shot .......................................................................................... 34
Selecting a Thicker Part Configuration ................................................................................................. 35
Rerunning the Flow Analysis ................................................................................................................. 36
1
 Saving the Part and Closing the Session ............................................................................................... 37
Tutorial 3: Analyzing Sink Marks ............................................................................................................... 38
Opening the Part File ............................................................................................................................ 39
Creating a New Study............................................................................................................................ 40
Assigning a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................... 41
Specifying the Injection Location .......................................................................................................... 42
Creating a Solid Mesh ........................................................................................................................... 43
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ........................................................................................................ 44
Running the Flow Analysis .................................................................................................................... 45
Viewing Flow Analysis Results .............................................................................................................. 46
Measuring Sink Marks........................................................................................................................... 47
Examining the Part Section Thickness .................................................................................................. 48
Exploring a Design Change .................................................................................................................... 49
Creating a New Study............................................................................................................................ 50
Reapplying a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................. 51
Redefining the Injection Location ......................................................................................................... 52
Regenerating a Solid Mesh ................................................................................................................... 53
Rerunning the Flow Analysis ................................................................................................................. 54
Sink Marks Results for Modified Part ................................................................................................... 55
Running Pack + Warp Analysis for Accurate Sink Mark Prediction (Premium License Only) ............... 56
Sink Marks Results Analysis from Flow + Pack + Warp ......................................................................... 57
Saving the Part and Closing the Session ............................................................................................... 58
Tutorial 4: Detecting Weld Lines and Identifying Air Traps ...................................................................... 59
Opening the Part File ............................................................................................................................ 60
Creating a New Study............................................................................................................................ 61
Assigning a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................... 62
Specifying the Injection Location .......................................................................................................... 63
Creating a Solid Mesh ........................................................................................................................... 64
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ........................................................................................................ 65
Running the Flow Analysis .................................................................................................................... 66
Viewing Flow Analysis Results .............................................................................................................. 67
2
 Viewing Weld Lines and Air Traps Results ............................................................................................ 68
Exploring a Design Change .................................................................................................................... 69
Creating a New Study............................................................................................................................ 70
Reapplying a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................. 71
Redefining the Injection Location ......................................................................................................... 72
Regenerating a Solid Mesh ................................................................................................................... 73
Rerunning the Flow Analysis ................................................................................................................. 74
Weld Lines and Air Traps Results for Modified Part ............................................................................. 75
Saving the Analysis Settings and Closing the Session ........................................................................... 76
Tutorial 5: Modeling Cold Runners ........................................................................................................... 77
Opening the Part File ............................................................................................................................ 78
Creating a New Study............................................................................................................................ 79
Assigning a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................... 80
Specifying the Injection Location .......................................................................................................... 81
Creating a Solid Mesh ........................................................................................................................... 82
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ........................................................................................................ 83
Running the Flow Analysis .................................................................................................................... 84
Viewing Flow Analysis Results .............................................................................................................. 85
Deleting the Injection Location ............................................................................................................. 86
Incorporating a Runner Design ............................................................................................................. 87
Modifying Runner Dimensions and Orientation ................................................................................... 88
Specifying the Injection Location .......................................................................................................... 89
Creating a Solid Mesh ........................................................................................................................... 90
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ........................................................................................................ 91
Running the Flow Analysis .................................................................................................................... 92
Viewing Flow Analysis Results .............................................................................................................. 93
Selecting a Part Configuration with a Runner Body ............................................................................. 94
Creating a New Study............................................................................................................................ 95
Specifying Domain Types ...................................................................................................................... 96
Reapplying a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................. 97
Specifying the Injection Location .......................................................................................................... 98
3
 Creating a Solid Mesh ........................................................................................................................... 99
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ...................................................................................................... 100
Running the Flow Analysis .................................................................................................................. 101
Viewing Flow Analysis Results ............................................................................................................ 102
Saving the Part and Closing the Session ............................................................................................. 103
Tutorial 6: Insert Overmolding................................................................................................................ 104
Opening the Part File .......................................................................................................................... 105
Creating a New Study.......................................................................................................................... 106
Assigning a Polymer Material and Setting the Mold Temperature .................................................... 107
Specifying Domain Types .................................................................................................................... 108
Specifying the Insert’s Thermal Properties ......................................................................................... 109
Specifying an Injection Location ......................................................................................................... 110
Creating a Solid Mesh ......................................................................................................................... 111
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ...................................................................................................... 112
Running the Flow Analysis .................................................................................................................. 113
Viewing the Flow Analysis Results ...................................................................................................... 114
Viewing the Thermal Results in the Mold Cavity ................................................................................ 115
Viewing the Thermal Results for the Insert ........................................................................................ 116
Generating Summary Reports ............................................................................................................ 117
Saving the Part and Closing the Session ............................................................................................. 118
Tutorial 7: Validating Injection Molding Simulation ............................................................................... 119
Opening the Part File .......................................................................................................................... 120
Creating a New Study.......................................................................................................................... 121
Importing and Assigning a Custom Polymer Material ........................................................................ 122
Specifying the Fill Settings .................................................................................................................. 123
Specifying the Pack Settings ............................................................................................................... 124
Specifying Domain Types .................................................................................................................... 125
Specifying the Injection Location ........................................................................................................ 126
Setting the Clamp Force Limit ............................................................................................................. 127
Creating a Solid Mesh ......................................................................................................................... 128
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ...................................................................................................... 129
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 Running the Flow + Pack Analysis ....................................................................................................... 130
Viewing Flow Analysis Results ............................................................................................................ 131
Viewing the Fill Pattern ....................................................................................................................... 132
Comparing Analysis Results to the Short Shot Progression................................................................ 133
Viewing Time-Dependent Pressure Results ........................................................................................ 134
Comparing Pressure Analysis Results to Experiment ......................................................................... 135
Discussion of Results Accuracy ........................................................................................................... 136
Saving the Analysis Settings and Closing the Session ......................................................................... 137
Tutorial 8: Cooling Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 138
Opening the Part File and Hiding the Cooling Channel Sketches ....................................................... 139
Creating a New Study.......................................................................................................................... 140
Assigning a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................. 141
Specifying the Injection Location ........................................................................................................ 142
Creating a Solid Mesh ......................................................................................................................... 143
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ...................................................................................................... 144
Running the Flow Analysis .................................................................................................................. 145
Viewing the Flow Analysis Results ...................................................................................................... 146
Creating a Duplicate Study and Showing the Cooling Channel Sketches ........................................... 147
Incorporating Cooling Channels .......................................................................................................... 148
Creating the Baffle Cooling Channel ................................................................................................... 149
Applying Coolant Materials................................................................................................................. 150
Creating the Virtual Mold ................................................................................................................... 151
Applying a Mold Material ................................................................................................................... 152
Assigning Boundary Conditions to the Upper Cooling Channel ......................................................... 153
Assigning Boundary Conditions to the Lower Cooling Channel ......................................................... 154
Creating the Mesh in the Cavity, Cooling Channels and Mold ........................................................... 155
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements in the Complete Mesh.................................................................. 156
Defining the Clipping Plane Settings ................................................................................................... 157
Running the Mold Cooling Analysis .................................................................................................... 158
Mold Cooling Results: Part Cooling Time ............................................................................................ 159
Mold Cooling Results: Part Temperature at End of Cooling ............................................................... 160
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 Mold Cooling Results: Mold Temperature at End of Cooling ............................................................. 161
Mold Cooling Results: Measuring Mold Temperature Differences .................................................... 162
Adjusting the Cooling Process Parameters ......................................................................................... 163
Rerunning the Analysis with Different Cooling Process Parameters .................................................. 164
Saving the Analysis Settings and Closing the Session ......................................................................... 165
Tutorial 9: Analyzing Warpage and Shrinkage ........................................................................................ 166
Opening the Part File .......................................................................................................................... 167
Creating a New Study.......................................................................................................................... 168
Assigning a Polymer Material ............................................................................................................. 169
Specifying the Injection Locations ...................................................................................................... 170
Creating a Solid Mesh ......................................................................................................................... 171
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ...................................................................................................... 172
Running the Flow + Pack + Warp Analysis .......................................................................................... 173
Viewing Flow Analysis Results: Ease of Fill ......................................................................................... 174
Viewing the Flow Analysis Results: Gate Filling Contribution ............................................................ 175
Viewing the Warp Analysis Results ..................................................................................................... 176
Applying a Different Material to the Part ........................................................................................... 177
Rerunning the Flow + Pack + Warp Analysis ....................................................................................... 178
Viewing Analysis Results ..................................................................................................................... 179
Saving the Part and Closing the Session ............................................................................................. 180
Tutorial 10: Multi-Shot Overmolding ...................................................................................................... 181
What Is Multi-Shot Injection? ............................................................................................................. 182
Opening the Part File .......................................................................................................................... 183
Creating a New Study.......................................................................................................................... 184
Assigning the Polymer Material for the First Injection Unit ............................................................... 185
Specifying the Fill Settings for the First Injection Unit ....................................................................... 186
Specifying the Pack Settings for the First Injection Unit..................................................................... 187
Assigning the Polymer Material for the Second Injection Unit .......................................................... 188
Specifying the Fill Settings for the Second Injection Unit ................................................................... 189
Specifying the Pack Settings for the Second Injection Unit ................................................................ 190
Specifying the Domain Types and Associating them with Injection Units ......................................... 191
6
 Specifying the Injection Locations ...................................................................................................... 192
Creating a Solid Mesh ......................................................................................................................... 193
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements ...................................................................................................... 194
Running the Flow + Pack + Warp Analysis .......................................................................................... 195
Viewing Flow Analysis Results ............................................................................................................ 196
Viewing Warp Analysis Results ........................................................................................................... 197
Measuring Linear Shrinkage ............................................................................................................... 198
Viewing Time-Dependent Analysis Results for Global Results ........................................................... 199
Viewing Local Time-Dependent Results ............................................................................................. 200
Selecting Nodal Point and Displaying Local Results ............................................................................ 201
Analyzing the Time-Dependent Local Temperature Behavior ........................................................... 202
Generating Summary Reports ............................................................................................................ 203
Saving the Analysis Settings and Closing the Session ......................................................................... 204

7
Legal Notice
By viewing these tutorials, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

The software described in these tutorials is available only under license from Dassault Systèmes or its
subsidiaries and may be used or reproduced only in accordance with the terms of such license.

These tutorials and the software described in these tutorials are subject to change without prior
notice.

THESE TUTORIALS ARE MADE AVAILABLE ON AN "AS IS" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ORAL OR WRITTEN, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE OR NON-
INFRINGEMENT.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES, ITS AFFILIATES, AND ITS LICENSORS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR DIRECT,
INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES THAT IN ANY WAY RELATE TO THESE
TUTORIALS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE TUTORIALS’ CONTENTS.

No part of these tutorials may be reproduced or distributed in any form without prior written
permission of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries.

© Dassault Systèmes, 2019

ABAQUS, the 3DS logo, SIMULIA, and SOLIDWORKS are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries.

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of their respective
owners.

8
Tutorial 1: Filling a Plastic Part
Run a Flow analysis in SOLIDWORKS Plastics to simulate how a polycarbonate material fills the mold
cavity of a decorator-style switch plate for a rocker-style light switch.

In this tutorial, you:

 Open the part file

 Create a new study
 Apply a polymer material
 Specify the injection location
 Generate a shell mesh
 Run the Flow analysis
 Explore the analysis results

9
Activating the SOLIDWORKS Plastics Add-In
If this is the first time you are using SOLIDWORKS Plastics, you must activate the SOLIDWORKS Plastics
Add-In.

1. Click Tools > Add-Ins and select SOLIDWORKS Plastics.

2. Check the Start Up box next to SOLIDWORKS Plastics to ensure that it is loaded the next time
you open SOLIDWORKS.
3. Click OK.
The SOLIDWORKS Plastics CommandManager now becomes available.

Note: You must have SOLIDWORKS Plastics Installed to complete this lesson.

10
Opening the Part File
You must first copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\switch_plate.sldprt
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location will corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens in the Back view orientation, which you use throughout this lesson.

If prompted to proceed with feature recognition in the FeatureWorks dialog box, click No.

Note: You use the sketch point feature, called Injection Point, highlighted by a red circle, to
specify the injection location.

11
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your simulation, specifically whether you are
simulating single or multiple materials, and whether you are choosing the solid or shell analysis
procedure.

In the Plastics CommandManager, click New Study .

1. Accept the Default Study Name and the Single Material Injection Process.
2. Specify the Shell Analysis Procedure. Shell analysis is the most computationally efficient for thin
parts with moderate thickness variations and no narrow flow channels.
3. Click to complete the study creation.
The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. A single injection unit,
Unit 1, is automatically created because you specified a single polymer
material injection process.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, a single domain with the type Cavity , called Switch Plate
Part (-Cavity-), is created from the part. This domain is automatically associated
with the injection unit, Unit 1.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Shell Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements
Next, you select the polymer material to be injected.

12
Assigning a Polymer Material
You select a polycarbonate material to be used by the injection unit.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit 1 Settings property manager, click Material and select Browse the
database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand the material node PC.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic PC.
d. Click OK.
4. Click to accept the material selection and the default Fill process settings.
The Injection Unit node icon, and the Unit 1 icon underneath it has a green check mark ,
indicating that the settings are complete.

Next, you specify the injection location.

13
Specifying the Injection Location
Melted polymer material flows into the part cavity through injection locations. In this case, the
injection location corresponds to the gate. In the actual manufacturing process, it is likely that a hot
runner would feed the cold runner, minimizing the recyclable material.

Note: Runner design is not considered in this lesson. It is an advanced workflow of SOLIDWORKS
Plastics.

When using the shell Analysis Procedure, you specify the injection location on a geometry vertex or a
sketch point. In this lesson, you specify the injection location directly on the part by using a pre-defined
sketch point. To specify the injection location:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the 3D area, select the predefined predefined sketch point Injection Point inside the circle
as your Selection .
3. Rotate the view orientation and zoom to better see the magenta cone-shaped glyph, which
indicates the injection location.

4. Click .

5. Reset the view orientation to Back .

14
Creating a Shell Mesh
You create an optimal shell mesh by using curvature-based local refinement with the default global
mesh size:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Shell Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Keep the default Surface Mesh , but select the curvature-based Refinement Method to
refine the mesh near the holes, the injection location, and the corners.
b. Click Create to create the mesh and view it.

c. Click to accept the mesh and exit the Shell Mesh PropertyManager.
A green check mark appears on the Shell Mesh icon, indicating that the mesh process is
complete. Additional nodes now appear in the PlasticsManager tree that let you complete the
analysis setup.

