Altair Case Studies HyperWorks Empowers Global Appliance Manufacturer to Utilize New Material for Enhanced, Cost-Effective Product

	HyperWorks Empowers Global Appliance Manufacturer to Utilize New Material for Enhanced, Cost-Effective Product Altair

HyperWorks Empowers Global Appliance Manufacturer to Utilize New Material for Enhanced, Cost-Effective Product

Altair

Technology Category	Sensors - Environmental Sensors Sensors - Temperature Sensors
Applicable Industries	Electronics Life Sciences
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing Virtual Reality
Challenge	Suzhou Samsung Electronics Co., a Korean-Chinese joint venture that develops and produces major home appliances, was facing a challenge with its refrigerator door covers. The company was considering changing the composition of its refrigerator door covers for certain models to reduce costs. Traditionally, ABS engineering plastic was used to create the upper and lower door covers. However, for cost control, the company sought to use high-impact polystyrene, or HIPS, instead of ABS for the injection-molded covers. Unfortunately, during physical reliability testing, the HIPS covers cracked during the temperature cycling process. The cracking was observed in the middle of the door cover’s top surface, beginning at the front edge of the door cover. The engineers at Suzhou Samsung performed an analysis of the material, structure, and injection-molding process to identify the cause of the cracking. They found that the change in material was one factor contributing to the cracking issue. Read More
About Customer	The customer in this case study is Suzhou Samsung Electronics Co., a Korean-Chinese joint venture that develops and produces major home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines. The company is constantly seeking ways to lead the competition by reducing the volume of material in its products without sacrificing top-rate performance. For cost control, the company was considering changing the composition of its refrigerator door covers for certain models from ABS engineering plastic to high-impact polystyrene, or HIPS. However, during physical reliability testing, the HIPS covers exhibited cracking, leading the company to seek a solution to this issue. Read More
Solution	To analyze the stress on the door cover during thermal expansion and contraction, the engineers used HyperMesh and RADIOSS, both part of Altair’s HyperWorks suite of computer-aided engineering tools. These tools allowed the engineers to create a computerized simulation of the refrigerator door cover temperature field. The simulation was separated into two conditions: a drop from room temperature to low temperature and an increase from room temperature to high temperature. The simulation analysis showed that the fracture stemmed from contraction during the low-temperature cycle. After changing the material from ABS to HIPS, the safety coefficient declined and the maximum deformation increased. The engineers then evaluated ways to prevent the cracking, beginning with increasing the thickness of the door cover’s top surface and adding stiffeners in the form of vertical and horizontal ribs. The second proposal, which extended the rib length and height, proved to increase the door cover safety coefficient to 2.0, which was equal to that of ABS material. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Sensors - Environmental Sensors

Sensors - Temperature Sensors

Applicable Industries

Electronics

Life Sciences

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing

Virtual Reality

Challenge

Suzhou Samsung Electronics Co., a Korean-Chinese joint venture that develops and produces major home appliances, was facing a challenge with its refrigerator door covers. The company was considering changing the composition of its refrigerator door covers for certain models to reduce costs. Traditionally, ABS engineering plastic was used to create the upper and lower door covers. However, for cost control, the company sought to use high-impact polystyrene, or HIPS, instead of ABS for the injection-molded covers. Unfortunately, during physical reliability testing, the HIPS covers cracked during the temperature cycling process. The cracking was observed in the middle of the door cover’s top surface, beginning at the front edge of the door cover. The engineers at Suzhou Samsung performed an analysis of the material, structure, and injection-molding process to identify the cause of the cracking. They found that the change in material was one factor contributing to the cracking issue.

About Customer

The customer in this case study is Suzhou Samsung Electronics Co., a Korean-Chinese joint venture that develops and produces major home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines. The company is constantly seeking ways to lead the competition by reducing the volume of material in its products without sacrificing top-rate performance. For cost control, the company was considering changing the composition of its refrigerator door covers for certain models from ABS engineering plastic to high-impact polystyrene, or HIPS. However, during physical reliability testing, the HIPS covers exhibited cracking, leading the company to seek a solution to this issue.

Solution

To analyze the stress on the door cover during thermal expansion and contraction, the engineers used HyperMesh and RADIOSS, both part of Altair’s HyperWorks suite of computer-aided engineering tools. These tools allowed the engineers to create a computerized simulation of the refrigerator door cover temperature field. The simulation was separated into two conditions: a drop from room temperature to low temperature and an increase from room temperature to high temperature. The simulation analysis showed that the fracture stemmed from contraction during the low-temperature cycle. After changing the material from ABS to HIPS, the safety coefficient declined and the maximum deformation increased. The engineers then evaluated ways to prevent the cracking, beginning with increasing the thickness of the door cover’s top surface and adding stiffeners in the form of vertical and horizontal ribs. The second proposal, which extended the rib length and height, proved to increase the door cover safety coefficient to 2.0, which was equal to that of ABS material.

Impact #1	By using HyperWorks CAE tools for finite element analysis, Suzhou Samsung was able to clearly identify the reasons behind the door cover fractures. The solutions derived from the simulation allowed the engineers to improve the covers’ structural strength while replacing ABS with HIPS material to meet a more cost-effective target. This not only resolved the cracking issue but also helped the company achieve its goal of reducing material costs without compromising on the performance of the product. The successful implementation of this solution demonstrates the potential of simulation-led design in addressing manufacturing challenges and optimizing product performance.

Impact #1

By using HyperWorks CAE tools for finite element analysis, Suzhou Samsung was able to clearly identify the reasons behind the door cover fractures. The solutions derived from the simulation allowed the engineers to improve the covers’ structural strength while replacing ABS with HIPS material to meet a more cost-effective target. This not only resolved the cracking issue but also helped the company achieve its goal of reducing material costs without compromising on the performance of the product. The successful implementation of this solution demonstrates the potential of simulation-led design in addressing manufacturing challenges and optimizing product performance.

Benefit #1	The safety coefficient increased from 1.3 to 2.0, equal to that of ABS material
Benefit #2	The overall deformation of the door body was reduced from 3.3 mm to just 2.3 mm
Benefit #3	The weight of the upper and lower covers increased by 27.6 g and 17.5 g respectively, but HIPS costs significantly less than ABS, reducing overall material costs

Benefit #1

The safety coefficient increased from 1.3 to 2.0, equal to that of ABS material

Benefit #2

The overall deformation of the door body was reduced from 3.3 mm to just 2.3 mm

Benefit #3

The weight of the upper and lower covers increased by 27.6 g and 17.5 g respectively, but HIPS costs significantly less than ABS, reducing overall material costs

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Overview

HyperWorks Empowers Global Appliance Manufacturer to Utilize New Material for Enhanced, Cost-Effective Product

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit