When it comes to injection mold manufacturing, the old adage that time is money has never been more true. On an increasingly competitive international stage, the ability to bring products to market on-time and on budget can often mean the difference between becoming a market leader and trying to play catch up against the competition.
Mold flow analysis is one excellent tool your manufacturer can add to your injection molding arsenal. Mold flow analysis allows you to test out your injection mold designs by simulating the injection molding process to answer a number of important questions.
- How will your chosen material flow through the mold?
- What kind of pressure will be needed to effectively fill the mold?
- How will the geometry of my product design affect manufacturing?
These are just some of the unknowns that mold flow analysis can help answer for you. By utilizing mold flow analysis prior to creating your injection molds, you’ll be able to optimize your product designs to improve part consistency and increase the overall quality of finished products.
BENEFITS OF MOLD FLOW ANALYSIS
The benefits of mold flow analysis are plentiful. Mold flow analysis can help you address potential challenges with wall thickness, optimize your gate locations (gate location has a great deal of influence on the quality of your finished parts, affecting the way plastic flows into the mold cavity), and provide a great deal of flexibility during material selection, so you can test out how different materials will affect production.
WHAT PROJECTS IS MOLD FLOW ANALYSIS BEST FOR?
While mold flow analysis can benefit any product, it’s not always the right choice for every product. There is an upfront investment that doesn’t always pencil out for simpler projects. But it is an excellent choice for more complex parts, giving you peace of mind and helping to avoid costly retooling once production begins. For these more complex products, the investment in mold flow analysis can pay great dividends over the lifetime of your products.
Want to know if mold flow analysis is right for you? Contact KASO today to speak to one of our experienced engineers and learn more about the benefits of mold flow analysis.