Next, you run the Flow analysis and explore the analysis results.

15
Running the Flow Analysis
Flow analysis predicts the filling pattern of the material melt flow, as it fills the cavity. You run the Flow
analysis using the default Fill Properties for the Injection Unit.

To run the Flow analysis:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager dialog box appears.
A progress bar with text messages reports the status of the Flow analysis, which completes within a
few minutes.

16
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the Flow analysis is completed, the Results PropertyManager lists the Available Results plots.
1. View the Fill Time result plot (selected by default) in the 3D area.

Colors might vary due to lighting, view orientation or other settings.

2. Under the Report Options, notice that the Adviser button is automatically enabled to
display the Results Adviser on the right-hand side of your screen.
3. Review the Results Adviser report under the Fill Time section to gain insights about
interpreting results plots.
According to the Results Adviser report, you can fill this part with an injection pressure of
about 65 MPa (about 9500 psi).
Note: The results can vary by a few percentage points depending on variations of the mesh
settings, changes to the material data, or revisions of the software. Color plots might
slightly vary due to lighting, view orientation, or other settings.
4. In the Results PropertyManager:
a. Under Animation, click Play .
The animation shows the profile of the plastic material melt as it flows through the part
cavity during the filling stage of the injection molding process.
b. Click Stop .

17
Further Exploration of Analysis Results
The Ease of Fill result plot assesses whether the cavity fills successfully with the selected process
parameters.

1. In the Results PropertyManager, under Available Results, select Ease of Fill.

The result has a uniform green color indicating that the cavity fills successfully based on the
geometry, the injection location, and the default process parameters.
2. Try selecting other Flow Results, such as the distributions of pressure and temperature within
the cavity at the end of fill. Review the associated descriptions in the Results Adviser.
3. Click .

18
Saving the Part and Closing the Session
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.
The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named switch_plate in the same location
as the part file.
Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

19
Tutorial 2: Detecting a Short Shot
Use SOLIDWORKS Plastics to detect possible short shots during the filling of a mold cavity of a thin-
walled container. Explore remedies to eliminate any detected short shots.

In this tutorial, you:

 Open the part file

 Create a sketch point for the injection location
 Create a new study
 Apply a material
 Specify the injection location
 Generate a shell mesh
 Run the Flow analysis
 Explore the analysis results
 Modify process parameters to attempt remedy the short shot
 Repeat the simulation using a thicker part

20
Opening the Part File
You must first copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\thin_wall_container.sldprt
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location will corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens with the saved view orientation named Oblique Underside, which you use throughout
this lesson.

If prompted to proceed with feature recognition in the FeatureWorks dialog box, click No.

21
Creating a 3D Sketch Point for the Injection Location
You create a 3D sketch point on the underside of the part as a support for the injection location.

1. Orient the part to the Oblique Underside view, and zoom into the dimple.

2. From the Sketch CommandManager , in Sketch , click 3D Sketch to open a 3D sketch.

3. Click Point .
4. In the graphics area, select the surface of the dimple to create a sketch point.

5. Click .
6. From the Sketch CommandManager, in Display/Delete Relations , click Add Relation .
7. In the graphics area, select the point on the origin.

Under Selected Entities, Point1 and Point1@Origin are listed.

8. Under Add Relations, click Along Y to add Along Y0 to Existing Relations.

Since the circular sketch defining the dimple uses the origin to define its center point, this
constrains the sketch point to the center of the dimpled surface.

9. Click .

10. In the Sketch CommandManager, in Sketch , click 3D Sketch to exit the sketch.

22
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your simulation. Specifically, you define whether
you are simulating single or multiple materials, and whether you are choosing the solid or shell analysis
procedure.

In the Plastics CommandManager, click New Study .

1. Accept the default study Name and the single material Injection Process. The default study
name, 0.45mm Wall Thickness Study, is derived from the active configuration.
2. Specify the shell Analysis Procedure. Shell analysis is the most computationally efficient for
thin parts with moderate thickness variations and no narrow flow channels.
3. Click to complete the study creation.
The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. A single injection unit,
Unit 1, is automatically created because you specified a single polymer
material injection process.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, a single domain with the type Cavity , called Thin Wall
Container Part (-Cavity-), is created from the part. This domain is automatically
associated with the injection unit, Unit 1.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Shell Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements
Next, you select which polymer material to inject.

23
Assigning a Polymer Material
You select a low-density polyethylene material to be used by the injection unit.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit 1 Settings property manager, click Material and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand the material node LDPE.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic LDPE.
d. Click OK.
4. Click to accept the material selection and the default Fill process settings.
The Injection Units node icon and the Unit 1 icon underneath it each have a green check mark ,
indicating that the settings are complete.

Next, you specify the injection location.

24
Specifying the Injection Location
When using the shell Analysis Procedure, you specify the injection location on a geometry vertex or a
sketch point. In this lesson, which does not consider runner design, you specify the injection location
using the sketch point on the part that you defined earlier.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager, for Selection , select the sketch point you created on the center of
the dimple. A magenta cone-shaped glyph indicates the injection location.
Note: A warning message occurs if the sketch point does not lie on a part surface. In this
event, you need to go back and re-create the sketch point in the center of the dimple.

3. Click .

25
Creating a Shell Mesh
A shell mesh is the most computationally efficient type of mesh for uniformly thin parts. You create an
optimal shell mesh by using curvature-based local refinement with the default global mesh size:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Shell Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
b. In the graphics area, expand the FeatureManager design tree. Expand Solid Bodies(1) and
select Thin Wall Container Part.
c. Set the Mesh Size (mm) to 10.
d. Under Advanced Mesh Control, select the curvature-based refinement method to refine
the mesh near the holes, the injection location, and the corners.
e. Click Create to create the mesh and view it.

The edges of the selected part are highlighted in the mesh view. The mesh is suitably refined
near the injection location, and near regions of curvature. Although a finer mesh might yield
improved accuracy, it requires more computational time.

3. Click .
A green check mark appears on the Shell Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete. Additional
nodes now appear in the PlasticsManager tree that let you complete the analysis setup.

26
Running the Flow Analysis
A flow analysis predicts the filling pattern of the material melt flow as it fills the cavity. You run the
Flow analysis using the default Fill Properties for the Injection Unit.

To run the Flow analysis:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .

2. Right-click Flow , and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager dialog box appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis, which completes within several minutes,
depending on your computer’s specifications.

27
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the Flow analysis is completed, the Results PropertyManager lists the Available Results plots.
1. View the Fill Time result plot (default plot) in the graphics area.

The Fill Time result plot shows that the cavity has not filled completely.

2. Under Report Options, notice that Adviser is selected automatically to display the Results
Adviser on the right-hand side of the graphics area. The adviser confirms that a short shot has
been detected, meaning the part has failed to fill to 100% of its volume.
3. Click .
Click File -> Save to save your work.

28
Increasing the Injection Pressure Limit and Rerunning the Flow Analysis
A possible remedy for a short shot is to increase the maximum injection pressure limit, provided your
injection molding machine supports this.
To increase the maximum injection pressure limit:
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. Set the Injection Pressure Limit (MPa) to 200.

3. Click .

To rerun the flow analysis and view the Analysis Manager warnings:
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow , and click Run.
When prompted to overwrite the existing Flow results, click Yes.
3. While the simulation runs, in the Analysis Manager dialog box, clear Close after finished.
4. After the software completes the Flow analysis, scroll through the messages in the bottom
panel of the Analysis Manager. Note the warning message about the exceeding the clamping
force:
** Warning C1005 ** Clamping force has reached machine max.
clamp force limit= 1.000000e+002 Tonne (1.10e+002 Ton U.S).
5. Ignore the warning about reaching the injection pressure limit. Later, you will see the
consequence of this warning.
6. Close the Analysis Manager dialog box.
7. Click to close Results.

Next, you investigate the clamping force predicted during the Flow analysis.

29
Investigating the Predicted Maximum Clamping Force
Use the SOLIDWORKS Plastics X-Y Plot to visualize the clamping force progression during the Flow
analysis, and estimate its maximum value.
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Results and double-click X-Y Plot .
2. In the Analysis Results, select Y-dir. Clamping Force, which is the intended clamp force
direction for how this part geometry is oriented. View the plot of the Y-dir. clamping force over
time.

The maximum clamping force, attained at the end of the Flow analysis is approximately 185
tonne. To see the exact numerical value, you can optionally click Export in the Analysis Results
to save the data to a spreadsheet file.
3. Click under X-Y Plot.
The Results Adviser displays a warning in the textbox located under the Results Adviser traffic light
when the predicted clamp force is equal to or above 65% of the Clamp Force Limit specified in the
process parameters.
You address this issue by increasing the clamp force limit to 300 tonne, provided your injection
molding machine supports this. Then, you rerun the analysis.

30
Increasing the Clamp Force Limit and Rerunning the Flow Analysis
To increase the clamp force limit:
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Global Parameters , and open General Parameters
.

2. Set Clamp Force Limit (Tonne) to 300.

3. Click .

To rerun the Flow analysis:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow , and click Run.
When prompted to overwrite the existing flow results, click Yes.
3. In the Analysis Manager, clear Close after finished.
After the Flow analysis has completed, notice that there are no clamp force warnings in the
Analysis Manager. Again, ignore the warning about the injection pressure limit being reached.
4. Close the Analysis Manager.

31
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the Flow analysis is completed, the Results PropertyManager lists the Available Results plots.
1. View the Fill Time result plot (default plot) in the graphics area.

2. If the Results Adviser is not displayed automatically on the right-hand side of the graphics area,
click Adviser under the Report Options to display it.
In the Results Adviser, read the warnings in the adviser about the high pressures required for
molding this part and confirm that there is no longer a warning about clamp force.
3. Click .
Although the injection unit appears to have successfully filled the mold, you follow a best practice
to verify the flow result for Ease of Fill.

32
Further Exploration of Analysis Results
The Ease of Fill plot assesses whether the cavity fills successfully with the selected process parameters.

1. In the Results PropertyManager, under Available Results, select Ease of Fill.

The green regions indicate areas that can be filled under normal injection pressures. The yellow
regions indicate areas where the injection pressure exceeds 70 % of the machine’s maximum
injection pressure. The red regions indicate areas where the injection pressure exceeds 85 % of
the machine’s maximum injection pressure. The yellow and red regions in this plot indicate that
a short shot is still likely to occur, even though the melt front appears to have completely filled
the cavity. This result is a consequence of the warnings about the high injection pressures that
you previously ignored.
2. Click .

33
Exploring Other Remedies for a Short Shot
Due to the pressure losses in the nozzle, sprue, runners and gates, which you have not included in the
analysis, the required injection pressure is likely to be even higher than predicted. As explained in the
Results Adviser, such a high injection pressure is not feasible with many injection molding machines.
Therefore, continuing to increase the injection pressure limit may not be a viable strategy.

You can use SOLIDWORKS Plastics to investigate alternative remedies, such as:

 Increasing the part thickness to alleviate flow restriction

 Using a higher-flowing grade of material
 Increasing the mold or melt temperatures to reduce the viscosity of the melted polymer
 Increasing the number of gate locations to improve the part filling

You now investigate the option of using a thicker part to improve the Ease of Fill results and eliminate
short shots. Before proceeding, click File -> Save to save your work.

34
Selecting a Thicker Part Configuration
You activate a configuration of the part with a thicker wall.

1. In the ConfigurationManager , right-click 0.9mm Wall Thickness, and select Show

Configuration.
2. In the FeatureManager Design Tree , click the name of the injection point (typically 3D
Sketch1), and click Unsuppress .
The injection point is now available with the active configuration.

35
Rerunning the Flow Analysis
Repeat the previous steps to rerun the analysis.
1. Create a new Study, accepting the default name, 0.9mm Wall Thickness Study, and specifying
the shell Analysis Procedure.
2. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , open the Settings for Unit 1 . In
the Injection Unit 1 Settings property manager, click Material and apply (P) Generic
Material / Generic Material of LDPE using the list of materials under Recently used .
3. Click .
4. Under Boundary Conditions , define the Injection Location on the sketch point you
previously created.
5. Click .
6. Recreate a Shell Mesh as before, using Advanced Mesh Control to specify a Mesh Size (mm)
of 10 mm on the body Move Face1 that you select using the flyout FeatureManager design
tree. Select a curvature-based refinement method.
7. Click .
8. Run the Flow analysis with the default process parameters.
9. Display the Ease of Fill plot.

You verified that the use of a thicker part reduces or eliminates the possibility of a short shot.
10. Click .
36
Saving the Part and Closing the Session
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.
The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named thin_wall_container in the same
location as the part file.
Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

37
Tutorial 3: Analyzing Sink Marks
Use SOLIDWORKS Plastics to detect possible sink marks in an injection molded part. Investigate how
you alleviate the problem with a simple part modification.

In this tutorial, you:

 Open the part file

 Create a new study
 Apply a material
 Specify an injection location
 Generate a solid mesh
 Run the Flow analysis
 Explore the analysis results to identify regions of possible sink marks
 Repeat the analysis with a modified part
 Use the Pack + Warp analysis to obtain a more accurate prediction of sink marks (available with
Premium license only)

38
Opening the Part File
First copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\trim_piece.sldprt
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location can corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens in the Left view orientation, which you use for specifying an injection location on
the boss. Later, you use the Trimetric view to examine the mesh and the Right view for
inspecting sink marks on the front of the part.

Note: You use the sketch point highlighted by a red circle to specify the injection location.

39
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your simulation. Specifically, you define whether
you are simulating single or multiple materials, and whether you are choosing the solid or shell analysis
procedure.

In the Plastics CommandManager, click New Study .

1. Accept the default study name, Large Fillet Study, which is derived from the active
configuration.
2. Accept the Single Material specified for the Injection Process.
3. Accept the default solid Analysis Procedure.
4. Click .
The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. A single injection unit,
Unit 1, is automatically created because you specified a single polymer
material injection process.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, a single domain with the type Cavity , called Original Fillet
(-Cavity-), is created from the part. This domain is automatically associated
with the injection unit, Unit 1.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Solid Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements
Next, you select which polymer material to inject.

