Plastic Part Filling

Plastic Part Filling enables you to perform Fill simulations to optimize the design of thermoplastic parts and plastic injection molds.

You can configure a Fill simulation to predict how plastic fills a mold cavity during the plastic injection molding process. The Fill simulation accounts for any heat transfer between the material and the mold during filling, and it predicts the changes in viscosity as the material begins to solidify.

See Also
What's New
Plastic Part Filling Basics
In Other Guides
3DEXPERIENCE Platform
3DEXPERIENCE Native Apps

Plastic Part Filling is a native app that you can use to:

  • Select a suitable material from a database of over 3,000 plastic materials.
  • Specify the temperature settings of the molding machine.
  • Specify the filling time, flow rate, or screw speed.
  • Define one or more injection locations on the parts.
  • Customize the mesh to balance solution accuracy against simulation run time.
  • Identify any part defects and make changes to the process parameters or part geometry to improve the product's quality.

Before you use Plastic Part Filling, you must have a model of the part cavity defined as a single solid part. You can use the Functional Plastic Parts app to create this part.

Once you have a model, Plastic Part Filling enables you to create a Fill simulation. You can use the results of the Fill simulation to predict manufacturing problems (for example, short shots, sink marks, weld lines, and air traps) and material degradation (from shear heating). The results include animations of the plastic material filling the part cavity, which you can use to diagnose these problems.

Plastic Part Filling does not allow you to simulate the packing and mold-cooling phases of the plastic injection molding process, which occur after plastic material fills the part cavity. You can simulate these phases, as well as the filling phase, using the Plastic Injection app.

For information about accessing Plastic Part Filling, see Opening an App from the Compass.