Setting Up the Mesh

You can modify the parameters that control the computational mesh size, and you can manually generate the mesh and view the resulting mesh.

This task shows you how to:

See Also
About the Mesh

Setting Up the Mesh for the First Time

You can generate and view the first mesh by specifying overall mesh size and settings for boundary layers.

  1. From the Setup section of the action bar, click Mesh Setup .
  2. Modify the Mesh size.

    The mesh size specifies the average size of elements in the mesh. The app calculates the default mesh size based on the overall dimensions of the plastic parts, and it generally produces medium quality simulation results. Smaller mesh cells can be necessary for parts with small passages in critical regions, such as gates. For the highest accuracy, specify a mesh size of one-third of the part thickness or less.

  3. Specify the number of Boundary layers.

    Boundary layers are thin mesh cells created at the inner and outer surfaces of the part. For high accuracy, specify two or more boundary layers.

  4. First layer thickness

    The default thickness of the first boundary layer is one eighth of the average wall thickness, which when combined with the default of two boundary layers creates a boundary layer mesh that is one quarter of the wall thickness on both the inner and outer surfaces of the part. The offset multiplied by the number of boundary layers cannot exceed one half of the wall thickness.

  5. From the Mold mesh size field, modify the maximum size of a mesh element in the virtual mold. This mesh will be automatically refined locally to match the plastic and cavity parts.
  6. From the Coolant mesh size field, modify the average size of a mesh element in the coolant parts.
  7. Generate and view the mesh.
  8. Click OK.

Refining the Mesh

You can refine the mesh by using visualization tools to inspect the interior mesh quality and making any required refinements.

  1. From the Setup section of the action bar, click Mesh Setup .
  2. Click Mesh to generate the mesh based on the control parameters that you have specified. The mesh generation dialogs will appear displaying information about the meshing process. If you modify any of the control parameters, you can click Mesh again to update the mesh.

    Note: If meshing errors occur, use the steps below to view and cut the mesh. Problematic regions will be highlighted in blue. Most meshing errors are caused by tiny, irrelevent features in your solid geometry.

  3. View the mesh.

    By default, the mesh is hidden. In the Display tab of the action bar, click the Visibility Control icon to access the mesh display controls. Since the mesh is created inside your solid bodies, you will need to Show the mesh and Hide the solid bodies. Use the Visualization Management icon to access controls to show and hide the solid bodies (3D shapes).

    If your model includes coolant parts, the virtual mold mesh will obscure the plastic and coolant parts. You can use the Model tab in the Feature Manager to show/hide the virtual mold.

  4. Cut the mesh to see interior elements.

    Viewing the outer surface of the mesh does not give you enough information to assess the mesh quality. You can use the Cutting Plane icon in the action bar's Display tab to display a cross-section view of the mesh. This dialog offers simple controls to create a cross-section cut in either the X-, Y-, or Z-directions. The Reverse button displays the other half of the mesh. Uncheck the Exact mesh cut option to see the cut mesh elements. You can then click and drag on the cut surface to sweep the cut through the model.

  5. Click OK.

If you are not satisfied with the mesh, you can modify the mesh controls and repeat this step.