40
Assigning a Polymer Material
You select a polypropylene material to be used by the injection unit.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit 1 Settings property manager, click Material and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand material node PP.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic PP.
d. Click OK.
4. Click to accept the material selection and the default Fill process settings.
The Injection Units node icon and the Unit 1 icon underneath it each have a green check mark ,
indicating that the settings are complete.

Next, you specify the injection location.

41
Specifying the Injection Location
When using the solid Analysis Procedure, you can specify the injection location on a geometry face,
vertex, or a sketch point. In this lesson, you specify the injection location directly on the part by using a
pre-defined sketch point.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. For the Selection , select the sketch point inside the circle. A magenta cone-shaped glyph
indicates the injection point location.
b. For the Pointer Diameter (mm), enter 2 mm.
c. Click .

42
Creating a Solid Mesh
A solid mesh with user-specified parameters yields the best analysis accuracy for parts of varying
thickness, and is the most suitable for a sink marks analysis. You create a Solid Mesh of type
Tetrahedral Hybrid with the appropriate resolution for the simulation by manually specifying mesh
sizes. This is a two-step procedure, whereby a surface mesh is created before the solid mesh.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Select the the curvature-based Refinement Method for automatic mesh refinement on
regions of high curvature, and near the injection location.
Note: You do not need to select the curvature-based Refinement Method under Advanced
Mesh Control in the next few steps, since you are setting this option globally.
b. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
c. In the flyout FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(1), and select the part,
Original Fillet.

d. In the PropertyManager, set Mesh Size (mm) to 1 mm.

e. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step. A green check
appears on the Solid Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete. The surface mesh is
displayed.
f. Set the view orientation to Trimetric .

43
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
You view the solid mesh to examine its resolution, confirming that a sufficient number of elements
span narrow flow passages.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh and select Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, clip the part to view the elements of the solid mesh:
a. In Section Clipping Settings, move the +Z slider to the left to see a sectional view.
Notice the local mesh refinement that resolves the curvature in the fillet region between the
hollow boss and the rest of the part.

b. Set the view orientation to Right and click .

44
Running the Flow Analysis
A flow analysis predicts the filling pattern of the material melt flow as it fills the cavity.

To run the flow analysis:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis, which completes within several minutes,
depending on your computer’s specifications.

45
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the software completes the flow analysis, you can view available results plots, such as the sink
marks, in the graphics area.

In the Results PropertyManager, under Available Results, select Sink Marks.

The large red-colored area on the front surface of the part indicates the possibility of a sink mark. A
sink mark is a depression on the molded part surface.

46
Measuring Sink Marks
You use the Measure tool in SOLIDWORKS Plastics to estimate the depth of the sink mark.

1. In the Plastics CommandManager, click Measure to show the tool in the 3D area. This tool
shows a red and a blue dot. These dots correspond to two distinct measurement probe locations.
You can only position the dot corresponding to the active box.
2. To move the red dot, click the red-colored region of the Sink Marks result plot.
3. To move the blue dot, you first click the small blue rectangle inside the blue rectangle. Then, click
a region near the red dot but away from the sink mark, as shown.

The numbers in the red and blue rectangles reflect information about the red and blue dot
locations. For sink mark analysis, the most significant number is the dR value in the pink box.
The dR value is the difference between the R values found in both the red and blue boxes. The
R value represents the deviation from the original part surface of the mold due to shrinkage at
the respective dot locations. The value obtained for dR is about −0.1, which varies depending
on the locations of the red and blue dots.
4. Clear Measure , and click .
Click File -> Save to save your work.

Note: Sink mark results generated from a flow analysis produce qualitative results. Use the Sink
Marks plot to identify regions of the part that are possibly problematic, and to investigate design
changes that might improve the results.

47
Examining the Part Section Thickness
Sink marks are caused by large variations in part thickness. Slower cooling in the thicker parts results in
greater shrinkage, and hence, surface depressions. You examine the cross section of the part to see
where such shrinkage might occur.

1. Select the Front view of the part.

2. Toggle off the mesh view by clicking Mesh Model in the Plastics CommandManager
3. Click Section View in the heads-up view toolbar.
4. In the PropertyManager:
a. Click the Front Plane .
b. Click .

The model contains an excessive amount of material within the 1-mm radius fillet, as highlighted
above. You can reduce the material thickness in this area to help avoid sink marks.

48
Exploring a Design Change
You select a part configuration with a different fillet specification.

1. In the ConfigurationManager tree , right-click Small Fillet and click Show Configuration.
2. Display the part using the same section view that you applied previously.

The cross section of the modified design shows that a smaller radius fillet reduces the part
thickness.

3. Clear the Section View .

4. Reset the view orientation to Left .
Next, you analyze sink marks in the modified part.

49
Creating a New Study
You create a new study for the revised part geometry:

1. Select New Study in the Plastics CommandManager.

2. Accept the default study name, Small Fillet Study, which is derived from the active
configuration.
3. Accept the Single Material specified for the Injection Process.
4. Accept the default solid Analysis Procedure. You must use a solid analysis to analyze sink
marks.
5. Click to complete the study creation.
The tab for the PlasticsManager tree becomes available, populated as before by the nodes that you
will use to define details of your study.

50
Reapplying a Polymer Material
Apply the same polypropylene material from the database as before.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. Click Material and select (P) Generic material / Generic PP from the list of materials under
Recently used .
3. Click .
Next, you redefine the injection location.

51
Redefining the Injection Location
You redefine the injection location because the part configuration has changed.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. For the Selection , select the sketch point inside the circle.
b. For the Pointer Diameter (mm), enter 2 mm.
3. Click .

52
Regenerating a Solid Mesh
You regenerate the mesh because the part configuration has changed and a new injection location has
been defined.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Select the curvature-based Refinement Method for automatic mesh refinement on regions
of high curvature, and near the injection location.
You do not need to select the curvature-based Refinement Method under Advanced Mesh
Control in the next few steps, since you are setting this option globally.
b. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
c. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(1), and select the part, Reduced
Fillet.

d. In the PropertyManager, set Mesh size (mm) to 1 mm.

e. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step.

53
Rerunning the Flow Analysis
You rerun the flow analysis for the modified part.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .

2. Right-click Flow and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager dialog box appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis.

54
Sink Marks Results for Modified Part
Once the software completes the flow analysis, the Results PropertyManager lists the available results
plots.
1. Set the view orientation to Right .
2. View the Sink Marks result plot in the graphics area.
3. Use the Measure tool in the Plastics CommandManager to estimate the depth of the sink
mark.

This directional tool indicates whether your design change yielded a positive improvement. The
dR value is less than −0.03, indicating that you reduced the sink marks to 25% of the original
design.
3. Clear Measure , and click .
Click File -> Save to save your work.
You can close the part file to exit the session, or run a Flow + Pack + Warp analysis to get a more
accurate prediction for the sink marks (available with SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium license only).

55
Running Pack + Warp Analysis for Accurate Sink Mark Prediction (Premium
License Only)
You simulate the pack and warp stages of the injection molding process to obtain a more accurate
prediction of sink marks.

Note: You must have SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium to continue this tutorial.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .

2. Right-click Pack + Warp and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager dialog box appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the Pack + Warp analysis. This analysis takes slightly longer
than the flow analysis by itself.
3. After the software completes the Pack + Warp analysis, click .

56
Sink Marks Results Analysis from Flow + Pack + Warp

Open Warp Results under Results. The Results PropertyManager lists the Available Results plots.

1. Set the view orientation to Right .

2. View the Sink-Mark Profile result plot in the graphics area.
3. As before, use the Measure tool in SOLIDWORKS Plastics to estimate the depth of the sink
mark.

The dR value is negligible.

4. Clear Measure , and click .
The Sink Mark Profile result plot from the Flow + Pack + Warp analysis yields a more accurate
prediction than the Sink Marks analysis from the Flow analysis alone. These results indicate that, by
modifying the design of the part, you can mold it without significant sink marks.

57
Saving the Part and Closing the Session
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.
The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named trim_piece in the same location
as the part file.
Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

58
Tutorial 4: Detecting Weld Lines and Identifying Air Traps
Use SOLIDWORKS Plastics to detect possible weld lines and identify air traps in an injection molded
part. Investigate how you alleviate the problem with a simple modification to the part.

In this tutorial, you:

 Open the part file

 Create a new study
 Specify an injection location
 Generate a solid mesh
 Apply a material
 Run the Flow analysis
 Explore the analysis results to identify possible weld lines and air traps
 Repeat the analysis with a modified part
 Explore the analysis results to verify the effects of the design change

59
Opening the Part File
First copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\mounting_plate.sldprt
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location can corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens in the Isometric view orientation, which you use for specifying the injection location
and for creating the mesh. Later, you use the saved view orientation named Results View to examine
your results.

Note: You use the small, red-colored, circular surface to specify the injection location.

60
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your simulation.

In the Plastics CommandManager, click New Study .

1. Accept the default study name, Original Design Study, which is derived from the active
configuration.
2. Accept the Single Material specified for the Injection Process.
3. Accept the default solid Analysis Procedure.
4. Click .
The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. A single injection unit,
Unit 1, is automatically created because you specified a single polymer
material injection process.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, a single domain with the type Cavity , called Main Body (-
Cavity-), is created from the part. This domain is automatically associated with
the injection unit, Unit 1.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Solid Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements
Next, you select which polymer material to inject.

61
Assigning a Polymer Material
You select a polypropylene material for the injection unit.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit 1 Settings PropertyManager, click Material and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand material node PP.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic PP.
d. Click OK.
4. Click to accept the material selection and the default Fill process settings.
The Injection Unit icon and the Unit 1 icon underneath it each have a green check mark ,
indicating that the settings are complete.

Next, you specify the injection location.

62
Specifying the Injection Location
In this lesson, you specify the injection location directly on the part by selecting a surface.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. For the Selection , select the small red circular face. A magenta cone-shaped glyph
appears to indicate the injection location.

b. Click .

63
Creating a Solid Mesh
You create a hybrid tetrahedral mesh for the part with ribs with the appropriate mesh size resolution
that you specify manually.

In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .

In the PropertyManager:
1. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
2. In the flyout FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(1) and select the part, Main
Body.

3. In the PropertyManager, for Mesh Size (mm) , enter 2 mm.

4. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand Selection Sets, and select Thin Section Surfaces.
Two faces are added to the selection box .
5. Select both of the faces in the selection box and set their Mesh Size (mm) to 1 mm.
6. Select the small, circular face corresponding to the injection location, and set its Mesh Size
(mm) to 0.5 mm. If necessary, zoom in to choose the face.
7. Click each of four items in the selection box, and double-check their mesh size settings.
8. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step. A green check appears
on the Solid Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete.
The surface mesh displayed shows finer mesh resolution where you specified a smaller mesh size,
which includes the injection location and the thinner section of the cavity.

64
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
You view the solid mesh to examine its resolution.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh , and select Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, clip the part to view the elements of the solid mesh.
a. In Section Clipping Settings, move the +X slider to the left to see a sectional view.

Two layers of prismatic elements were created in addition to the tetrahedral elements that
span the core. The surface mesh resolution you specified allows the tetrahedral elements to be
created with sufficient quality. Larger surface triangles would cause the tetrahedral elements to
be overly squished and of poor quality, potentially harming the solution’s accuracy and
robustness.
b. Click .
Next, you run the flow analysis and explore the results to identify weld lines and air traps.

65
Running the Flow Analysis
A flow analysis predicts the filling pattern of the material melt flow as it fills the cavity.

To run the flow analysis:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis, which completes in under 30 minutes,
depending on your computer’s specifications.

66
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the flow analysis is completed, the Results PropertyManager lists the available results plots.
1. Under View Orientation , select the saved view orientation named Results View.
2. View the Fill Time result plot (selected by default) in the graphics area.

Note: The results can vary by a few percentage points depending on variations of the mesh
settings, changes to the material data, or revisions of the software. Color plots might
slightly vary because of lighting, view orientation, or other settings.
3. In the Results PropertyManager:
a. Under Animation, click Play .
The animation shows the polymer melt flowing through the part cavity during the filling
stage of the injection molding process. This animation helps you understand the formation
of the weld lines.
b. Click Stop .

67
Viewing Weld Lines and Air Traps Results
You view the weld lines and air traps results plot.
1. In the Results PropertyManager, under the Available Results, select both Weld Lines and Air
Traps.

The results plot shows the weld lines together with air trap locations. Although the software
has identified possible weld lines and air traps in several locations, the ones highlighted in the
red rectangle are of primary concern because they are in a structurally sensitive area.
Note: The weld line results can vary slightly, depending on variations of the mesh settings,
changes to the material data, or revisions of the software.
2. Click .
Next, you investigate how a modified design might reduce this concern. Before proceeding, click File ->
Save to save your work.

68
Exploring a Design Change
You select a part configuration with a modified design that adds a flow leader to promote flow and
avoid hesitation, which helped eliminate the weld-line and air trap from the critical region.

1. In the ConfigurationManager tree , right-click Modified Design and click Show Configuration
to see the design modification.

2. Reset the view orientation to Isometric .

Next, you analyze weld lines and air traps in the modified part.

69
Creating a New Study
You create a new study for the revised part geometry.

1. Select New Study in the Plastics CommandManager.

2. Accept the default study name, Modified Design Study, which is derived from the active
configuration.
3. Accept the Single Material specified for the Injection Process.
4. Accept the default solid Analysis Procedure. You must use a solid analysis to analyze sink
marks.
5. Click to complete the study creation.
The tab for the PlasticsManager tree becomes available, populated by the nodes that you use to
define the details of your study.

70
Reapplying a Polymer Material
Apply the same polypropylene material from the database as before.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. Click Material and select (P) Generic material / Generic PP from the list of materials under
Recently used .
3. Click .
Next, you redefine the injection location.

71
Redefining the Injection Location
You redefine the injection location because the part configuration has changed.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. For the Selection , select the small, red, circular face.
b. Click .

A red, cone-shaped glyph indicates the injection location.

72
Regenerating a Solid Mesh
You regenerate the mesh because the part configuration has changed and a new injection location has
been defined.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
b. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(1), and select the part, Main Body.

c. In the PropertyManager, for Mesh Size (mm) , enter 2 mm.

d. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand Selection Sets, and select Thin Section Surfaces.
Two faces are added to the selection box .
e. In turn, select each of the faces in the selection box and set their Mesh Size (mm) to 1 mm.
f. Select the small, circular face corresponding to the injection location, and set its Mesh Size
(mm) to 0.5 mm. If necessary, zoom in to choose the face.
g. Click each of four items in the selection box, and double-check their mesh size settings.
h. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step. A green check
appears on the Solid Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete. The surface mesh is
displayed.

73
Rerunning the Flow Analysis
Run the flow analysis, as before:
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis.

74
Weld Lines and Air Traps Results for Modified Part
Once the software completes the Flow analysis, the Results PropertyManager lists the available results
plots. View the weld lines and air traps result plot.
1. In the Results PropertyManager, under the Available Results, select Weld Lines and Air Traps.
2. Select the saved view orientation named Results View.

The weld lines and air traps previously highlighted in the red rectangle are no longer present.
You can add air vents to reduce the occurrence of air traps.
3. Click .

75
Saving the Analysis Settings and Closing the Session
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.

The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named mounting_plate in the same
location as the part file.

Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

76
Tutorial 5: Modeling Cold Runners
Incorporate cold (unheated) runners in a SOLIDWORKS Plastics Flow analysis to simulate the filling of a
mold cavity for a 10-mm nylon wrench.

Note: You must have SOLIDWORKS Plastics Professional or SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium to run
this tutorial.

In this tutorial, you:

 Run a flow analysis without any runner to verify that the part will fill
 Rerun the analysis with a runner designed with the channel wizard (conceptual design)
 Rerun the analysis with a runner defined as a solid body (final design)

77
Opening the Part File
First copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\[Link]
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location can corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens in the Isometric view orientation, which you use throughout this lesson.

Note: You use the sketch point, highlighted by a red circle, to specify the gate location.

78
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your simulation. Specifically, you define whether
you are simulating single or multiple materials, and whether you are choosing the solid or shell analysis
procedure.

In the Plastics CommandManager, click New Study .

1. Accept the default study name, Wrench Only Study, which is derived from the active
configuration.
2. Accept the single material specified for the Injection Process.
3. Accept the default solid Analysis Procedure. A solid analysis is required for parts that are
not uniformly thin, such as this wrench.
4. Click .

The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. A single injection unit,
Unit 1, is automatically created because you specified a single polymer
material injection process.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, a single domain with the type Cavity , Wrench (-Cavity-), is
created from the part. This domain is automatically associated with the
injection unit, Unit 1.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Solid Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements
Next, you select which polymer material to inject.

79
Assigning a Polymer Material
You select a nylon material to be used by the injection unit.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit 1 Settings property manager, click Material and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand material node PA66.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic PA66+30%GF.
d. Click OK.
4. Click to accept the material selection and the default Fill process settings.
The Injection Unit icon and the Unit 1 icon underneath it each have a green check mark ,
indicating that the settings are complete.

Next, you specify the injection location.

80
Specifying the Injection Location
Melted polymer material flows into the part cavity through injection locations. If you do not specify a
runner, the injection location corresponds to the gate. To start, specify an injection location at the
intended gate location.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. For the Selection , select the sketch point inside the circle. A magenta, cone-shaped glyph
indicates the injection location.

b. Click .

81
Creating a Solid Mesh
A solid mesh with user-specified parameters yields the best analysis accuracy for parts of varying
thickness. You create a hybrid tetrahedral mesh with the appropriate resolution for the simulation by
manually specifying mesh sizes.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Select the curvature-based Refinement Method for automatic mesh refinement on regions
of high curvature, and near the injection location.
Note: You do not need to select the curvature-based Refinement Method under Advanced
Mesh Control in the next few steps, since you are setting this option globally.
b. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
c. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(1), and select the part, Wrench.

d. In the PropertyManager, set Mesh Size (mm) to 2.5 mm.

e. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step. A green check
appears on the Solid Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete. The surface mesh is
displayed.

82
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
You view the solid mesh to examine its resolution.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh , and select the Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, clip the part to view the elements of the solid mesh.
a. In Section Clipping Settings, move the +Z slider to see a sectional view.

The section view reveals the details of the solid mesh. Wedge-shaped elements, layered
near the boundaries, improve the solution accuracy. Tetrahedral elements fill the interior
very efficiently. This hybrid mesh topology combines fast meshing with good resolution of
the flow.
b. Click .

83
Running the Flow Analysis
A flow analysis predicts the filling pattern of the material melt flow as it fills the cavity.

To run the flow analysis:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow , and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis, which completes within a few minutes.

84
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the flow analysis completes, the Results PropertyManager lists the available results plots.
1. View the Fill Time result plot (selected by default) in the graphics area.

The results can vary by a few percentage points depending on variations of the mesh
settings, changes to the material data, or revisions of the software. Color plots might
vary slightly due to lighting, view orientation, or other settings.

2. Under the Report Options, notice that the Adviser is automatically enabled to display the
Results Adviser on the right-hand side of your screen.
3. Review the Results Adviser report to confirm that you can successfully fill the part.
4. Click .
The software automatically saves the Plastics analysis results in a folder named wrench in the same
location as the part file. These results persist unless you overwrite them by running another flow
analysis.
Now that you have verified that you can fill the part cavity without any problems, design a runner
system and rerun the analysis. Before proceeding, click File -> Save to save your work.

85
Deleting the Injection Location
You delete the injection location defined on the geometry so that you can instead specify it on the
runner.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Boundary Conditions , right-click Injection Location-1

, and select Delete .
2. Click Yes to delete the Injection Location.
The solid mesh and results become invalid, as indicated by the warning symbols next to their icons.
You must regenerate the mesh and re-run the analysis to obtain a new solution.

86
Incorporating a Runner Design
You create a runner domain using the Runner Wizard.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Domains , and select Runner System .

2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Under Select Type, select Runner Wizard to open the Runner Wizard PropertyManager.
The Runner Wizard automates the process of creating runner system components, such as
sprues, runners, and gates.
b. Position the gate by clicking the sketch point previously created for the injection location.

The candidate runner is positioned with default dimensions and orientation.

87
Modifying Runner Dimensions and Orientation
You use the Runner Wizard to properly size and orient the runner.

In the PropertyManager:

1. Select Edge Gate .

2. Enter the following design parameters (dimensions in mm):

Sprue (S) Runner (R)

Gate (G)
Direction +Y Direction +X
Diameter1 (SD1) 2.5 Diameter1 (RD1) 2 Diameter1 (GD1) 0.6
Length (SL) 20 Length (RL) 20 Length (GL) 2
Diameter2 (SD2) 4 Diameter2 (RD2) 2 Diameter2 (GD2) 0.6
Element Count 10 Element Count 10 Element Count 4

3. Click to exit the Runner Wizard PropertyManager.

4. Click to exit the Runner System PropertyManager.

88
Specifying the Injection Location
You specify an injection location on the runner you created, rather than on the part geometry as
before.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. For the Selection , select the point on the top of the sprue.
b. For the Pointer Diameter (mm), enter 3 mm.
c. Click .

A red, cone-shaped glyph indicates the injection location, and the software highlights the inlet
face.

89
Creating a Solid Mesh
You create a hybrid tetrahedral mesh with the same resolution as before. You can accept the previous
settings.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager, accept the previous mesh settings:
a. A curvature-based Refinement Method.

b. Under Advanced Mesh Control, a Mesh size (mm) of 2.5 mm for the Wrench.
c. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step. A green check
appears on the Solid Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete.

90
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
You view the solid mesh to examine its resolution.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh , and select the Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, clip the part to view the elements of the solid mesh.
a. In Section Clipping Settings, move the +Z slider to see a sectional view.

The mesh of the part is almost identical to the mesh obtained previously with no runner. The
Runner Wizard created a hybrid tetrahedral mesh for the runner.

b. Click .

91
Running the Flow Analysis
Run the flow analysis as before:
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow , and select Run to start the analysis.
3. Click Yes to replace the Flow Results.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis. The analysis takes longer to run than before,
because it now solves the flow in the runner in addition to the part.

92
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the Flow analysis is completed, the Results PropertyManager lists the available results plots.
1. View the Fill Time result plot (selected by default) in the graphics area.

The results can vary by a few percentage points depending on variations of the mesh
settings, changes to the material data, or revisions of the software. Color plots might
vary slightly due to lighting, view orientation, or other settings.

2. If the Results Adviser is not displayed, click Adviser under the Report Options.
3. Review the Results Adviser report to confirm that the part fills successfully. Due to the
additional pressure drop in the runner, the required injection pressure is much larger than the
pressure obtained in the previous analysis.
4. Click .
Now that you have verified the runner system conceptual design, you model the runner as a solid body
to achieve a more refined design and rerun the analysis. Before proceeding, click File -> Save to save
your work.

93
Selecting a Part Configuration with a Runner Body
You activate a configuration associated to a part design with a runner created as a solid body. This is a
more refined representation of the runner and gate geometries.
1. In the ConfigurationManager tree , right-click Runner + Wrench, and select Show
Configuration.
2. The PlasticsManager tree disappears, enabling you to create a new study, like when you
start a new analysis.

94
Creating a New Study
You create a new study for the selected configuration.

1. Select New Study in the Plastics CommandManager.

2. Accept the default study name, Runner + Wrench Study, which is derived from the active
configuration.
3. Accept the single material specified for the Injection Process.
4. Accept the default solid Analysis Procedure.
5. Click to complete the study creation.
The tab for the PlasticsManager tree becomes available, populated by the nodes that you will use
to define details of your study. Next, you specify the domain types.

95
Specifying Domain Types
A domain represents a volume in space through which flow of fluid or heat is simulated. Domains are
automatically created under the Domains node from solid bodies. The two domains created are
named Runner and Wrench. You assign types to these domains.

1. Expand the Domains node, right-click on the body called Runner, and assign the type
Runner .
2. The software automatically assigns the type Cavity to the remaining body, called Wrench.

96
Reapplying a Polymer Material
Apply the same nylon material from the database as before.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. Click Material and select (P) Generic material / Generic PA66+30%GF from the list of
materials under Recently used .
3. Click .
Next, you redefine the injection location.

97
Specifying the Injection Location
Melted polymer material flows into the part cavity through injection locations. You specify an injection
location at the sprue inlet.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager, for the Selection , select the top face of the sprue body.
3. Click .

A cone-shaped glyph indicates the injection location.

98
Creating a Solid Mesh
You create a hybrid tetrahedral mesh with the appropriate resolution for the simulation by manually
specifying mesh sizes.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Select the curvature-based Refinement Method for automatic mesh refinement on regions
of high curvature, and near the injection location.
Note: You do not need to select the curvature-based Refinement Method under Advanced
Mesh Control in the next few steps, since you are setting this option globally.
b. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
c. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(2), and select both the Wrench
and the Runner.

d. In the PropertyManager, select both entities and assign a Mesh Size (mm) of 2.5 mm.
e. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand the Selection Sets, and click Gate Surfaces.
f. Under the selection box , multi-select all eight faces that comprise the gate’s surfaces. In
the PropertyManager, assign a Mesh Size (mm) of 0.25 mm to all of them.
g. Click each of the items in the selection box , and double-check their mesh size settings.
h. Click Create to create the surface mesh, then click Next .

i. Set the Minimum thickness of boundary layer elements to 0.01mm.

j. Click to create the volume mesh. A green check appears on the Solid Mesh icon,
indicating that meshing is complete. The surface mesh is displayed.

99
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
You view the solid mesh to examine its resolution, confirming that sufficient elements span narrow
flow passages, such as the gate.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh , and select the Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, clip the part to view the elements of the solid mesh.
a. Under Section Clipping Settings, move the Z+ slider to the middle of the range to examine the
solid mesh in the gate area.

You can zoom and rotate the view so that you can better understand the volume mesh
topology and features. The mesh is a hybrid combination of wedge-shaped elements
(layered near the boundaries) and tetrahedral elements (in the interior). The mesh layers
ensure that more than a single element spans thin flow passages and solid domains, which
is a requirement for the numerical scheme.

b. Click .

100
Running the Flow Analysis
Run the flow analysis as before:
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow , and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis. You can expect the execution time to be similar
to the case using the Runner Wizard, because the mesh element count will be comparable.

101
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the flow analysis is completed, the Results PropertyManager lists the available results plots.
1. View the Fill Time result plot (selected by default) in the graphics area.

The results can vary by a few percentage points depending on variations of the mesh
settings, changes to the material data, or revisions of the software. Color plots might
vary slightly due to lighting, view orientation, or other settings.

2. If the Results Adviser is not displayed, click Adviser under the Report Options.
3. Due to the additional pressure drop in the smaller gate, the required injection pressure is even
larger than the pressure obtained in the previous analysis. Review the Results Adviser report to
confirm that you can successfully fill the part.
4. Click .
You have completed the analysis of the refined runner design in the form of a solid body.

102
Saving the Part and Closing the Session
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.
The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named wrench in the same location as
the part file.
Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

103
Tutorial 6: Insert Overmolding
Use SOLIDWORKS Plastics to simulate the insert overmolding process that injects a plastic material into
a cavity that is partially occupied by a solid body insert.

Note: You must have SOLIDWORKS Plastics Professional or SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium to run
this tutorial.

In this tutorial, you:

 Open the part file that contains the relevant part bodies
 Create a new study
 Apply materials to the cavity and the metal insert
 Set thermal conditions and specify an injection location
 Generate a solid mesh
 Run a flow analysis
 Explore the analysis results
 Generate a report in Microsoft® Word and PowerPoint formats

104
Opening the Part File
First copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\[Link]
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location can corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens in the Isometric view orientation. You use this view throughout the lesson.

105
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your simulation, specifically whether you are
simulating single or multiple materials, and whether you are choosing the solid or shell analysis
procedure.

In the Plastics CommandManager, click New Study .

1. Name the study Overmolding Study.

2. Accept the single material specified for the Injection Process.
3. Accept the default solid Analysis Procedure. Solid analysis is required for insert overmolding,
and for parts that are not uniformly thin.
4. Click .
The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. A single injection unit,
Unit 1, is automatically created because you specified a single polymer
material injection process.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, three domains are created from the solid bodies in the part.
Later, you will assign appropriate types to these domains.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Solid Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements
Next, you select which polymer material to inject.

