Altair Case Studies Boosting Efficiency and Economy in Injection Mold Tools with Topology Optimization, CFD Simulation and 3D Printing

	Boosting Efficiency and Economy in Injection Mold Tools with Topology Optimization, CFD Simulation and 3D Printing Altair

Boosting Efficiency and Economy in Injection Mold Tools with Topology Optimization, CFD Simulation and 3D Printing

Altair

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
Applicable Industries	Buildings Equipment & Machinery
Applicable Functions	Facility Management Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Additive Manufacturing Time Sensitive Networking
Services	System Integration
Challenge	The toolmaking industry, particularly in Europe and America, has been facing increased pricing pressure due to growing competition from Asian countries. This has led to a need for innovative and high-quality solutions that offer higher productivity and significantly lower costs per part compared to standard solutions. One of the key parameters for higher productivity is the cycle time, which can be optimized through conformal tempering. However, the challenge lies in reducing cycle time without compromising on the quality of the parts produced. The shorter the cycle time, the greater the number of components that can be manufactured within the same period, significantly increasing the facility’s overall productivity and economic viability. Read More
About Customer	The customer in this case study is PROTIQ GmbH, a spin-off from Phoenix Contact's business unit, Rapid Solutions. PROTIQ specializes in the production of individual tools made of different materials and offers its solutions globally. The company not only produces 3D printed parts but also leverages topology optimization and simulation to design the tools. PROTIQ's approach ensures that only the necessary amount of material is used, leading to lower production costs and improved handling of the injection mold in operation. The company has a platform where customers can upload their digital 3D data, calculate the price online, and have the final component delivered in no time. Read More
Solution	To address this challenge, the industry has increasingly turned to new manufacturing methods such as 3D printing (or additive manufacturing). Phoenix Contact, a company in the industry, started to evaluate these methods in 2009, initially using a polyjet printer and later adopting laser-sintering (plastic) and laser melting (metal) solutions. The company’s business unit, Rapid Solutions, delivered fast toolmaking solutions and prototypes. This approach proved successful, leading to the creation of a separate enterprise within Phoenix Contact, named PROTIQ GmbH. PROTIQ leverages topology optimization and simulation to design the tools. Based on load case descriptions and other boundary conditions, engineers are able to determine the optimal structure of the component prior to production. This approach ensures that only the necessary amount of material is used, leading to lower production costs and improved handling of the injection mold in operation. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation

Applicable Industries

Buildings

Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Facility Management

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Additive Manufacturing

Time Sensitive Networking

Services

System Integration

Challenge

The toolmaking industry, particularly in Europe and America, has been facing increased pricing pressure due to growing competition from Asian countries. This has led to a need for innovative and high-quality solutions that offer higher productivity and significantly lower costs per part compared to standard solutions. One of the key parameters for higher productivity is the cycle time, which can be optimized through conformal tempering. However, the challenge lies in reducing cycle time without compromising on the quality of the parts produced. The shorter the cycle time, the greater the number of components that can be manufactured within the same period, significantly increasing the facility’s overall productivity and economic viability.

About Customer

The customer in this case study is PROTIQ GmbH, a spin-off from Phoenix Contact's business unit, Rapid Solutions. PROTIQ specializes in the production of individual tools made of different materials and offers its solutions globally. The company not only produces 3D printed parts but also leverages topology optimization and simulation to design the tools. PROTIQ's approach ensures that only the necessary amount of material is used, leading to lower production costs and improved handling of the injection mold in operation. The company has a platform where customers can upload their digital 3D data, calculate the price online, and have the final component delivered in no time.

Solution

To address this challenge, the industry has increasingly turned to new manufacturing methods such as 3D printing (or additive manufacturing). Phoenix Contact, a company in the industry, started to evaluate these methods in 2009, initially using a polyjet printer and later adopting laser-sintering (plastic) and laser melting (metal) solutions. The company’s business unit, Rapid Solutions, delivered fast toolmaking solutions and prototypes. This approach proved successful, leading to the creation of a separate enterprise within Phoenix Contact, named PROTIQ GmbH. PROTIQ leverages topology optimization and simulation to design the tools. Based on load case descriptions and other boundary conditions, engineers are able to determine the optimal structure of the component prior to production. This approach ensures that only the necessary amount of material is used, leading to lower production costs and improved handling of the injection mold in operation.

Impact #1	The operational results of implementing the solution were significant. The injection mold produced was 75 percent lighter than the original tool created a couple of years ago with traditional methods. Conformal tempering was integrated into the 3D printing process which led to a dramatically reduced cycle time. The lead time for the manufacturing of the injection mold was also reduced by 25 percent since the engineers were able to integrate functions already in the 3D printing process. This reduced the final manual assembly time of the tool further. Thanks to shorter manufacturing lead time, production costs of the injection mold were also significantly lower. Based on these results, PROTIQ adopted the Altair HyperWorks suite for their in-house development team and now offers all required services from one source, via the PROTIQ-platform.

Impact #1

The operational results of implementing the solution were significant. The injection mold produced was 75 percent lighter than the original tool created a couple of years ago with traditional methods. Conformal tempering was integrated into the 3D printing process which led to a dramatically reduced cycle time. The lead time for the manufacturing of the injection mold was also reduced by 25 percent since the engineers were able to integrate functions already in the 3D printing process. This reduced the final manual assembly time of the tool further. Thanks to shorter manufacturing lead time, production costs of the injection mold were also significantly lower. Based on these results, PROTIQ adopted the Altair HyperWorks suite for their in-house development team and now offers all required services from one source, via the PROTIQ-platform.

Benefit #1	Increased productivity due to shorter production cycles
Benefit #2	Weight reduction of 75%
Benefit #3	Shortened development time

Benefit #1

Increased productivity due to shorter production cycles

Benefit #2

Weight reduction of 75%

Benefit #3

Shortened development time

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Overview

Boosting Efficiency and Economy in Injection Mold Tools with Topology Optimization, CFD Simulation and 3D Printing

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit