Note: This article is written and published in Spanish and is a translated version of the original published here.
Each year, the Moldflow Summit brings together engineers, researchers, and software developers who share a common passion: improving plastic injection processes through simulation. The 2026 edition was no exception: 14 sessions full of case studies, new tools, and ideas that are worth taking back to the shop floor or simulation screen.
Below is a tour of the most relevant topics of this year.
1. AI is already changing the way we design and manufacture
The opening session set the tone for the event. Autodesk's Jon den Hartog presented a vision on how artificial intelligence is accelerating product development cycles. The message was clear: teams integrating AI-assisted workflows will be able to iterate faster and with less physical trial and error.
In the same vein, the German company Synera showed how to connect Moldflow within multi-agent engineering agent platforms, a paradigm where different simulation and optimization tools communicate autonomously to suggest design improvements.
"Integrating AI into simulation workflows doesn't replace the engineer, it gives them back time to make smarter decisions."
2. What's New in Moldflow 2027
Hanno van Raalte presented upcoming features for Moldflow 2027. The session anticipated improvements in calculation speed, new post-processing capabilities, and a more integrated interface with other tools in the Autodesk ecosystem.
3. The highlights of the event
Here's a look at the variety of topics covered at this Summit:
- Rivian & Autodesk: Connect Moldflow with VRED for defect visualization
- Cadence: Integrating Moldflow with Digimat-MS for Gate Location analysis
- Synventive: Filling benchmarking: Doesn't Moldflow match reality?
- Madison Group: Can STAMP bring us closer to the digital twin?
- Covestro: Prediction of Inkwash in Film-Embed Molding
- Penn State Behrend: Effects of wax additive on injection molding
- Joysonquin: Thermomechanical validation for molding with decorative wood insert
- Avient: Lightening Validation: Foaming Agent Correlation and CAD Simulation
- MF Software & Code: Increase productivity with Moldflow Toolbox and PEGASUS
- Autodesk I+D: Moldflow R&D Update — Franco Costa
- Autodesk: Useful tips and resources for Moldflow — Juan Zamora
4. Bridging the gap between simulation and reality
One of the recurring themes of the Summit was the famous correlation problem: "the simulation does not match what comes out of the mold". Synventive's Mike Garrett tackled this head-on with a single-fill benchmarking study. Your session provides a convenient framework for identifying where the mismatches really are: in the material data, in the process conditions, or in the model setup.
For their part, the Joysonquin team presented a thermomechanical validation case study on parts with decorative wood inserts, demonstrating how to systematically close that gap.
5. Towards the digital twin: are we already close?
Hunter Beaumont of Madison Group explored whether the STAMP methodology can be the bridge to a true digital twin of the injection process. The promise is ambitious: a computational model that is updated with real production data in quasi-real time. The road still has obstacles, but the sessions of this Summit show that the industry is moving forward with solid steps.
6. Productivity without sacrificing accuracy
Benjamin Wittmann and Tim Dassen showed how the Moldflow Toolbox and PEGASOS tools can reduce the time engineers spend on pre- and post-processing, which is often the most tedious part of the simulation flow. If you work with many concurrent projects, this session is mandatory.
Conclusion
The Moldflow Summit 2026 confirmed that plastic injection simulation is in a moment of transformation. Artificial intelligence, integration with other platforms and the constant search for sim-reality correlation are the forces that are defining the future of this discipline. Recordings and PDFs of all sessions are available on Autodesk's official site.
Access all recordings: https://www.autodesk.com/campaigns/advmfg-summit/recordings/2026