106
Assigning a Polymer Material and Setting the Mold Temperature
You apply a polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) material to be used by the injection unit, and then you
set the mold temperature.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Injection Units , right-click Unit 1, and select
Settings .

2. In the Injection Unit 1 Settings property manager, click Material and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand the material node PBT.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic PBT.
d. Click OK.

4. Set Mold Temperature to 70 °C.

5. Click to accept the material selection and the other Fill process settings.
The Injection Unit icon and the Unit 1 icon underneath it each have a green check mark ,
indicating that the settings are complete.

Next, you specify the domain types.

107
Specifying Domain Types
A domain represents a volume in space through which flow of fluid or heat is simulated. Three
domains, automatically created under the Domains node from the solid bodies, are tagged with the
names Insert, Plastic Part and Runner-Sprue.

You assign types to these domains listed under the Domains node:

1. Right-click the Insert domain, and select the type Insert with material type Metal. This
action causes the material database for metals to open.

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Mold Database, scroll and select Steel - 420SS.
c. Click OK.
2. Similarly, assign the type Cavity to the Plastic Part domain. This action automatically
associates the Plastic Part domain with the injection unit.
3. Assign the type Runner to the Runner-Sprue domain. The software automatically associates
the Runner-Sprue domain with the cavity to which it is connected and, hence, with the
injection unit.
Next, you assign thermal properties to the insert.

108
Specifying the Insert’s Thermal Properties
Since you will be performing a transient thermal analysis, you need to specify the initial conditions for
the insert temperature.

1. Right-click on the insert domain node Insert (-Steel - 420SS-) (-Insert-) , and select Insert
Properties .

2. In the PropertyManager, under Insert Properties, set the Insert Part Initial Temperature to
25°C.
3. Click

109
Specifying an Injection Location
Melted polymer material flows into the part cavity through an injection location. You specify an
injection location at the sprue inlet.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager, for the Selection , select the top face of the sprue body. A magenta,
cone-shaped glyph indicates the injection location.

3. Click .

110
Creating a Solid Mesh
You create a hybrid tetrahedral mesh with the appropriate resolution for the simulation by manually
specifying mesh sizes.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Accept the default uniform Refinement Method.
b. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
c. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand the Selection Sets, and click Gate Surfaces.
d. Under the selection box , multi-select all four faces comprising the gate surfaces. In the
PropertyManager, assign to each of them a Mesh Size (mm) of 0.25 mm.
e. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(3), and select all three parts (that
is, the Runner-Sprue, the Plastic Part, and the Insert).
f. Under the selection box , multi-select all three bodies. In the PropertyManager, assign to
each of them a Mesh Size (mm) of 1 mm.
g. Click each of the items in the selection box, and double-check its mesh size settings.
h. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step. A green check
appears on the Solid Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete. The surface mesh is
displayed.

111
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
You view the solid mesh to examine its resolution, confirming that a sufficient number of elements
span narrow flow passages, such as the gate.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh , and select the Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, clip the part to view the elements of the solid mesh.
a. Under Section Clipping Settings, move the Z+ clipping plane to the left to examine the solid
mesh in the gate area.

You can zoom and rotate the view so that you can better understand the volume mesh
topology and features. The mesh is a hybrid combination of wedge-shaped elements (layered
near the boundaries) and tetrahedral elements (in the interior). The mesh layers ensure that
more than a single element spans thin flow passages and solid domains, which is a requirement
for the numerical algorithm.

b. Click .

112
Running the Flow Analysis
A flow analysis predicts the filling pattern of the melt flow, as well as the heat transfer to the insert as
the plastic fills the cavity.

To run the flow analysis:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow , and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis, which completes within 20 minutes,
depending on your computer’s specifications.

113
Viewing the Flow Analysis Results
Once the flow analysis is completed, the Results PropertyManager lists the available results plots.
1. View the Fill Time result plot (default) in the graphics area.

Color gradients might vary due to lighting, view orientation, or other settings.

2. If the Results Adviser is not displayed, click Adviser under the Report Options.
3. Review the Results Adviser report under Fill Time to gain insights about interpreting the results
plot.
4. In the Results PropertyManager:
a. Under Animation, click Play .
The animation shows the profile of the plastic material melt as it flows through the part
cavity during the filling stage of the injection molding process.
b. Click Stop .

114
Viewing the Thermal Results in the Mold Cavity
You use visualization controls to view results for the cavity domain.

1. From Available Results, select Temperature at End of Fill.

2. Under Clipping Options, select Clipping Plane Mode to show the cross-sectional
temperature.

3. Drag the red arrow normal to the clipping plane to view temperatures in the part cavity and
insert.

115
Viewing the Thermal Results for the Insert
You view the temperature field results for the insert domain.

1. In the Plastics CommandManager, click Show/Hide Domain , and clear Cavity and Runner to
show only the Insert results.

2. Under Clipping Options, clear Clipping Plane Mode to show the full insert domain
3. In the Results PropertyManager:

a. Set the maximum contour value, Max , to 85° C.

b. Set the minimum contour value, Min , to 70° C.

The plot shows the temperature range of the insert, from 70° C to 85° C, at the end of filling
process. Rotate the view to observe the high temperatures near the injection location and at
the tip of the insert.

4. Reset the view orientation to Isometric and click

116
Generating Summary Reports
You use the report generation tool to create a summary report.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Results, right-click Summary and Report .

MS Word and MS PowerPoint formats are selected (default).
2. Click Generate to create results in both formats.
3. In the Summary PropertyManager, click
4. In the Report Generator dialog box, under Cover:
a. For the Title, type Insert Overmolding.
b. For the Date, type today’s date.
c. For the Author, type your name.
d. Leave the Department and the Institute blank.
5. Click OK to start the report generation.
The report generation takes a few minutes.

6. When finished, the software prompts you to enter a folder location. Click Yes, then select a
convenient location, such as your Desktop.
In the specified location, you find a folder that corresponds to the configuration name. This
folder contains image files and the report in the specified formats.

117
Saving the Part and Closing the Session
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.
The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named handle in the same location as the
part file.
Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

118
Tutorial 7: Validating Injection Molding Simulation
Use SOLIDWORKS Plastics to simulate the Flow and Pack phases of an injection molding process.
Validate the results of an injection molding simulation against experimental data. The part in this
lesson is a simple disk shape with sprue.

Note: You must have SOLIDWORKS Plastics Professional or SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium to run
this tutorial.

In this tutorial, you:

 Open the part file

 Create a new study
 Import and apply a custom polymer material
 Specify the injection location, process parameters, and domain types
 Generate a solid mesh
 Run Flow + Pack analysis with process parameters that match a physical experiment
 Compare the fill pattern to a short-shot progression based on the experiment
 Compare the packing pressure to the measured experimental data

119
Opening the Part File
First copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\disk_experiment.sldprt
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location can corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens in the Isometric view orientation, which you use for specifying the injection location
and for creating the mesh. Solid bodies representing the mold and cooling channels are hidden in the
view.

120
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your simulation, specifically whether you are
simulating single or multiple materials, and whether you are choosing the solid or shell analysis
procedure.

In the Plastics command manager, click New Study .

1. Accept the default study name, Default Study, which derives from the active configuration.
2. Accept the Single Material specified for the Injection Process.
3. Accept the default Solid analysis procedure.
4. Click .
The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. A single injection unit,
Unit 1, is automatically created because you specified a single polymer
material injection process.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, six domains are created from the solid bodies in the part.
Later, you deactivate the domains that you do not use in the analysis and
assign appropriate types to the participating domains.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Solid Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements
Next, you select which polymer material to inject.

121
Importing and Assigning a Custom Polymer Material
You import a file containing the material characterization of a custom polymer that the injection unit
injects into the cavity.

In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings .

1. In the Injection Unit Settings 1 PropertyManager, click Material and select Browse the
Database .
2. In the Polymer dialog box:
a. Select User-defined Database .
b. Under Import , select File.
c. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS
version\samples\Plastics Examples\ and select custom_abs.bin
In the Plastics Database tab, under the ABS node, a new material appears called Custom /
ABS.

d. Click OK.
3. Click to accept the material selection and the default Fill process settings.
Next, you specify the Fill and Pack settings.

122
Specifying the Fill Settings
SOLIDWORKS Plastics allows you to control the injection of the melted material. You apply the fill
settings from the machine used in the experiment.

The Injection Unit Settings 1 PropertyManager has tabs for Fill and Pack settings. You use the Fill tab
to enter the fill process parameters.

1. For Melt Temperature (°C) , enter 210.

2. For Mold Temperature (°C) , enter 60.

3. For Injection Pressure Limit (MPa) , enter 200.

4. For Flow/Pack Switch Point (% Filled Volume) , enter 98.

5. Click Show Profile to open the Flow Rate Profile Settings.
a. Under Flow Rate Control, select Volume control (Absolute control)/Base on machine max.
flow rate.
b. For Section number, enter 2.
c. In the table on the right-hand side, select Screw position (mm) and Screw speed (mm/s)
from the heading lists.
d. In the upper right of the panel, for Screw Diameter (mm), enter 44.
e. For Initial screw position (mm), enter 23.
f. In the table, enter the following data:
Screw Screw
position speed
(mm) (mm/s)
20 52.5
10 52.5
Hint: Specify the second screw position before specifying the first. This ensures that the
first screw position is larger than the second one as required by the software.

g. Click Apply.
h. Click OK.

123
Specifying the Pack Settings
Next, you specify the Pack settings to match the experiment. Use the Pack tab of the Injection Unit
Settings 1 PropertyManager to access these settings.

1. For Pressure Holding Time (sec), clear Auto and enter 7.

2. For Pure Cooling Time (sec), clear Auto and enter 15.
3. Click Show Profile to open the Pressure Profile Setting.
a. Under Pressure Control, select Machine pressure control (Absolute control).
b. For Section number, enter 1.
c. In the table on the right-hand side, select the heading Time (s) from the left list and enter
the following data for a constant packing profile:
Time (s) Injection Pressure (MPa)
7 135.3
d. Click Apply.
e. Click OK.
4. Click to accept the Fill and Pack settings and close the Injection Unit Settings 1
PropertyManager.
The Injection Units node, and the Unit 1 icon underneath it have green check marks , indicating
that the settings are complete.

Next, you specify the domain types.

124
Specifying Domain Types
A domain represents a volume in space through which flow of fluid or heat is simulated. SOLIDWORKS
Plastics creates under the Domains node one domain for each solid body for a total of six domains .
These bodies are Cavity, Lower Cooling Channel, Lower Mold, Runner, Upper Cooling Channel, and
Upper Mold.

You need to assign a domain type for each body included in the simulation. You do not include the
mold and cooling channel domains in the simulation.

Under the Domains node:

1. Right-click Cavity and assign the type Cavity .

2. Right-click Runner and assign the type Runner .
3. Right-click the remaining four bodies and select Exclude from Analysis .

Next, you specify the injection location.

125
Specifying the Injection Location
Melted polymer material flows into the part cavity through injection locations. You specify an injection
location at the sprue inlet.

1. In the PlasticsManager , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location .

2. In the PropertyManager, for Selection , select the top face of the sprue body.
3. Click .

A cone-shaped glyph indicates the injection location. Next, you specify the clamp force limit.

126
Setting the Clamp Force Limit
To specify the Clamp Force Limit:
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Global Parameters , open General Parameters .

2. For Clamp Force Limit (Tonne) , enter 200.

3. Click .
Next, you create the mesh.

127
Creating a Solid Mesh
You create a Solid Mesh of type Tetrahedral Hybrid with the appropriate resolution for the simulation
by manually specifying mesh sizes.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
b. Expand the flyout FeatureManager design tree. Expand Solid Bodies(6) and select Cavity.

c. In the PropertyManager, for Mesh size (mm) , enter 1 mm.

d. Use the flyout FeatureManager design tree to select the body Runner.

e. In the PropertyManager, for Mesh size (mm) , enter 3 mm.

f. Under Advanced Mesh Control, select Curvature-based Refinement Method.
3. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step.
A green check icon appears on the Solid Mesh node, indicating that meshing is complete. The
surface mesh is displayed.

128
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
You use the Solid Mesh View to examine the resolution of the solid mesh, confirming that sufficient
elements span narrow flow passages.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh and select the Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, you use section clipping to view the elements of the
solid mesh.
a. Under Section Clipping Settings, move the +X clipping plane slider to the center. Note
the two layers of prismatic elements near the boundary surfaces. These boundary layer
elements accurately capture the high gradients of the flow and thermal fields. The surface
mesh on the disk surface is fine enough so that the interior tetrahedral elements are well
defined.

b. Click .

129
Running the Flow + Pack Analysis
You run both Flow and Pack sequentially.
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow + Pack , and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager dialog box appears.
A progress bar with text messages reports the status of the Flow and Pack analyses, which completes
within several minutes.

130
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the Flow analysis is completed, you confirm that the part fills without problems.
1. Under Available Results, select Ease of Fill.
The uniform green color indicates that the cavity fills successfully based on the geometry, the
injection location, and the default process parameters.

2. If the Results Adviser does not appear, in the Results PropertyManager, under Report Options,
click Adviser .
The injection pressure required to fill the part cavity is lower than the maximum limit that was
specified for the machine.

131
Viewing the Fill Pattern
SOLIDWORKS Plastics allows you to visualize the part filling by animating the analysis results. In actual
practice, you can use a short-shot progression to determine the filling pattern experimentally, by
manually limiting the shot size of the machine.
1. Set the view orientation to Bottom .
2. Under Available Results, select Fill Time.
3. In the Results PropertyManager:
a. Under Animation, click Play .
The animation shows the profile of the plastic material melt as it flows through the part
cavity during the filling stage of the injection molding process.
b. Click Stop .

4. Reset the Max value setting to successive values as follows: 0.054, 0.075, 0.088, 0.098 and
0.121.
5. Note the resulting fill patterns at each of these discrete times.
6. Click .

132
Comparing Analysis Results to the Short Shot Progr ession
You compare the Flow simulation results to the experimental results for the present mold cavity. The
experimental results are shown below, where photographs of the short shot progression at various
times are superimposed on the complete geometry.

The results show good qualitative agreement, with very slight differences in the curvature of the melt
front.

