It is imperative to develop In-Mold Coating technology
The current mainstream dual color composite molding process in the industry has formed a clear application trend: this process involves first injecting thermoplastic substrates (first color), and then compounding thermosetting PUR materials in the mold (second color). However, the existing Moldflow software does not have a dedicated dual color composite molding simulation module, which cannot directly match this real production process.
At present, competitors have not only completed the layout of the complete process simulation capability, but also perfected the PUR material card, which can directly output complete simulation analysis reports and benchmark data. They have also vigorously promoted it to mainstream host factories such as Chery and Geely, and strongly guided downstream supply chains to use competitor simulation software for project analysis. The market competition momentum is very rapid.
Looking at our current situation, Moldflow does not have a dedicated dual color composite molding simulation function, and can only reluctantly use the embedded molding scheme to replace simulation, resulting in a significant deviation between simulation accuracy and actual production; At present, there is a lack of PUR specific material UDB files, which cannot even meet the basic material simulation conditions and cannot keep up with the actual project needs of customers.
The market competition situation is extremely urgent. If the R&D department cannot quickly implement the development of exclusive functional modules for in mold spraying/two-color thermoplastic+thermosetting molding, complete the corresponding process simulation capabilities and supporting material databases, we will completely lose the advantages of bidding for new projects and retaining old customers. A large number of OEMs and supply chain customers will quickly flow to competitors, directly causing the loss of core business, a significant decline in market share, and missing the opportunity of the entire segmented track market. We kindly request the R&D team to prioritize and expedite the development of this process module, quickly fill in the technical gaps, and stabilize the market position.
The process flow of in mold spraying is shown in the attachment.
