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Contents
A ..................................................................................................................... 11
Air Shot ...................................................................................................... 11 Air Trap ...................................................................................................... 11 Amorphous Polymers ................................................................................. 11 Anisotropic Shrinkage................................................................................ 12 Aspect Ratio ............................................................................................... 12 Automation................................................................................................. 12
B ..................................................................................................................... 13
B-Splines .................................................................................................... 13 Back Pressure ............................................................................................. 13 Baffle .......................................................................................................... 13 Balanced Flow............................................................................................ 14 Barrel .......................................................................................................... 14 Barrel Capacity........................................................................................... 14 Barrel Effect ............................................................................................... 14 Batch........................................................................................................... 15 Bending Moment........................................................................................ 15 Boss ............................................................................................................ 15 Boundary Representation Solid.................................................................. 15 Bubble ........................................................................................................ 15 Bubbler ....................................................................................................... 16 Buckling ..................................................................................................... 16 Burn Mark .................................................................................................. 16
C ..................................................................................................................... 17
CAD............................................................................................................ 17 CAM........................................................................................................... 17 Cavity ......................................................................................................... 17 Center Gate................................................................................................. 17 Centroid ...................................................................................................... 18 Charge Stroke ............................................................................................. 18 Check Ring ................................................................................................. 18 Chiller......................................................................................................... 18 Chord Height .............................................................................................. 19 Clamp Capacity .......................................................................................... 19
3
Clamp Force ............................................................................................... 19 Closed Loop Controller .............................................................................. 19 Closed Volume ........................................................................................... 19 Compensating Phase................................................................................... 20 Composite Curve........................................................................................ 20 Compressibility Model ............................................................................... 20 Conic Arc ................................................................................................... 20 Control Limits ............................................................................................ 20 Cooling Channel......................................................................................... 21 Cooling Time.............................................................................................. 21 Core ............................................................................................................ 21 Cracking ..................................................................................................... 21 Crystalline Polymers .................................................................................. 22 Crystallinity ................................................................................................ 22 Crystallization ............................................................................................ 22 Cure ............................................................................................................ 22 Curve .......................................................................................................... 23 Cushion....................................................................................................... 23 Cycle Time ................................................................................................. 23
D ..................................................................................................................... 25
Decompression ........................................................................................... 25 Delamination .............................................................................................. 25 Density........................................................................................................ 25 Design of Experiments (DOE) ................................................................... 25 Disc Gate .................................................................................................... 26 Dominant Flow Path................................................................................... 26 Draft Angle................................................................................................. 26 Drooling...................................................................................................... 26 Dwell .......................................................................................................... 27 Dynamic Flow ............................................................................................ 27
E ..................................................................................................................... 29
Ejection....................................................................................................... 29 Ejection Temperature ................................................................................. 29 Ejection Time ............................................................................................. 29 Ejector Pins................................................................................................. 29 Element....................................................................................................... 30
Family abbreviation.................................................................................... 31 Family name ............................................................................................... 31 Fan Gate ..................................................................................................... 31 Feasible Molding Window ......................................................................... 31 Fiber Orientation ........................................................................................ 32 Filler ........................................................................................................... 32 Fillet............................................................................................................ 32 Filling Phase ............................................................................................... 32 Filling Time ................................................................................................ 32 Finger Gate ................................................................................................. 33 Flash ........................................................................................................... 33 Flow Leaders and Deflectors...................................................................... 33 Flow Path.................................................................................................... 34 Free Edge.................................................................................................... 34 Free-form Curves and Surfaces.................................................................. 34 Friction ....................................................................................................... 34