133
Viewing Time-Dependent Pressure Results
You use the X-Y Plot tool to examine the transient behavior of the pressure at a point during the
injection process.
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Results.
2. Right-click XY-Plot and select Read X-Y Plot.
A window opens to show two groups of results:
 Global Profile of the Filling Process. Lists results that represent the complete model.
 Local Profile of the Filling Process. Lists results at selected measure points.
3. Under Local Profile of the Filling Process, activate Node Pressure.
4. Select a point on the circumference, centered near the base of the disk as shown below, and
add this point to the Select Points (Nodes) list by clicking Add Grid . You can resize the plot
window to get a better view of the model as required.

5. View the packing pressure profile.

134
Comparing Pressure Analysis Results to Experiment
You export the node pressure data into a Microsoft Excel file. then compare this to the provided
tabulated data from the experiment.

1. In the analysis results plot window, select Export to save the results into a .csv file to a suitable
location on your local drive.
2. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS
version\samples\Plastics Examples\disk_pressure_data.csv.
3. Copy the data file to the same location on your local drive where you exported the analysis
data.
4. You now have two .csv files, for experimental data and analysis data, in the same drive location.
You can use the charting function in Microsoft Excel or similar software to compare the results
contained in the two files.

The analysis has captured the overall trend in the packing pressure behavior quite well.

135
Discussion of Results Accuracy
For this lesson, only the Fill and Pack analyses were run without including mold cooling. Therefore, the
mold wall temperature was assumed constant and did not accurately reflect the true thermal
boundary conditions. In addition, the mesh resolution was relatively coarse to reduce the analysis run
time.

You can improve these results in two ways that are beyond the scope of the lesson:

1. Use a finer mesh to better resolve the flow details.

2. Model the mold and cooling channels to improve the thermal boundary conditions in the cavity.
The figures below show results obtained with a finer mesh and the inclusion of cooling analysis.

136
Saving the Analysis Settings and Closing the Session
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.
The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named disk_experiment in the same
location as the part file.
Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

137
Tutorial 8: Cooling Analysis
Simulate mold cooling in the injection molding process with SOLIDWORKS Plastics. The part is a screw
cap made from polypropylene.

Note: You must have SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium to run this tutorial.

In this tutorial, you:

 Open the part file and hide the cooling channel sketches
 Create a new study
 Apply a polymer material
 Specify the injection location
 Generate a solid mesh
 Run a flow analysis without cooling
 Create a new configuration
 Use the Channel Wizard to create cooling channels from a 3D sketch
 Run a Cool/Flow/Pack analysis
 Explore the analysis results

138
Opening the Part File and Hiding the Cooling Channel Sketches
First copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\screw_cap.sldprt
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location can corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens in the Trimetric view orientation.

The part contains sketches that define the cooling channels. You do not use the sketches for the first
part of the lesson. Click View > Hide/Show > Sketches to hide the sketches for an unobscured view
of the part.

139
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your simulation. Specifically, you define whether
you are simulating single or multiple materials, and whether you are choosing the solid or shell analysis
procedure.

In the Plastics command manager, click New Study .

1. Accept the default study name, Default Study, which is derived from the active configuration.
2. Accept the single material specified for the Injection Process.
3. Accept the default solid Analysis Procedure. The solid procedure is best for an accurate cooling
analysis.
4. Click .
The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. A single injection unit,
called Unit 1, is automatically created because you specified a single polymer
material injection process.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, a single domain with the type Cavity , called Screw Cap (-
Cavity-), is created from the part. This domain is automatically associated with
the injection unit, Unit 1.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Solid Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements
Next, you select which polymer material to inject.

140
Assigning a Polymer Material
You select a polypropylene material to be used by the injection unit.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1, and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit 1 Settings property manager, click Material , and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand material node PP.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic PP.
d. Click OK.
4. Click to accept the material selection and the default Fill process settings.
The Injection Unit icon and the Unit 1 icon underneath it each have a green check mark ,
indicating that the settings are complete.

Next, you specify the injection location.

141
Specifying the Injection Location
You specify the injection location directly on the part.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. For the Selection , select the surface of the dimple on the top face.
b. Click .

A cone-shaped glyph indicates the injection location.

142
Creating a Solid Mesh
You create a hybrid tetrahedral mesh with the appropriate resolution for the simulation by manually
specifying mesh sizes.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Select the curvature-based Refinement Method for automatic mesh refinement on regions
of high curvature, and near the injection location
b. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
c. In the FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(1), and select the part, Screw Cap.

d. In the PropertyManager, set Mesh Size (mm) to 1.5 mm.

e. In the graphics area, select the surface of the dimple on the top face.

f. In the PropertyManager, set Mesh Size (mm) to 0.8 mm.

g. You do not need to select the curvature-based Refinement Method under Advanced Mesh
Control, since you already set this refinement method globally.
h. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step. A green check
appears on the Solid Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete. The surface mesh is
displayed.

143
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
You view the solid mesh to examine its resolution, confirming that a sufficient number of elements
span the narrow flow passages.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh , and select the Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, clip the part to view the elements of the solid mesh.
a. Under Section Clipping Settings, move the +Z clipping plane slider to the center. Examine
the solid mesh elements. The default mesh settings create two layers of prismatic elements
near the boundary surfaces. These boundary layer elements accurately capture the high
gradients of the flow and thermal fields. The automatic mesh refinement refines the mesh near
the screw threads.

b. Click .

144
Running the Flow Analysis
Run a flow analysis to verify that the mold cavity fills before you run the cooling analysis.
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow , and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the flow analysis, which completes within several minutes,
depending on your computer’s specifications.

145
Viewing the Flow Analysis Results
Once the flow analysis is completed, you confirm that the part fills without problems.

1. If the Results Adviser does not appear, in the Results PropertyManager, click Adviser
under the Report Options.
Note the low injection pressure required to fill the part cavity.
2. Under the Available Results, select Ease of Fill.
The uniform green color indicates that the cavity fills successfully based on the geometry, the
injection location, and the default process parameters.

3. Click .
Before proceeding with the cooling analysis, click File -> Save to save your work.

146
Creating a Duplicate Study and Showing the Cooling Channel Sketches
Now you create a duplicate study for the cooling analysis.

1. In the Plastics CommandManager, click Duplicate Study .

2. Name the configuration Mold Cooling.
3. Do not select Copy without results.
4. Click OK.
5. Switch to the ConfigurationManager to verify that the new configuration has been created
and is active.
6. You use the predefined sketches to create cooling channels for a cooling analysis. Click View >
Hide/Show > Sketches to show the sketches.

147
Incorporating Cooling Channels
You create a runner domain using the Channel Design Wizard.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Domains and select Cooling Channel .

2. In the Cooling Channel PropertyManager:
a. In the graphics area, select the four straight horizontal line segments on the upper and
lower sketches using Ctrl +.
b. Under Channel Parameters, select General, and then set the 1st Point and the 2nd Point to
10 mm.
c. Set the Number of Elements to 5.
d. Click Assign.

The software creates the four cooling channel segments with the type General, as shown in
the Selections .
e. In the graphics area, select the two semicircular lines of the sketch.
f. Enter the value 10 mm for the 1st Point and the 2nd Point.
g. Set the Number of Elements to 10.
h. Click Assign.

The software creates two more cooling channel segments with the type General, as shown
in the Selections .

148
Creating the Baffle Cooling Channel
You continue to use the Cooling Channel PropertyManager to complete the cooling channel design.

1. Under the Channel Parameters, select Baffle.

2. In the graphics area, select the vertical line of the sketch.
3. Enter the value 10 mm for the 1st Point.
4. Use the default values for H and T (5 and 1, respectively).
5. Click Assign.

The software creates the seventh cooling channel segment with type Baffle, as shown in the
Selections .
6. Click .
Two new domains corresponding to the cooling channels appear under the Domains node.

149
Applying Coolant Materials
A fluid coolant flows through the cooling channels. You apply water from the material database.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , Under Domains , select Cooling Channel 1 and Cooling
Channel 2, and right-click to select Apply/Edit Coolant to both.

2. In the Coolant dialog box, select Default Database .

3. Under Coolant Database, select Water (default).
4. Click OK.
The material name (-Water-) is shown next to both cooling channel domains.

Next, you create a virtual mold.

150
Creating the Virtual Mold
You create a domain corresponding to the mold. In the absence of the proper mold geometry modeled
as a solid body, you create a virtual mold for the analysis.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Domains , select Virtual Mold .

A wireframe box that represents the virtual mold appears in the graphics area.

2. In the Virtual Mold PropertyManager, use the default settings to define the position and size of
the mold.
3. Click .
The graphics area updates and a new domain corresponding to the virtual mold appears under the
Domains node.

151
Applying a Mold Material
You apply steel as a mold material from the material database.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Domains , right-click the Virtual Mold , and select
Apply/Edit Metals .

2. In the material dialog box, select Default Database .

3. Under Mold Database, select Steel - P20.
4. Click OK.
The material name (-Steel -P20-) is shown next to the virtual mold domain.

Next, you assign boundary conditions to the cooling channels.

152
Assigning Boundary Conditions to the Upper Cooling Channel
You create boundary conditions for the upper cooling channel.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Coolant Input .
2. In the Coolant Input PropertyManager, under Coolant Parameters:
a. Select the Inlet by clicking the point at the end of the upper sketch that corresponds to
the coolant flow inlet.
b. Select the Outlet by clicking the point at the end of the upper sketch that corresponds to
the coolant flow outlet.
Arrow glyphs are drawn in the graphics area to show the flow direction.

c. Select Flow rate (cc/s), and set the flow to 100 cc/s.
The flow rate setting ensures a fully turbulent flow.
d. Set the inlet temperature to 20° C.
The inlet temperature setting is sufficiently below the target mold temperature for effective
heat transfer.

3. Click .
A coolant input condition is created under the Boundary Conditions node.

153
Assigning Boundary Conditions to the Lower Cooling Channel
You create boundary conditions for the lower cooling channel.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Coolant Input .
2. In the Coolant Input PropertyManager, under Coolant Parameters:
a. Select the Inlet by clicking the point on the end of the lower sketch that corresponds to
the coolant flow inlet.
b. Select the Outlet by clicking the point on the end of the lower sketch that corresponds to
the coolant flow outlet.
Arrow glyphs are drawn in the graphics area to show the flow direction.

c. Select Flow rate (cc/s), and set the Flow rate (cc/s) to 100 cc/s.
The flow rate setting ensures a fully turbulent flow.
d. Set the Inlet Temperature (°C) to 20° C.
The inlet temperature setting is sufficiently below the target mold temperature for effective
heat transfer.

3. Click .
A second coolant input condition is created under the node.
Next, you create the solid mesh for all of the domains.

154
Creating the Mesh in the Cavity, Cooling Channels and Mold
The solid mesh you created for the screw cap has become invalid due to the addition of new
domains for the cooling channels and virtual mold.

You use the meshing tools to recreate the cavity mesh.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager, the following selections will be set as previously:
a. A curvature-based Refinement Method.

b. Under Advanced Mesh Control, a Mesh size (mm) of 1.5 mm for the Screw Cap.

c. Under Advanced Mesh Control, a Mesh size (mm) of 0.8 mm for the dimple on the top
face of the screw cap.
3. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step. A green check appears
on the Solid Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete. The invalid icon disappears.
4. Click Mold Visibility in the Plastics CommandManager. The software displays the mold
surface mesh.

5. Click Mold Visibility in the Plastics CommandManager to hide the mold surface mesh
display.

155
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements in the Complete Mesh
You view the solid mesh to examine its resolution, confirming that sufficient elements span the narrow
flow passages.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh , and select the Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, clip the part to view the elements of the solid mesh.
a. Under Section Clipping Settings, move the +Z slider toward the center to examine the
solid mesh elements.

Notice the variation in mesh sizes and element shapes between the virtual mold, cooling
channels, and part cavity. As before, the part cavity contains a hybrid mesh consisting of
prismatic and tetrahedral elements. The cooling channels use hexahedral elements, while
the baffle and mold meshes are comprised of tetrahedral elements. This mesh topology
balances efficient meshing with an accurate solution.

b. Click .

156
Defining the Clipping Plane Settings
Before running a Cool analysis, you define a clipping plane on which you will later view a cross-
sectional slice of the temperature field.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Display Setup , and double-click Clipping Plane
Settings .

2. Under Define Clipping Planes, click Add Z Clipping Plane to create a clipping plane at Z=0.

3. Click .

157
Running the Mold Cooling Analysis
You perform a conjugate heat transfer analysis with the objective of obtaining the temperature
distribution within the mold. The software runs Cool, Flow and Pack analysis steps sequentially to
properly account for the effects of mold temperature distribution on the injection molding process.

You run the Cool + Flow + Pack analysis.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Cool + Flow + Pack , and click Run to start the analysis.
3. Click OK when prompted to replace the previous flow results.
Once the analysis starts, the Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of the analysis. The Cool + Flow + Pack analysis takes longer than
running the flow analysis alone, but completes within 20 minutes, depending on your computer’s
specifications.

158
Mold Cooling Results: Part Cooling Time
You examine the cooling analysis results to visualize the part cooling time.

1. In the Results PropertyManager, select the Cool tab .

The Part Cooling Time plot appears by default.
2. To view the unobscured part:
a. In the Plastics CommandManager, clear the Cooling Channel Visibility and the Mold
Visibility .
b. Click View > Hide/Show > Sketches to hide the sketches.

3. In the Results PropertyManager, under Clipping Plane, click Clipping Plane Mode .
The software displays Clipping Plane - 0 that you previously created.

The bluish contours on the outer surfaces of the part indicate that the cooling time is about one
second for these regions. The red contours, which correspond to the core of the thicker regions
of the part, indicate a cooling time of approximately seven seconds. The nonuniform cooling
times observed across the part geometry indicate the possibility of warpage.
Note: The part cooling time calculation is based on the ejection temperature of 99 °C,
stored in the material database, for the selected material.

159
Mold Cooling Results: Part Temperature at End of Cooling
You examine the cooling analysis results to visualize the part temperature distribution at the end of
cooling.

1. In the Results PropertyManager, under the Available Results, select Temperature at End of
Cooling.

2. Set the minimum contour plot value, Min , to 99° C, the ejection temperature.

3. Under Clipping Plane, click Isosurface Mode .

The contour plot for the part’s temperature at the end of cooling shows the regions of the part
with temperatures that exceed the recommended ejection temperature for the material. You
can reduce the overall cooling time and improve the manufacturing cycle time by minimizing
the geometry thickness in these regions.

