Vendor Spotlight:

MSC.SOFTWARE, MOLDFLOW FIND BENEFITS OF SIM SOFTWARE

MSC.Software Corp., a leading global provider of virtual product development (VPD) products including simulation software and services, and Moldflow Corporation, a leading global provider of automation and optimization software solutions for the plastics injection molding industry, announced the completion of a joint project with Austool Limited and the Department of Environment and Conservation, New South Wales, Australia related to the use of computer simulation technologies to reduce the time, cost and energy involved in the design and manufacturing of plastic products. By using a combination of technologies from Moldflow and MSC.Software, Austool was able to demonstrate savings of more than AUD $ 75,000 in tool development, 250 hours in labor, a 75% decrease in development time and a reduction of more than 16,000 kilowatts of electricity.

"MSC.Software is very proud of our relationships with other PLM and VPD companies and is always looking for ways to work together on joint projects that can demonstrate the value of simulation," said Frank Perna, chairman and chief executive officer of MSC.Software. "This project with Moldflow and Austool is a perfect example of both the quantitative and hidden benefits of using VPD and simulation tools. Not only were we able to show a tremendous time and cost savings by eliminating design and manufacturing time, costs and materials, but we were able to do it with far less energy usage than traditional methods. If companies can develop innovative products in less time, for less cost and do so with less natural resources, they can be competitive and environmentally sensitive at the same time."

"Moldflow is very pleased to have been a part of this joint project with Austool Limited, the Department of Environment and Conservation, New South Wales, Australia and MSC.Software," said Roland Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Moldflow Corporation. "The results attained in this project clearly demonstrate the significant cost and development time savings utilizing analysis provides companies working with injection molded plastics. Further, this project shows that reducing the amount of material and time required to mold a plastic part can reduce the impact of manufacturing on the environment through the elimination of scrap and lower electricity usage, allowing companies to still produce world class products in an environmentally responsible manner."

"This initiative is a great environmental step forward for the New South Wales Toolmaking industry and is yet another example of government partnering with industry to find creative ways to protect the environment and boost company profits," said Lisa Corbyn, Director General of Department of Environment and Conservation, New South Wales, Australia.

MSC.Software and Moldflow, in partnership with Austool Ltd, undertook this project in early 2004 to compare the environmental and economic benefits of simulation-aided tooling design over traditional design methods. MSC.Patran was used as the platform to facilitate the generation of computer-based functional simulation models for both tooling and parts, and to access Moldflow software as well as MSC.Nastran and MSC.Fatigue to investigate functional performance, stress, and durability of the tools and parts. The integrated use of these software products successfully predicted the onset of core flexing as a major production problem due to the presence of a single injection point in the original design. The tool design was modified to overcome the flexure by the addition of two more injection points. The simulation process was repeated for the new design to investigate the effectiveness of the design change. Moldflow software provided important information regarding the flow of the molten polymer during the injection process and subsequent shrinkage effects. MSC.Nastran and MSC.Fatigue were successful in predicting the core flexing behaviour and facilitated tuning of the injection pressure to achieve a satisfactory balance between tool life and part quality. At the time of writing, the design modifications are being physically made to the tooling to overcome ongoing production problems thus extending the tool life.

The traditional approach for tool manufacturing is a trial-and-error method that wastes considerable resources and time before the tool is perfected. By using virtual product development (VPD) techniques, this project was able to predict major core flexing problems thereby saving four re-work cycles that amounted to a significant reduction in rework costs; $75,000 in the cost of the tool's development, a saving of 250 hours in labor time, 16,464 kWh in electricity (which can power 4 family homes for 1 year) and 1,100 kg of steel.

"If every toolmaker in NSW removed just two re-works from each new tool build, savings of 20 million kWh of electricity, 320 tons of C02 and more than $3.3 million in tool building costs could be saved each year," said Austool Ltd CEO, Mr. Bob Lundie-Jenkins. "Not only would the tool making industry be making a positive contribution to the environment, they would also have the opportunity to improve their own profitability."

About MSC.Software Corporation

MSC.Software is a leading global provider of simulation software and services, that helps companies make money, save time and reduce costs associated with designing and testing manufactured products. MSC.Software works with thousands of companies in hundreds of industries to develop better products faster by utilizing information technology, software, services and systems. MSC.Software employs more than 1300 people in 23 countries. For additional information about MSC.Software's products and services, please visit http://www.mscsoftware.com.