Hello
I work with Solidworks 2013 Premium at work and would like to hear your views on the "SolidWorks Plastics" plugin. Are the results true to reality? Is it easy to manage? The calculation time is not too long??
Here is the link for those who want: http://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/simulation/plastics.htm
I work a lot on routing and I know that you have to be patient with Solidworks when parts become complex! ^^So that's an important point for me.
Thank you in advance,
Matthew
Hello Matthieu,
I will try to answer your questions objectively.
Are the results true to reality?
Yes, as long as you don't do anything, especially in terms of mesh (shell or volume). The latter also influences the calculation time... Otherwise, yes, the results are true to reality.
Is it easy to manage?
No more complicated than any other injection simulation software... The user is not lost since the interface is completely integrated with SolidWorks. I hope I have answered this question well insofar as the term "manage" is a bit ambiguous.
Isn't the calculation time too long?
It depends on a lot of factors that range from the power of the machine to the complexity of your designs. It is difficult to answer, especially since the notion of "speed" is specific to each person...
But I will say that one of the goals of SolidWorks Plastics is indeed to save time :-)
At your disposal if you have any other questions
Yves
Thank you for this answer.
It's true that there are a lot of parameters to take into account to know the calculation time. After that, if it's not longer than the other functions, it'll be fine. I was apprehensive about this point because this plugin seems to me to be really powerful.
SolidWorks Plastics was originally developed by Simpoe, who was one of the leading players in plastic injection molding...
By the way, SW bought Simpoe recently....
There is no doubt that SolidWorks Plastics is a great product and that the simulations are close to reality.
Once again, as far as performance is concerned, the parameters are too numerous to give a precise and fair answer to your question, and for your case.
But as with everything related to Simulation, it is better to have a correctly sized machine.
The calculations are rarely simple, the machine in the end also weighs a lot on the calculation time.
Hello
As a user of rheology software, I will try to answer your questions as best I can:
Solidworks Plastics is the equivalent of the "light" formulas (even if it's not exactly the same as the one to use) of traditional rheology software. This is the integration of Simpoe's calculation code into the Solidworks interface.
The purpose of this software is to detect geometry-related problems during the design phase. Thus we can see the impact of excess thicknesses, weld lines or problems related to geometry.
The meshes used are of coarser quality but automated to the size of the part in order to guarantee the shortest possible time.
With a current PC you generally get times of a few minutes with a basic current machine. In general, the configuration running solidworks is enough to run the code.
The results obtained make it possible to define the temperatures, pressure, speeds, shears during the filling phase with the possibility of balancing the supply channels.
However, I advise to use a more advanced software for studies linking compaction, deformation, thermal regulation, solution of injection problems, etc...
I found the pad with a mini ram level config of 2GB mini but concerning processor, dual core from 3GB should be enough.
If I can provide more details I remain available
Rom's
Hello
Thank you for these answers!!
I work in a design office that manufactures parts that will be manufactured by plastic injection. So it's not a necessity to have advanced software because there will always be a return if the part is not manufactureable. Overall I know the rules but I wanted to know if this supplement could check my mistakes and show me other important points that I don't usually take into account.
Now I know where I stand and it's rather positive, especially on a functional level!
Have a nice day
Hello
Some clarifications about Solidworks Plastics compared to what Rom said about it.
It exists in 2 levels of version:
- A "light" version that effectively allows you to simulate only the injection phase and to identify injection defects (weld lines, air bubbles, incomplete molding)
- An advanced version that allows you to simulate the maintenance/compaction phase as well as the shrinkage and cooling time and all the advanced analyses (insert, biinjection, co-injection, etc.) This version also allows advanced part meshing with automatic refinement (in both surface and volume)
These first 2 levels solve problems related to the design of the part.
There are also more advanced levels that allow the calculation of deformation and regulation of the tooling for those who design the molds.
If you need more information, don't hesitate,
Manon
Thank you for your answers!
This supplement really meets my needs, both in terms of its functions and its use.
Thank you.