4. Click .

160
Mold Cooling Results: Mold Temperature at End of Cooling
You examine the cooling analysis results to visualize the mold’s temperature at the end of cooling.

1. Before reopening the results, in the Plastics CommandManager, select Mold Visibility and
Cooling Channel Visibility .
2. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Results, and double-click Cool Results .
3. In the Cool Results PropertyManager:
a. Under the Available Results, select the Mold Temperature at End of Cooling

b. Under Clipping Plane, click Clipping Plane Mode .

The mold temperature at the end of cooling exhibits a wide temperature range. Next, you
measure this range.

161
Mold Cooling Results: Measuring Mold Temperature Differences
You measure the mold temperature differences between the outer and inner surfaces of the part.

1. In the Plastics CommandManager, click Measure to show the tool in the 3D area. This tool
shows a red and a blue dot. These dots correspond to two distinct measurement probe locations.
You can only position the dot corresponding to the active box.
2. Zoom in to the results display.
The numbers in the red and blue rectangles reflect information about the red and blue dot
locations. The value R in the blue and red rectangles is the probed temperature at the selected
locations. The value dR in the magenta box is the difference between these temperature values.
Note: N is the mesh node number. X, Y, and Z are the Cartesian coordinates of the dots,
which you can use to pinpoint exact locations.
3. To move the red dot, click near an inside surface of the part.
4. Click the small blue rectangle inside the large blue rectangle, and then click near an outside
surface of the part to move the blue dot.

The value shown for dR is about 10° C, but this value varies depending on the locations you
select.
5. Clear Measure , and click .
A large temperature difference between the inner and outer surfaces of the mold could result in
excessive warp. In this case, the baffle is doing a good job cooling the mold in the interior of the
screw cap.

162
Adjusting the Cooling Process Parameters
Currently, the cooling settings specify an ejection temperature option that ends the cooling analysis
when 90% of the cavity falls below the material’s ejection temperature. You can instead choose an
alternative method to specify the cooling time.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Global Parameters , and double-click Cool .

2. In the Cool Parameters PropertyManager, under Specify Control Parameters, specify control
based on Cooling Time .
The software computes the cooling time value as the sum of the Filling Time (Fill Settings
PropertyManager), the Pressure Holding Time (Pack Settings PropertyManager), and the Pure
Cooling Time (Pack Settings PropertyManager).
3. Click .

163
Rerunning the Analysis with Different Cooling Process Parameters
As an exercise, you can rerun the analysis with the Cooling Time method.
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Cool + Flow + Pack , and select Run to start the analysis.
3. When prompted to replace the existing results, click OK.
4. Use what you have learned about cooling results exploration to examine the effect of the
different process parameter settings on the mold cooling.

164
Saving the Analysis Settings and Closing the Session
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.
The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named screw_cap in the same location as
the part file.
Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

165
Tutorial 9: Analyzing Warpage and Shrinkage
Run an analysis in SOLIDWORKS Plastics to analyze warpage and shrinkage of a nylon spur gear. You
initiate three distinct analysis modules with the Flow + Pack + Warp command. Flow predicts how
material fills the cavity. Pack evaluates the phase change of the polymer material. Warp uses the
residual stress data from Flow and Pack to predict the final shape and dimensions of the part.

Note: You must have SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium to run this tutorial.

In this tutorial, you:

 Open the part file

 Create a new study
 Specify the injection location
 Generate a solid mesh
 Apply a polymer material
 Run a Flow + Pack + Warp analysis
 Explore the analysis results
 Apply a different material to improve part shrinkage

166
Opening the Part File
First copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\spur_gear.sldprt
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location can corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens in the Left view orientation, which you use throughout this lesson.

Note: You use the three sketch points, highlighted by red circles, to specify the injection locations.

167
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your simulation. Specifically, you define whether
you are simulating single or multiple materials, and whether you are choosing the solid or shell analysis
procedure.

In the Plastics command manager, click New Study .

1. Accept the default study name, Default Study, which is derived from the active configuration.
2. Accept the single material specified for the Injection Process.
3. Accept the default solid Analysis Procedure. A solid analysis is required for parts that are not
uniformly thin, such as this gear.
4. Click .
The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. A single injection unit,
Unit 1, is automatically created because you specified a single polymer
material injection process.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, a single domain with the type Cavity , called GearBody (-
Cavity-), is created from the part. This domain is automatically associated with
the injection unit, Unit 1.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Solid Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements
Next, you select which polymer material to inject.

168
Assigning a Polymer Material
You select a nylon material to be used by the injection unit.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1, and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit 1 Settings PropertyManager, click Material and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand material node PA66.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic PA66.
d. Click OK.
4. Click to accept the material selection and the default Fill process settings.
The Injection Unit icon and the Unit 1 icon underneath it each have a green check mark ,
indicating that the settings are complete.

Next, you specify the injection locations.

169
Specifying the Injection Locations
Melted polymer material flows into the part cavity through injection locations. If your model does not
contain a runner, the injection location corresponds to the gate. You specify three injection locations
on the part to ensure a uniform part filling and to minimize nonuniform shrinkage.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the Injection Location PropertyManager:
a. For the Selection , select the three predefined sketch points in the graphics area.
b. For the Pointer Diameter (mm) , enter 1 mm for each sketch point.
3. Click .

4. Rotate the part to view the red cone-shaped glyphs, which indicate the injection locations.
5. Reset the view orientation to Left .

170
Creating a Solid Mesh
A solid mesh with user-specified parameters yields the best analysis accuracy for parts of varying
thickness. You create a hybrid tetrahedral mesh with the appropriate resolution for the simulation by
manually specifying mesh sizes.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh , and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Select the curvature-based Refinement Method for automatic mesh refinement on regions
of high curvature, and near the injection location.
Note: You do not need to select the curvature-based Refinement Method under Advanced
Mesh Control in the next few steps, since you are setting this option globally.
b. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
c. In the flyout FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(1), and select the part,
GearBody.

d. In the PropertyManager, set Mesh Size (mm) to 1 mm.

e. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step. A green check
appears on the Solid Mesh icon, indicating that meshing is complete. The surface mesh is
displayed.

171
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
You view the solid mesh to examine its resolution.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh , and select the Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager, clip the part to view the elements of the solid mesh.
a. In Section Clipping Settings, move the -X slider to examine the solid mesh elements.

The section view reveals the details of the solid mesh. Wedge-shaped elements layered
near the boundaries improve the solution accuracy, while tetrahedral elements fill the
interior very efficiently. This hybrid mesh topology provides an efficient discretization of the
analysis domain that accurately captures the important features of the flow, thermal, and
stress fields.

b. Click .

172
Running the Flow + Pack + Warp Analysis
You run Flow, Pack, and Warp sequentially with a single command.
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow + Pack + Warp , and select Run to start the analysis.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of each of the analysis steps: Flow, Pack, and Warp. Each analysis step
runs for several minutes. The total analysis completes within 15 minutes, depending on your
computer’s specifications.

173
Viewing Flow Analysis Results: Ease of Fill
After the flow analysis is completed, you confirm that the part fills without problems.

1. If the Results Adviser does not appear, in the Results PropertyManager, click Adviser under
the Report Options.
Note the low injection pressure required to fill the part cavity.
2. Under the Available Results, select Ease of Fill.
The uniform green color indicates that the cavity fills successfully based on the geometry, the
injection location, and the default process parameters.

174
Viewing the Flow Analysis Results: Gate Filling Contribution
The filling pattern is important for obtaining a part that shrinks uniformly. You can examine the filling
contributions from each gate.
1. Under the Available Results, select Gate Filling Contribution.
The regular pattern of the three colors shown in the plot indicates that equal amounts of nylon
material are injected from each of the three injection locations.

2. Click .

175
Viewing the Warp Analysis Results
You examine the warp analysis results and measure the volumetric shrinkage.
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Results, right-click Warp Results , and select Read
All.
The Results PropertyManager lists the Available Results plots.
2. View the Total Stress Displacement plot. This shows the total deformation of the part after the
molded part cools to room temperature. This result considers stresses and thermal effects
during filling, packing, and a uniform mold cooling process.
3. In the Plastics CommandManager, click Measure .
4. Zoom in to see black lines corresponding to the edges of the original part geometry, and filled
colors for results that correspond to the deformed shape predicted by the warp analysis.
5. Position the red dot of the measuring tool by clicking near the outermost boundaries of the
gear’s teeth. The tool snaps to the edges of the part geometry but measures the nearest results
analysis location.
6. Read the value of R, which is the probed value of the displayed result. Try various locations to
determine the deformation range and to confirm that specifying multiple injection locations
resulted in uniform shrinkage.
Note: N is the mesh node number, and X, Y, and Z are the Cartesian coordinates of the
probed locations. These can be useful to pinpoint exact locations.

The maximum stress displacement of the gear’s teeth is approximately 0.4 mm, which may not
be within the acceptable design tolerance.

7. Clear Measure , then click .

Next, you try a different material for the part to investigate whether you can further reduce the
total warping deformation (shrinkage).

176
Applying a Different Material to the Part
You apply a nylon material with glass fiber to be used by the injection unit.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1, and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit 1 Settings 1 PropertyManager, click Material , and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand material node PA66.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic PA66+30%GF.
d. Click OK.
4. Click to accept the material selection and the Fill process settings.
Next, you rerun the flow, pack, and warp analyses and explore the results.

177
Rerunning the Flow + Pack + Warp Analysis
You run flow, pack, and warp as before.
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow + Pack + Warp , and select Run to start the analysis.
3. When prompted to replace the Flow and Warp results, click OK.
The Analysis Manager appears.
A progress bar reports the status of each of the analysis steps: Flow, Pack, and Warp. The total analysis
completes within 15 minutes, depending on your computer’s specifications.

178
Viewing Analysis Results
Follow the same procedure as before to examine the analysis results.
1. In the Results PropertyManager, under the Flow tab:
a. Use the Results Adviser to verify that the part fills successfully.
b. Display the Ease of Fill plot to confirm the fill results.

2. In the Results PropertyManager, under the Warp tab:

a. Display the Total Stress Displacement plot.
b. Use the Measure tool to verify that you reduced the shrinkage by using the same nylon
material but with added glass fiber.

3. Click .
179
Saving the Part and Closing the Session
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.
The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named spur_gear in the same location as
the part file.
Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

180
Tutorial 10: Multi-Shot Overmolding
Use SOLIDWORKS Plastics to simulate the injection molding of a two-cavity part with different polymer
materials injected into each cavity. First, you enable the sequentially flow, pack and warp analysis
steps. Then you examine the temperature development over time and investigate the resulting surface
quality.

Note: You must have SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium to run this tutorial.

In this tutorial, you:

 Open the part file

 Create a new study
 Specify domain types and fill order
 Specify the injection locations
 Generate a solid mesh
 Apply different polymer materials to each cavity domain
 Specify fill and pack settings
 Run the Flow + Pack + Warp analysis
 Explore the analysis results

181
What Is Multi-Shot Injection?
Multi-shot, or more specifically in this lesson, two-shot injection, is a multi-shot overmolding process in
which two different polymer materials are injected within the same cycle. Separate injection nozzles
introduce materials sequentially into the cavities. This is achieved by using a special mold that rotates
between cycles.

The following steps describe a two-shot injection process:

1. The injection of the red material starts in the right-hand mold cavity, while injection of the yellow
material starts in the left-hand cavity. The left-hand cavity already contains a part filled with the
red material during the previous cycle.
2. The injection of the red material completes in the right-hand mold cavity, while injection of the
yellow material completes in the left-hand cavity.
3. The mold opens, ejects only the completed part comprised of both red and yellow materials, and
rotates to a new position so that the next cycle can start with step 1

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

182
Opening the Part File
First copy the part file to a suitable location so you can save your analysis.

1. Browse to drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS

version\samples\Plastics Examples\brush_handle.sldprt
2. Copy the part file to a suitable location on your local drive.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, open the file from that location.

Warning: Failure to copy the part file to a suitable location can corrupt your SOLIDWORKS Plastics
installation.

The part opens in the Isometric view orientation, which you use throughout this lesson.

Note: You use the two small, red-colored, circular surfaces to specify the injection locations.

183
Creating a New Study
You create a study to define the key characteristics of your multi material overmolding injection
process.

In the Plastics CommandManager, click New Study .

1. Enter the name of the new study, Two-Shot Injection.

2. Under Injection Process, select Multi Material Overmolding.
This process type differs from co-injection or bi-injection because each cavity is filled with a
single material from a separate injection nozzle.

3. Accept the default Number of Injection Units (2).

4. Accept the default Solid analysis procedure.
Solid analysis is required for parts that are not uniformly thin, such as this geometry.

5. Click .
The PlasticsManager tree populated by several nodes becomes available.

Injection A concept that you use to specify the polymer material and process settings. It
Units is based on an idealization of a physical injection unit. Two injection units are
created by default for the Multi Material Overmolding process. You can add
more injection units, if required. You assign a different polymer material to
each unit.
Domains Specifies the volumes in space through which you simulate a heat or fluid flow.
Under this node, there are two domains for the solid bodies in the part. Later,
you assign the appropriate domain types.
Boundary Entities that allow you to specify the amount of polymer, fluid, or heat that
Conditions enters your simulation.
Global Simulation parameters that are not specific to any one injection unit and apply
Parameters to all domains.
Solid Mesh Divides each domain of the simulation model into discrete computational
elements

Next, you select which polymer material to inject and the appropriate process settings for the first
injection unit.

184
Assigning the Polymer Material for the First Injection Unit
You select an ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styreneplastic) polymer for the injection unit that you
associate with the body domain.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 1 and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit Settings 1 PropertyManager, click Material and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand material node ABS.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic material of ABS.
d. Click OK to close the Polymer dialog box.
Next, you specify the Fill settings for this injection unit.

185
Specifying the Fill Settings for the First Injection Unit
SOLIDWORKS Plastics allows you to control the injection of the melted material by specifying one of
these options:

 The filling time, by specifying the flow rate of melted polymer.

 The motion of the screw of the injection molding machine.
In this lesson, you specify a variable flow rate profile.

