Lee Plastics has added Mold Flow to its engineering capabilities. Mold Flow allows us to design plastic components electronically before starting tooling production begins. Using the mold designs provided to us or that we have created based on the project we create a digital version of the product. The Mold Flow software then takes the digital mold design and analyzes it. Mold Flow software is designed to simulate how different resin will flow through a mold into the various cavities. The simulation allows us to detect how the mold will work with various key factors.
What Does Mold Flow Analysis Do?
Using Mold Flow we can perform digital filling, cooling, and warpage analysis. We then provide the analysis of these stages of the tooling production process to your customers. Mold Flow allows us to make changes to your molds before production. We look at melting temperature, fill timing, and pressure statistics during this stage.
What Benefits Does Mold Flow Analysis Provide?
Mold Flow Analysis allows us to optimize our molds. Because we are looking at molds digitally beforehand, we can avoid the first trial with new molds. This saves time, resources, and money in the long run. Mold Flow analysis makes it possible to metaphorically “measure twice and cut once”. Because we can analyze all the factors of a new mold’s design we can optimize design elements early on.
When Do We Use Mold Flow?
Mold Flow analysis is not necessary for every project. At Lee’s Plastics, we have years of experience designing molds and manufacturing over 2000 unique parts. Products with simple geometry do not require mold flow analysis. Other factors we consider are the materials we are using, the scope of the project, and tolerance requirements. For many projects, the products we design do not require Mold Flow analysis. The Mold Flow analysis program does require some time commitment to accurately design the digital mold. This is why we use it for projects that require extra analysis.
If you have a unique plastic product design and need them manufactured perfectly we would be happy to help design. Between our 40 years of design experience and Mold Flow Analysis software, we provide quality plastic parts that are made perfect consistently.