Evaluating the Root Cause of the Rubber Molding Defects through Virtual Molding

Over the past two decades SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding has lead the efforts in imaging the behavior of rubber during injection molding to the virtual molding simulation. Injection molding of rubber is complicated because there is a lot going on inside the mold and it’s all happening simultaneously. Together R.D. Abbott Company, Inc. and SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding explored a variety of defects and their relation to the mold, process and the product design.

SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding considers all mold components in 3D virtual detail. Simulations runs are accomplished using multiple consecutive cycles to provide steady state conditions. This novel approach provides a detailed view into the potential problem areas of the entire molding system during the design. Investigation into the root causes of common Rubber Molding defects like low/high viscosity flow behavior, venting, air traps, curing, flashing, mold temperature control, and cycle time are addressed.

SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding’s approach is to consider all the components of the mold with their kinetic, rheological, thermal, and volumetric properties. Then, processing conditions are used and multiple consecutive cycles are reproduced virtually, representing what happens in the molding machine during the manufacturing process. With SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding, this is done in the virtual world, accurately reflecting what will happen in the real world. This way, the same conditions that are found on the production floor are replicated virtually. Mold iterations and trials are performed independently, freeing up machine capacity and reducing costs.