In the Injection Unit Settings 1 PropertyManager, do the following:

1. Specifythe Mold Temperature (°C) to 50.

2. Click Show Profile to open the Flow Rate Profile Settings.
a. Under Flow Rate Control, select Volume control (Absolute control)/Base on machine max.
flow rate.
b. Set Section number to 3.
c. In the table on the right-hand side, listsselect Volume (%) and Flow Rate (cc/s) as headings
from the drop-down lists and enter the following data:
Volume Flow Rate
(%) (cc/s)
5 20
95 30
100 25
d. Click Apply.
e. Click OK.
Next, you specify the Pack settings for this injection unit.

186
Specifying the Pack Settings for the First Injection Unit
Since different materials require different packing pressure, you use relative pressure control to define
a packing pressure profile for each material, rather than using the default settings in the software.
Relative pressure control is based on the injection pressure, which is calculates at the end of the filling
time. Because both materials are injected at the same time at different positions of the rotating mold,
you use the same time window for both cavities.

In the Injection Unit Settings 1 PropertyManager, click the Pack tab to enter Pack Properties:

1. For Pressure Holding Time (sec), clear Auto and enter 10.
2. For Pure Cooling Time (sec), enter 100.
3. Under Pack Properties, click Show Profile to open the Pressure Profile Setting options.
a. Under Pressure Control, select Relative to pressure at filling end (Relative control).
b. For Section number, enter 1.
c. In the table on the right-hand side, click the first column’s list, and select Time (s) as a
heading. Enter the following data for a constant packing profile:
Time (s) Injection Pressure (%)
10 80
d. Click Apply.
e. Click OK.
4. Click to close the Injection Unit 1 Settings PropertyManager.
The Injection Unit 1 icon now has a green check mark , indicating that the settings are complete.
The selected material is visible next to injection Unit 1.

Next, you select the polymer material and the associated process settings for the second injection unit.

187
Assigning the Polymer Material for the Second Injection Unit
You select a SAN (Styrene Acrylonitrileplastic) polymer for the injection unit that you associate with the
grip domain.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Injection Units , right-click Unit 2 and select Settings
.

2. In the Injection Unit Settings 2 PropertyManager, click Material and select Browse the
Database .
3. In the Polymer dialog box:

a. Select Default Database .

b. Under Plastics Database, expand material node SAN.
c. Select (P) Generic material / Generic SAN.
d. Click OK.
Next, you specify the Fill settings for this injection unit.

188
Specifying the Fill Settings for the Second Injection Unit
In the Injection Unit Settings 2 PropertyManager:

1. Reset the Mold Temperature (°C) to 50.

2. Under Fill Properties, click Show Profile to open the Flow Rate Profile Settings dialog box.
a. Under Flow Rate Control, select Volume control (Absolute control)/Base on machine max.
flow rate.
b. For Section number, enter 3.
c. In the table on the right-hand side, from the lists select Volume (%) and Flow Rate (cc/s) as
headings. Enter the following data:
Volume (%) Flow Rate (cc/s)
5 4
95 8
100 6
d. Click Apply.
e. Click OK.
Next, you specify the Pack settings for this injection unit.

189
Specifying the Pack Settings for the Second Injection Unit
In the Injection Unit Settings 2 PropertyManager, select the Pack tab to enter Pack Properties:

1. For Pressure Holding Time (sec), clear Auto and enter 10.
2. For Pure Cooling Time (sec), enter 100.
3. Click Show Profile to open the Pressure Profile Setting dialog box.
a. Under Pressure Control, select Relative to pressure at filling end (Relative control).
b. For Section number, enter 1
c. In the table on the right-hand side, select the heading Time (s) from the left list and enter
the following data for a constant packing profile:
Time (s) Injection Pressure (%)
10 60
d. Click Apply.
e. Click OK.
4. Click .
The Injection Unit 2 icon now has a green check mark , indicating that the settings are complete.
The selected material is visible next to Injection Unit 2.

190
Specifying the Domain Types and Associating them with Injection Units
The model consists of two solid bodies (Body and Grip). You assign to both bodies the cavity domain
that corresponds to the mold cavities that are filled with the selected molten polymer sequentially. In
the actual mold, a rotary disk is typically used to connect the cavities with their respective gates. The
gates are filled with melted polymer through separate injection units.

In the actual machine, after the first cavity is filled, the mold opens and the disk rotates while the
previously created part remains in the fixed half of the mold. The first part is then connected to the
gate of the mold half of the second cavity, the mold closes again, and the second cavity fills.

In the simulation process, you design both parts in their final positions and specify the gates (injection
locations) on the cavity domains.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Domains, right-click Body, then select Cavity and Unit
1.
2. Similarly, right-click the domain Grip, then select Cavity and Unit 2.
The domains now show their assigned domain types. Expand each domain node to view the assigned
injection unit with the selected polymer material.

191
Specifying the Injection Locations
Melted polymer material flows into the part cavity through injection locations that correspond to the
gates. You specify one injection location for each cavity:

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Boundary Conditions , and click Injection Location
.
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. For Selection , select the small red circular faces on each of the two cavities.
b. Click .

The cone-shaped glyphs, highlighted by orange circles in the figure, indicate the injection
locations.

192
Creating a Solid Mesh
You create a Solid Mesh of type Tetrahedral Hybrid using Advanced Mesh Control. SOLIDWORKS
Plastics automatically assigns a mesh size for each cavity, which you overwrite with slightly different
values of a similar magnitude. You use a curvature-based refinement method to further refine the
mesh locally to capture local geometric features in each cavity.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , right-click Solid Mesh and select Create Mesh .
2. In the PropertyManager:
a. Under Refinement Method, select the Curvature-based refinement method for automatic
mesh refinement on regions of high curvature and near the injection location.
b. Select Advanced Mesh Control.
c. In the graphics area, in the flyout FeatureManager design tree, expand Solid Bodies(2) and
select Body. The software automatically assigns a global mesh size of about 8.7 mm by
analyzing the size and thickness of the cavity body. You further reduce the size of the largest
elements for a more accurate analysis.

d. In the PropertyManager, for Mesh size (mm) , enter 5 mm.

e. Use the same procedure for the solid body named Grip to specify the Mesh size (mm) to
2.5 mm. Though slightly larger than the automatically chosen value of 1.86 mm, the 2.5 mm
size is adequate when combined with Curvature-based refinement.
f. Click to create the surface mesh and the volume mesh in a single step.
A green check icon appears on the Solid Mesh node indicating that meshing is complete. The
surface mesh is displayed.

193
Viewing the Solid Mesh Elements
Once you create a mesh, the software adds nodes to the PlasticsManager tree that let you complete
the simulation setup. Before proceeding, you use the Solid Mesh View to examine the solid mesh.

1. Right-click Solid Mesh and select the Solid Mesh View .

2. In the Solid Mesh View PropertyManager:
a. Under Section Clipping Settings, move the +Z clipping plane slider to the left to examine
the solid mesh elements.

The section view reveals the details of the solid mesh. Wedge-shaped elements, layered
near the boundaries, improve the solution accuracy. Tetrahedral elements fill the interior
very efficiently. This hybrid mesh topology provides an efficient discretization of the analysis
domain that accurately captures the important features of the flow, thermal, and stress
fields. The mesh has enough mesh elements to properly capture the physics of the
processes of filling, packing, and warping.

b. Click .
3. Click File -> Save to save the current setup including the study setup, the domain assignments,
the injection location, and the mesh parameters.

194
Running the Flow + Pack + Warp Analysis
To run the Flow + Pack + Warp analysis:
1. In the PlasticsManager tree, expand Run .
2. Right-click Flow + Pack + Warp and select Run to start the simulation.
The Analysis Manager dialog box appears.
A Flow + Pack analysis runs for the first cavity, and once is complete then a second Flow + Pack analysis
automatically starts for the second cavity. Once both analyses are complete, the Warp analysis starts.
A progress bar with text messages reports the status of the analysis, which completes within 30-40
minutes, depending on your computer.

195
Viewing Flow Analysis Results
Once the Flow analysis is complete, the Results PropertyManager lists the Available Results plots.
1. View the Fill Time result plot (selected by default) in the graphics area.

2. Under Report Options, the Adviser is automatically selected by default to display the
Results Adviser on the right-hand side of your screen.
3. Review the Results Adviser report under Fill Time to gain insights about interpreting results
plots.
According to the Results Adviser report, you can fill this part with an injection pressure of
about 28 MPa (approximately 4100 psi).
Note: The results can vary by a few percentage points depending on variations of the mesh
settings, changes to the material data, or revisions of the software. Color plots might
slightly vary because of lighting, view orientation, or other settings.
4. In the Results PropertyManager:
a. Under Animation, click Play .
The animation shows the profile of the polymer material melt as it flows through the part cavity
during the filling stage of the injection molding process.

b. Click Stop .
5. Click .

196
Viewing Warp Analysis Results
You examine Warp analysis results and use the Measure tool to estimate the volumetric shrinkage.
1. In the PlasticsManager, under Results, right-click Warp Results , and select Read All.
The Results PropertyManager lists the Available Results plots.
2. View the Total Stress Displacement result plot in the graphics area.
3. Expand Deformation Scale and enter 5.

This result shows the total deformation of the part after the molded part cools to room
temperature. The color contours represent the deformation of the part based on the mass
center of the model. The larger deformation scale exaggerates the degree of deformation of
the part relative to the cavity outline.

197
Measuring Linear Shrinkage
To evaluate the linear shrinkage in the x-direction, you define measure points at both ends of the part
and measure the degree of linear shrinkage between these points using the Measure tool .

1. Specify the view orientation to Top .

2. For Deformation Scale, enter 1.
3. Expand Component and select X-Direction.
4. Activate the Measure tool in the Plastics CommandManager.
5. Position the red dot of the Measure tool by clicking one end of the part.
6. Switch to the blue dot by clicking inside the blue rectangle, then position the blue dot on the
other end of the part.

The measure tool indicates that the total deformation because of shrinkage is about 1.8 mm
(dR) or about 1% (dR[%]).

7. Clear Measure , and click .

198
Viewing Time-Dependent Analysis Results for Global Results
You use the X-Y Plot tool to examine the transient behavior of the global results during the injection
process.
1. In the PlasticsManager tree , expand Results.
2. Right-click XY-Plot and select Read X-Y Plot.
A window opens to show two groups of results:
 Global Profile of the Filling Process. Lists results that represent the complete model.
 Local Profile of the Filling Process. Lists results at selected measure points.
3. By default, Max. Inlet Pressure, is pre-selected.

The pressure curve displays the pressure development versus time for both cavities. Note the
pressure rise in the first cavity, the defined packing pressure profile for the first cavity, and the
pure cooling time of the first part with a pressure value of 0 MPa. During the Filling stage of the
second cavity, the pressure rises again.

4. Use Zoom to better examine the maximum inlet pressure during the filling stage of the second
cavity.

Next, you use the Local Profile option to examine local results profiles.

199
Viewing Local Time-Dependent Results
You choose a reference plane to select nodal points at which to display the transient behavior of local
results during the injection process.
1. In the X-Y Plot Property Manager, select Set Reference Plane.
2. Specify the orientation of the reference plane to XY Plane.
3. Set the view orientation to Isometric to view the reference plane position. You can slide the
top of your X-Y plot window down so it does not obscure your view. Also, deactivate Mesh Model
and activate Cavity Visibility using the Plastics CommandManager.

The reference plane, which is colored cyan, is a cutting plane that allows you to select points on
a cross-sectional plane. You can control the position of the reference plane using the Offset
Distance slider. For this lesson, you leave it in the default mid-plane position.

4. Reset the view orientation to Back .

Next, you select nodal points along the cross-section to display results of nodal temperature.

200
Selecting Nodal Point and Displaying Local Results
You select 5 nodal points on the cross-section for nodal temperature results display.
1. Activate the Node Temperature under the Local Profile of the Filling Process.
2. Select a point near the head of the brush and add this point to the Select Points (Nodes) list by
clicking Add Grid .

3. Repeat the process to select a second vertically aligned with the gate of the first cavity, a third
point in the middle of the second cavity, the fourth point in first cavity but close to the second
cavity, and a fifth point in the middle of the handle.

4. The temperature profiles for each nodal point are displayed. Notice the number of each point
inside the square symbols on the plots.

201
Analyzing the Time-Dependent Local Temperature Behavior
When the filling of the second cavity starts, the temperature at point 4 rises because of the
overmolding. In many two-shot injection situations, the first material is re-melted at the interface,
which leads to a better connection between the first and the second material. However, in certain
cases (for example if you are using clear plastics,) the re-melting may not be desirable and with the
benefit of insight gained from simulation, you can evaluate ways to minimize the re-melting.

The time curves of points 3 and 5 show the necessity of a large cooling time. The two dashed
horizontal lines show the recommended ejection and transition temperatures of the material. The time
curve of point 3 is still above the transition temperature. That means that the material at this measure
point is not yet frozen. Arguably, you might consider a larger cooling time. However, a small nonfrozen
area inside the part is acceptable, and the time curve of point 5 shows that the first material freezes
during the cooling time of the second cavity.

1. When done with these results, click to close X-Y Plot.

2. Reset the View Orientation to Isometric .

202
Generating Summary Reports
You use the report generation tool to create a summary report.

1. In the PlasticsManager tree , under Results, right-click Summary and Report .

MS Word and MS PowerPoint formats are selected (default).
2. Click Generate to create results in both formats.
3. In the PropertyManager, click
4. In the Report Generator dialog box, under Cover
a. For Title, type Two-Shot.
b. For Date, type today’s date.
c. For Author, enter your name.
d. Leave Department and Institute blank.
5. Select the Generate Image File tab and select the following:
a. Under Material Parameters, Polymer Viscosity Graph.
b. Under Results, Max. Inlet Pressure and Node Temperature (default options).
c. Under Flow Results, the Fill Time and Weld Lines.
d. Under Warp Results, X Displacement and Total Displacement.
6. Click OK to start the report generation.
The report generation takes a few minutes.

7. When finished, the software prompts you to enter a folder location. Click Yes, then select a
convenient location, such as your Desktop.
In the specified location, you find a folder named Default_Report that corresponds to the
configuration name Default. This folder contains images, animations, and the report in the
selected formats.

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Saving the Analysis Settings and Closing the Ses sion
Click File -> Save.
SOLIDWORKS Plastics saves in the part document information about the Plastics study such as domain
assignments, boundary conditions, and mesh parameters.
The Plastics analysis settings and results are saved in a folder named brush_handle in the same
location as the part file.
Close the part to exit the session.

Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.

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