G..................................................................................................................... 35
Injection Location....................................................................................... 39 Injection Pressure ....................................................................................... 39 Injection Time ............................................................................................ 39 Injection Velocity ....................................................................................... 39 Injection Volume ........................................................................................39 Insert........................................................................................................... 40 Intersecting Mesh Elements ....................................................................... 40
Jetting ......................................................................................................... 41
L ..................................................................................................................... 43
Manifold Edge............................................................................................ 45 Masterbatch ................................................................................................ 45 Meld Line ................................................................................................... 45 Melt Density ............................................................................................... 46 Melt Temperature ....................................................................................... 46 Mesh ........................................................................................................... 46 Mesh - Midplane ........................................................................................ 46 Mesh - Surface (Fusion) ............................................................................. 47 Mesh - Volume (3D)....................................................................................47 Mesh Intersection ....................................................................................... 47 Model.......................................................................................................... 48 Mold ........................................................................................................... 48 Mold Open Time ........................................................................................ 48 Mold Temperature ...................................................................................... 48 Molding Window........................................................................................ 49
N ..................................................................................................................... 51
No-flow Temperature ................................................................................. 51 Node ............................................................................................................51 Nominal Part Thickness ............................................................................. 51 Non-manifold Edge .................................................................................... 52 Non-return Valve ........................................................................................ 52 Normalized Thickness................................................................................ 52 Nozzle Pressure .......................................................................................... 52
O..................................................................................................................... 53
Open Loop Controller ................................................................................ 53 Optimization................................................................................................53 Orientation.................................................................................................. 53 Orthotropic Material....................................................................................53 Overlapping Mesh Elements ...................................................................... 54
P ..................................................................................................................... 55
Part.............................................................................................................. 55 Parting Plane............................................................................................... 55 Pinpoint Gate.............................................................................................. 55 Plastication ................................................................................................. 56 Point............................................................................................................ 56 Poisson's Ratio............................................................................................ 56 Polymer ...................................................................................................... 56 Preferred Molding Window........................................................................ 57 Pressure Gradient ....................................................................................... 57 Pressure Profile........................................................................................... 57 Pressure Stroke ........................................................................................... 57 Pressurization Phase ................................................................................... 57 Process Control........................................................................................... 58 Process Parameters ..................................................................................... 58 Process Window ......................................................................................... 58 Processing Conditions ................................................................................ 58 Production Run........................................................................................... 59 Purging ....................................................................................................... 59 PVT ............................................................................................................ 59
R ..................................................................................................................... 61
Racetrack Effect ......................................................................................... 61 Ram ............................................................................................................ 61 Record Groove ........................................................................................... 61 Region ........................................................................................................ 62 Restricted Gate ........................................................................................... 62 Reynold's Number ...................................................................................... 62 Rib .............................................................................................................. 62 Run ............................................................................................................. 62 Runner / Runner System............................................................................. 63
S ..................................................................................................................... 65
Screw .......................................................................................................... 65 Screw Back Position................................................................................... 65 Screw Displacement ................................................................................... 65 Screw Forward Position ............................................................................. 65 Screw Velocity............................................................................................ 65
