Contour Plots
Contour plots show how a parameter varies spatially over the part at a particular time.
| Result | Description |
|---|---|
| Pressure, Fill simulation | Displays pressure at several times during the step. You can animate this result using the Animation Options | Animation Type = Time History to view how pressures vary during the step; see About Animation for more information. |
| Pressure at End of Fill | Displays the pressure distribution at the end of the fill step. |
| Temperature, Fill simulation | Displays temperature at several times during the step. You can animate this result using the Animation Options | Animation Type = Time History to view how temperatures vary during the step; see About Animation for more information. |
| Temperature at End of Fill | Displays the temperature distribution at the end of the fill step. When the mesh is refined enough to include multiple cells through the thickness of the part, the temperature on the part surface is likely lower than in the center. You can use a cutting plane to view these values. |
| Flow Front Central Temperature | Displays the melt front temperature at the end of filling. As a result of the fountain flow effect, this temperature is relatively uniform through the thickness of the part. |
| Bulk Temperature at End of Fill | Displays an average of the temperature distribution through the thickness of the part. In the averaging process, material that is moving at a higher velocity is weighted more heavily than stagnant material. |
| Temperature at ejection, Fill | Displays the predicted temperature distribution within the cavity after cooling when 90% of the cavity is at or below the ejection temperature. This prediction is based on results from the filling simulation only. Results from a subsequent pack step will provide more accuracy. |
| Temperature Growth at End of Fill | Displays the growth in temperature due to shear heating. |
| Fill Time | Displays the time when the flow front reaches each point in the model. You can watch the flow front move through the part cavity using the using the Animation Options | Animation Type = Scan single frame; see About Animation for more information. |
| Flow Front Velocity Vector | Velocity vectors provide an indication of the molecular orientation of the material as it flows to fill the cavity. |
| Injection Location Contribution | Displays the fraction of material introduced through each injection location. This is useful when multiple injection locations are defined. |
| Ease of Fill | Displays the relative pressure required to fill each region of the cavity. Blue regions can be filled with pressures below 70 percent of the maximum injection pressure, green regions require pressure that exceeds 70 percent of the maximum injection pressure, and red regions require pressure that exceeds 85 percent of the maximum injection pressure. |
| Pressure at Packing Switch Time | Displays the distribution of pressure within the cavity when the filled cavity volume reaches the pack switch point. |
| Freezing Time at End of Fill | Displays the predicted time for each location in the cavity to reach the glass transition temperature, as defined in the polymer material property data. This prediction is based on results from the filling simulation only. Results from a subsequent packing simulation will provide more accuracy. |
| Frozen Area at End of Fill | Displays areas of the cavity that have reached the glass transition temperature, as defined in the polymer material property data. Values of 0 and 1 indicate material that is above or below the glass transition temperature, respectively. |
| Volumetric Shrinkage at End of Fill | Displays the distribution of volumetric shrinkage assuming the part has cooled from its state at the end of the fill step to a uniform temperature of 25 C. |
| Shear Stress at End of Fill | Displays the shear stress distribution in the part. |
| Shear Rate at End of Fill | Displays the shear rate distribution in the part. High shear rates occur in regions where large variations in flow velocity occur over short distances. |
| Ejection Times | Displays the predicted time for each location in the cavity to reach the ejection temperature. This prediction is based on results from the filling simulation only. Results from a subsequent packing simulation will provide more accuracy. |
| Weld Lines | Displays regions where flow fronts meet during filling, potentially forming weld line defects. |
| Air Traps | Displays regions where isolated pockets of air develop during the filling process, which might require venting in the tooling. |
| Sink Marks | Displays sink marks, which are surface depression defects that occur due to shrinkage. They might be reduced or eliminated by effectively compensating for shrinkage during the subsequent packing phase of injection molding. |
| Fiber Orientation | Displays a vector showing the direction in which most fibers are oriented. Color represents the fraction of fibers oriented in the vector direction. For example, a color value of 1.0 indicates 100% of fibers are aligned, and a color value of 0.33 indicates completely random alignment. This result is only available when a fiber-filled material is used. |
| Particle Concentration at End of Fill | (Metal particle materials only) Displays the concentration of metal particles in the plastic part at the end of the fill stage. |
| Material Reactive Conversion at End of Fill | (Thermoset materials only) Displays the conversion percentage of material in each element. |
| Curing Time at End of Fill | (Thermoset materials only) Displays the time when each element cured. |