Autodesk Moldflow Adviser 2012

AMA Runner Balancing Tutorial

Revision 1, 30 March 2012.

Contents

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Runner balancing (tutorial). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Prepare the project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Set runner balance constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Perform a Runner Balance analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Test the balanced runner system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tutorial review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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Runner balancing (tutorial)

Runners need to be balanced in molds where there are two or more cavities, such as a multi-cavity or family mold. Balancing the runners is a way of adjusting the runner system so that the flow of melt is evenly distributed to the cavities, in order to produce a better quality part. A balanced runner system ensures that the parts are filled evenly, in the same time and at the same pressure. In this tutorial you will:

Set runner balance constraints on your runner system Perform a Runner Balance analysis Optimize your runner system

NOTE: Throughout this tutorial it is assumed that metric units are used. To change units: 1 2 3 4 Click then Options to open the Options dialog. Select the General tab. Select Metric units from the Active units drop-down menu. Click OK.

Prepare the project

Prepare a project for runner balancing using a family mold study. NOTE: This tutorial uses the mouse_family study which was developed in the Family Mold tutorial. If you have already completed the Family mold tutorial, you can access this study by opening the Family project: 1 2 3 Click (Get Started tab > Launch panel > Open Project). Navigate to the Family folder, then select the Family.mpa project. Click Open.

If you have not completed the Family Mold tutorial: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Click (Get Started tab > Launch panel > New Project). Enter Family in the Project name of the Create New Project dialog. Click OK. Click (Home tab > Import panel > Import). Navigate to the tutorial file (typically C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Moldflow Adviser xxxx\tutorial). Select the study file mouse_family.sdy. Click Open, and then Finish to complete the import. The mouse_family.sdy appears.

Now create a copy of the mouse_family study. 1 2 3 4 Select the Tasks tab from the Project panel. Right-click the mouse_family study name. Select Duplicate from the menu. A new entrymouse_family(copy)appears in the Project View pane. Edit the text to read mouse_balance. Press Enter, or click outside the text box to apply the new name. NOTE: If it is not alreay visible, select the mouse_balance study to display the Study Tasks pane. 5 Click Fill time from the results section of the Study Tasks pane. The result plot shows the position of the flow front at regular intervals as the cavity fills.

2 | Prepare the project

NOTE: One of the cavities is filled before the other, whereas they should both be filled at the same time. This is the result of unbalanced flow. The project is now ready to be worked on. In the next task you will set the runner balance constraints for your runners.

Prepare the project | 3

Set runner balance constraints

Set runner balance constraints for your runners. NOTE: Before you run a runner balance analysis, it is important to ensure that you are satisfied with:

The gates locations. The molding conditions. The runner layout.

If you want to optimize the size of your runners within a minimum and maximum range, where possible, or to stop them from resizing, you need to set runner balance constraints for them. 1 2 Click (View tab > Navigate panel > Select) to change to selection mode. Hold-down the CTRL key to multi-select the runners, and then right-click and select Properties. The Runner Properties dialog appears. Click Runner Balance Constraints. The existing runner balance constraints for the selected runner sections are displayed. Select Range from the Constraint drop-down list. Enter 2 in the (min) and 7 in the (max) text box. Press Enter. Click OK to apply your changes and return to the Runner Properties page, and then click OK.

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The runner balance constraints are now set. In the next task you will launch the Runner Balance analysis.

4 | Set runner balance constraints

Perform a Runner Balance analysis

Perform a Runner Balance analysis and apply the necessary changes to improve your runner system. 1 2 3 4 Click (Home tab > Molding Process Setup panel > Analysis Wizard). The Analysis Wizard appears. Clear any previously selected analyses, and then select Runner Balance. Click Analyze to perform the analysis. After the analysis has finished a dialog appears. Click OK.

You will now apply the necessary changes to your runner system. 1 2 3 Select the Runner Balance tab from the Summary pane. Click the Original Size or Balanced Size values in the Runners table to highlight the relevant runner section in the Model pane. Click Apply all to accept all suggested balanced sizes. NOTE: You can also click Apply to change each runner size independently. 4 5 6 7 When prompted, click Create copy to create a new study and keep your current results. A new entrymouse_balance(copy)appears in the Project View pane. Edit the text to read mouse_balance_test. Press Enter, or click outside the text box to apply the new name.

In the next task, you will test your balanced runner system.

Test the balanced runner system

Test the runner system that you have balanced in the previous task. 1 2 3 4 Select the Runner Balance tab from the Summary pane. Click Perform Fill analysis to start the analysis. When the analysis is complete a dialog appears.

Click OK. Click Fill time from the results section of the Study Tasks pane. The result plot shows the position of the flow front at regular intervals as the cavity fills. Note that both cavities are filled at the same time. The flow is now balanced.

NOTE: If you wish, you can now adjust the size of the runners in the Diameter drop-down list of the Edit Properties dialog to better fit your tooling constraints.

6 | Test the balanced runner system

Tutorial review

In this tutorial, you have balanced a runner system. You have performed the following tasks: 1 2 3 4 Imported an existing study/project. Set runner balance constraints on the runners. Performed a Runner Balance analysis. Checked that both parts filled evenly.