Semi-Crystalline......................................................................................... 66 Set Points.................................................................................................... 66 Shear........................................................................................................... 66 Shear Rate................................................................................................... 66 Shear Strain ................................................................................................ 66 Shear Stress ................................................................................................ 66 Shell............................................................................................................ 67 Short Shot ................................................................................................... 67 Shot Size..................................................................................................... 67 Shot Weight ................................................................................................ 67 Shrinkage.................................................................................................... 68 Sink Mark ................................................................................................... 68 Solid............................................................................................................ 68 Specific Heat .............................................................................................. 69 Sprue........................................................................................................... 69 Start of Fill.................................................................................................. 69 STL File...................................................................................................... 69 Streak Mark - Color.................................................................................... 69 Streak Mark - Dark..................................................................................... 70 Streak Mark - Glass Fiber........................................................................... 70 Streak Mark - White ................................................................................... 70 Stroke.......................................................................................................... 70 Suck Back................................................................................................... 71 Surface.........................................................................................................71 Switch-Over................................................................................................ 71
T ..................................................................................................................... 73
Tensile Strength .......................................................................................... 73 Thermal Conductivity................................................................................. 73 Thermal Degradation.................................................................................. 73 Tooling Noise ..............................................................................................73 Transducer .................................................................................................. 74 Transition Temperature............................................................................... 74 Translator.................................................................................................... 74 Trimmed Surface ........................................................................................ 74 Turbulent Flow ........................................................................................... 74
U ..................................................................................................................... 75
Valve Gate .................................................................................................. 77 Velocity Profile........................................................................................... 77 Velocity Routines ....................................................................................... 77 Velocity Stroke ........................................................................................... 77 Velocity to Pressure Change-Over ............................................................. 78 Vent............................................................................................................. 78 Venting........................................................................................................ 78 Viscosity ..................................................................................................... 78 Viscosity Index ........................................................................................... 78 Viscosity Model.......................................................................................... 79 Voids ........................................................................................................... 79 VRML image.............................................................................................. 79
W .................................................................................................................... 81
10
A
Air Shot
An air shot is the injection of polymer melt into the air, instead of into the mold. The main purpose of an air shot is to act as a "test run," to make sure that the machine is operating properly. The cylinder is pulled back from contact with the sprue bushing and the injection piston is moved forward, forcing melted plastic from the nozzle. If the melt is caught in a metal cup, a pyrometer probe can be used to check the temperature of the melt as it exits from the nozzle. This is one of the more accurate measurements of the melt temperature.
Air Trap
An air trap is an air or gas bubble that has been trapped by converging flow fronts or trapped against the cavity wall. This causes a surface blemish on the part. Air traps can be prevented by changing the gate location or part thickness. Good practice is to place vents in the mold at the air trap location.
Amorphous Polymers
Amorphous polymers are a family of polymers that are characterized by entangled polymer chains that are loosely bound. The term amorphous indicates that there is no preferred orientation of the molecules, relative to each other, without external force. During injection molding amorphous polymers have orientation. Amorphous polymers are in a super-cooled liquid state and generally shrink less than semi-crystalline polymers. Amorphous polymers exhibit no x-ray diffraction pattern, because they are not crystalline in nature. See also Crystalline Polymers on page 22, Semi-Crystalline on page 66.
11
Anisotropic Shrinkage
Anisotropic shrinkage is shrinkage that has different magnitudes in different directions. Anisotropic shrinkage occurs in filled materials due to the restriction of shrinkage along the fiber length, which tends to be in the flow direction. It also occurs in un-filled materials when the molecules have insufficient time to relax from the viscous elongation due to shear during flow.
Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio normally refers to the relation between width and height of a mesh element. These are important because they affect analysis accuracy. Aspect ratios are especially important in sensitive areas such as gates, or gas channels in a gas-injection simulation. The term aspect ratio is also used when describing fibers. In this context, aspect ratio is the ratio of the length of the fiber to the diameter.
Automation
Automation is the science of machinery or mechanisms which are so self-controlled and automatic that manual input is not required during operation. Automation is the technique of making a process automatic.
12
B
B-Splines
A b-spline is a mathematical function that defines free-form curves and surfaces. IGES files that use bsplines instead of parametric splines are generally smaller in size.
Back Pressure
Back pressure is pressure that opposes the screw as it returns. The purpose of increasing back pressure is to make it harder for the screw to return. This increases the shear heating and the mixing of the material, which results in improved polymer melt quality.
Baffle
A baffle is a cooling system component which is constructed by inserting a metal plate in the cooling lines which forces the coolant to flow up one side of the plate and down the other. It is used to regulate and direct the passage of coolant fluid so that the coolant can travel into difficult areas for more efficient cooling. By interrupting the flow in the cooling lines the baffles create turbulence around bends and improve the heat transfer capability of the coolant.
