Cool FEM

[andrea_grubercarreyo]

Hi, I am trying to perform a COOL FEM study to evaluate the effect of the cooling lines (modeled as beams), mold block (from themold wizard) , and mold inserts (imported CAD geometry) in the cooling time of my molded parts.

I would like to know the correct sequence to perform the study, because first i imported the cad geometry of my part, meshed it, then added the cooling lines and meshed them. Finally added the mold insert and created the mold using mold wizard and perform the mold mesh, but I got error 1900136.

I checked that there were no intersections, non-manifold etc. I proceed to use the stitching tool as recommended but it does not recognize surfaces. I made a first mesh of the mold, then used the stitching tool and make the mesh again (having everything visible, water lines, mold insert and cavity) and it works until I run the analysis and I got a warning 312065 saying that my beams are not touching any mold surface.

I know it must be a mistake in the steps I am following, any recommendation of what is the best way of the sequence of steps I should do to perform this study correctly?

[mason.myers]

Hello @andrea_grubercarreyo ,

Are you attempting to use the CAD as Moldblock approach or the mold surface mesh approach?  If you are using the CAD as Moldblock approach, I would make sure you are set as CoolFEM and al the Part CAD/mesh, Insert CAD/mesh, runners/beams (including center lines!)....basically everything, if turn on or visible before you generate your mold block.

If the mold does not mesh to 3D, I would stop after surface mesh generation and try to clean the mesh up as if it were a Dual Domain mesh (run mesh statistics, look and repair intersections, overlaps, free edges, etc).  Then mesh to 3D.  I usually avoid the stitching approach even though the log files suggest this.

https://help.autodesk.com/view/MFIA/2023/ENU/?guid=MoldflowInsight_CLC_Modelprep_Molds_for_injection...

Mason

[andrea_grubercarreyo]

Hi Mason, thank you for your help

The mold block wizard is not letting me to create my mold as a CAD mold block, just as a surface. I created it, mesh it with all my components inside (cavity meshed, cooling lines as beams, and mold insert (this one was not meshed)). But then trying to run the 3D mesh it failed

[mason.myers]

Hello @andrea_grubercarreyo ,

Just to be clear, you are checking the option for Create CAD as Mold block as I show below?

Mason

[andrea_grubercarreyo]

Hi Mason, once again thank you for your time and patience.
I am new running cool fem analysis.

After your comments, I noticed several errors and then I was able to run the COOL FEM analysis only on my part and cooling lines, creating a CAD mold block through mold block wizard. (waiting for the analysis results)

When I proceed to proceeded a new COOL FEM study, i followed the same steps but this time adding a meshed mold insert. Then when I tried to create a CAD mold block I got an error because it appears that several of the bodies that make up my insert contain defects (which I cannot modify). Then following their suggestions tried to create a mold surface and use the stitch option (only having my part visible) and I got the following dialog box.

Thank you once again,

[mason.myers]

Hello @andrea_grubercarreyo ,

Thank you for the images, I think I know what is happening.  As you correctly pointed out, the CAD as Mold block is seeing issues with some of your CAD geometry.  The analysis runs because I think you have set your inserts to be that of Mold Insert properties which would solve the CoolFEM.  I wouldn't trust these results since you still do not have a 3D mold mesh, just a 3D mold insert mesh.  You would need to create the internal/external mold surface triangles and check this for various mesh issues like free edges, intersections, overlaps.  Once you have a clean mold surface mesh - it should mesh to 3D properly.

Mason

[andrea_grubercarreyo]

Mason, again thank you very much for you advises! In fact, I was having issues with my CAD geometry. I fixed it, imported my mold components and created my mold a surface, meshed them only having inside the cooling lines as curves and no issue (any warning during meshing), then I proceeded to mesh them again as a 3D and again any warning showed up. 

Proceeded to run the Cool FEM analysis and everything ran without warnings.

But I was wondering if there is a way to double check that my mold components are having the impact in my study, if they have the contact with my part and with the mold block.

[mason.myers]

Hello @andrea_grubercarreyo ,

I would check the Temperature, Mold or Temperature, Mold Insert plots to ensure that everything was modeled properly.

Mason

https://help.autodesk.com/view/MFIA/2023/ENU/?guid=MoldflowInsight_CLC_Results_Cool_analysis_results...

https://help.autodesk.com/view/MFIA/2023/ENU/?guid=MoldflowInsight_CLC_Results_Cool_analysis_results...

[andrea_grubercarreyo]

Thank you Mason! It seems like everything its ok!

Thank you for all your advices and time!

[andrea_grubercarreyo]

Hi Mason, one last question.
As soon as I am done with meshing my mold components and my mold block. I am checking that everything was captured properly, so in the "mesh elements" Layer I start to hide the cooling lines and I can see that they were replicated because as soon as I hide those beam elements, they left the negative in the mold, the same happens with the sprue, runner and part. But when I did the same to one of my mold components, I tried to hide one of them, but I didn't see any negative left in the mold. That is bad, right?

[mason.myers]

Hello @andrea_grubercarreyo ,

Sounds like everything is correct except your mold insert.  Making the mold block inside of Moldflow will cut out all your runners, cooling, and inserts.  The mold insert CAD has to have the same cut outs prior to importing into Moldflow (Moldflow will not cut out any cooling geometry).  

Mason