Plastic injection moulding simulation at Hagleitner

sim link is a bidirectional interface that enables data exchange between the simulation software and the injection moulding machine. ENGEL thus offers a solution that allows seamless integration into the product development process.

With the tool, the individual profile of every ENGEL machine delivered can be used in the simulation. This brings the plastic injection moulding simulation one step closer to reality. The parameters and profiles of the respective simulation can be transferred to the machine as initial settings using sim link. Likewise, process parameters and profiles from production can be easily fed back into the plastic injection moulding simulation using sim link.

sim link is being used for the first time at Hagleitner for the sampling of a cold runner mould with an ENGEL e-victory machine with a clamping force of 5,000 kN.

The procedure is as follows:

• During production, the machine records all relevant parameters and measurement curves such as temperatures, injection and holding pressure profiles.
• This data can be fed back into the simulation using sim link to improve the injection moulding process.
• CADMOULD suggests the initial settings. sim link delivers the results of the machines from the shop floor. The simulation engineer uses this to further optimise the injection moulding parameters.

Start parameters are used for the faster production of high-quality components by plastic injection moulding. These have previously been read out from the simulation with sim link and can now be optimised by comparing them with real production data. Thus, a good part can be achieved more quickly.

The latest development is the first automatic wet wipe dispenser. Here Hagleitner faced some challenges, especially with the front cover made of PP.

The combination of sim link and CADMOULD worked smoothly for the simulation. The number of shots until the first high-quality good part was low.

This led to:

• lower scrap, material and energy consumption in plastic injection moulding
• faster start of series production
• significantly accelerated sampling
• a shortened time to market

The wet wipe dispenser is currently already in series production. Much earlier than without the optimised simulation.

Even when a product is already in series production, CADMOULD and sim link remain relevant. Simulation with the actual data enables faster identification of possible causes of defects in plastic injection moulding and facilitates problem solving:

• It can happen that a component that has been running on the machine for years suddenly has problems. The reasons are manifold, for example insufficient filling or extremely high filling pressure. In such cases, Hagleitner uses sim link to import actual data from production into the simulation. In this way, the cause is quickly found and the problem is solved more quickly.
• The interaction of simulation and actual production data is also advantageous for future sampling. An example of this: If too much or too little material was accidentally removed during toolmaking, then the process settings from production can be transferred to CADMOULD with sim link. In this way, deviations between geometry and reality can be identified with the help of simulation.

Yes, because sim link shortens the time to the first high-quality good part.

That minimises:

• Costs
• Scrap, material and energy consumption
• Time until the official market launch

These and other success stories continue to spur ENGEL on to look for further solutions for simulation in plastic injection moulding: ENGEL's offering began with Autodesk MoldFlow and was expanded to include CADMOULD in 2023. In the coming year, another significant partnership with a renowned manufacturer of simulation software will follow.

By supporting three simulation products, ENGEL can bring the benefits of machine-software interaction to an even greater number of customers.