13
Balanced Flow
Flow is balanced when the extremities of the mold fill at the same time and pressure, as shown in the illustration below. Balanced flow leads to uniform orientation, uniform shrinkage and less internal stress and warpage of the part. It also leads to cost savings with reduced material usage. Gate location, runner system design and part thickness affect flow balance.
Barrel
The barrel is the cylinder of the plasticating chamber of an extruder or injection molding machine. The cylinder forms the chamber within which the plastic resin is converted from a solid form to a viscous melt.
Barrel Capacity
The barrel capacity is the maximum weight of material that a machine can produce from one forward motion of the ram or screw. See also Shot Size on page 67.
Barrel Effect
The barrel effect is the effect of material compressibility while the material is in the barrel of the injection molding machine. This compressibility can be significant. A simulation that calculates and uses the barrel effect will produce more accurate results. See also Compressibility Model on page 20.
14
Batch
A batch is the quantity of polymer that is made in one operation. A batch is also referred to as a lot. In CAE products, batch refers to the execution of consecutive analyses in one operation.
Bending Moment
A bending moment is the force or load applied to an entity that produces bending of that entity around an axis.
Boss
A boss is a raised projection in a molded part that usually has a hole in it to provide additional material for supporting a mechanical fastener, such as a screw.
Bubble
A bubble is a spherical, internal void caused by air or other gas trapped within a molded plastic product. A bubble differs from a blister in that the bubble is contained within the part, whereas a blister is on or near the surface of the part and generally causes deformation of the surface. A bubble also differs from a void, which is developed as a vacuum during cooling.
15
Bubbler
A bubbler is cooling system component. It is a central circular channel that can be introduced into the mold and is used to regulate and direct the passage of coolant fluid, so that the coolant can travel into difficult areas for more efficient cooling. The coolant flows through the central channel and then out and around the outside of the channel to the outlet point. Both baffles and bubblers have the effect of increasing flow turbulence and thus increasing heat transfer due to the inclusion of additional bends in the coolant flow system. Their geometrical shape also enables the application of cooling to restricted areas.
Buckling
Buckling is the conversion of in-plane membrane energy to bending energy and usually involves large deformations of the part. It is the principle mode of failure of a planar thin structure under excessive inplane loading.
Burn Mark
A burn mark is a defect that appears as a brown or black mark on the part surface. A burn mark can be caused by an un-vented air trap. This occurs when the trapped air is heated very quickly as it is compressed, burning the surrounding plastic. Velocity profiling is often used to prevent this problem, by giving air more time to escape from the mold.
16
C
CAD
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is the process of using computer software programs to design parts, tools, molds, and assemblies.
CAM
Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), is the use of computers and computer technology to control, manage, operate, and monitor manufacturing processes.
Cavity
The cavity is the region within the mold that fills with plastic to form the part.
Center Gate
A center gate is a gate which is located in the center of the part. It can be a sprue (direct) gate or pinpoint gate.
17
Centroid
A point whose coordinates are the average of the coordinates of a given set of points and which for a given planar or three-dimensional figure (as a triangle or sphere) corresponds to the center of mass.
Charge Stroke
See also Shot Size on page 67.
Check Ring
A check ring is the sliding ring of the non-return valve on the front of the screw. The check ring allows melted plastic to flow forward to the front of the screw during plastication, and prevents flow back into the screw during injection. The check ring is a high wear item that can leak during injection, effectively reducing the pressure that is applied to the melted plastic. See also Non-return Valve on page 52.
Chiller
A chiller is a self-contained system comprised of a refrigeration unit and a coolant circulation mechanism consisting of a reservoir and a pump. Chillers maintain optimal heat balance by constantly recirculating chilled cooling fluids to injection molds.
18
Chord Height
Chord height is the distance between the vertex of an arc and a straight line connecting two points on the arc (the distance c on the figure below). When generating a mesh, enabling chord height control increases the chance of creating a mesh that closely corresponds to curved surfaces. Without chord height control, some surface curves, such as fillets, degrade when meshed. Chord height control is effective only with parts that have curved surfaces.
Clamp Capacity
Clamp capacity is a measure of the largest projected area of cavities and runners that an injection molding machine can safely hold closed at full molding pressure.
Clamp Force
Clamp force is the force required to hold the mold closed while an opposing pressure is exerted by the plastic injected into the cavity.
Closed Volume
A closed volume is a group of surfaces connected together to form a polyhedron. A closed volume has no free edges. The structure is used to form inserts and the mold boundary. See also Free Edge on page 34.
19
Compensating Phase
The period during the injection molding process when plastic is injected to compensate for the plastic in the cavity shrinking as it cools.
Composite Curve
A group of curves that are joined end to end to form a single curve. Composite curves are discontinuous if the start point of one curve is not the same as the end point of the previous curve. IGES composite curves are: Composite Curve (IGES Type 102) Boundary Entity (IGES Type 141) Curve on a Parametric Surface (IGES Type 142)
Compressibility Model
Heated plastics are compressible. The compressibility of a material affects the volume of plastic required to produce a finished part.A compressibility model describes the relationships between pressure, temperature, and the volume (PVT) of the plastic material. The compressibility model that the software uses is the 2-Domain Modified Tait PVT model with 13 coefficients. See also Barrel Effect on page 14.
Conic Arc
A mathematical form for representing ellipses, hyperbola and parabolas.
Control Limits
Control limits are statistically determined values between which a control variable is allowed to range without adjusting the process. Control limits provide an indication of the variation in the injection molding process.
20
Cooling Channel
A cooling channel is a passageway in a mold for circulating water or another cooling medium, in order to control the temperature of the metal surfaces in contact with the plastic being molded. Cooling channels are typically connected to form a circuit. Cooling channel configurations can be serial or parallel.
Cooling Time
Gross cooling time is the time after the velocity phase until the part is sufficiently cooled to be ejected from the mold. Therefore, gross cooling time is the sum of the pressure phase (packing and holding) and the net cooling time. The net cooling time is the time after the pressure phase and before the part is ejected from the mold.
Core
The core is the part of the mold which shapes the inside of a molded part.
Cracking
Cracking is the formation of a narrow separation in a plastic component, usually by the rupture of chemical bonds due to internal and external stress.
21
Crystalline Polymers
Crystalline polymers are a family of polymers that are characterized by an ordered arrangement of the molecules which fit closely together. Typically, crystalline polymers are more dense than amorphous polymers. A polymer in a crystalline state is a solid, due to its solid crystals, which have definite geometric form. Crystalline polymers display an X-ray diffraction pattern. The degree of crystallinity determines the intensity of the pattern. The pattern can be used to identify the polymer. See also Amorphous Polymers on page 11.
Crystallinity
Crystallinity is a solid, molecular state of some polymers which denotes compactness of the molecular chains. This characteristic is attributable to the existence of solid crystals with definite geometric form.
Crystallization
During cooling some polymers form an ordered molecular structure which are called crystals. The rate of crystallization is a function of both temperature and time. The level of crystallinity achieved is determined by cooling rates. Rapid cooling rates are associated with lower levels of crystalline content and vice versa. The level of volumetric contraction (shrinkage) is also affected by degrees of crystallinity, with higher crystallinity resulting in greater shrinkage. In injected molded parts, thick regions tend to cool slowly relative to thinner sections, and so have higher crystalline content and hence higher volumetric contraction.
Cure
Cure is a stage reached by a thermosetting material that is sufficiently cross-linked to form a solid; the cross linking is the result of a chemical reaction. Sometimes this term is used to describe the solidification of thermoplastics; this is a physical process of removing heat from the thermoplastic.
22
Curve
A line in three-dimensional space. A curve can be straight or contain bends. This includes:
Line - a straight curve defined by two end points. Arc - a section of a circular curve defined by one of two methods: