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Compression Molding
Tutorials
These examples are designed to help you become familiar with some of the major features available in SimForm.
Running a basic mold analysis
In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up, solve, and interpret results of a basic mold analysis.
View results
Display the freeze time and the temperature distribution on the plastic and mold parts to locate regions where you can improve the cooling design and optimize the cooling time.

Compression Molding
- Compression molding overview
  Use SimForm to perform a thermal cooling analysis for your plastic compression mold designs. These analyses help you identify hot spots on the plastic part and develop cooling layouts to improve the part quality and reduce cycle times.
- Setting up a simulation workflow
  You can set up and run a SimForm project by uploading your CAD file, categorizing components, selecting materials, and running simulations.
- Navigating the app interface
  The SimForm interface allows you to create and access projects and jobs, as well as add and manage users and account credits.
- Using projects and jobs
  Use projects and jobs in SimForm to manage and organize your mold design tests.
- Setting up a simulation
  Use the setup page to categorize and define your model components properties for the solver to identify them.
- Defining mold properties
  Defining mold properties based on your analysis type ensures that the SimForm solver correctly identifies the mold components in your CAD model and considers their material properties in the thermal analysis.
- Defining plastic part properties
  Categorize your plastic part components and define their materials to allow the SimForm app solver to identify them.
- Defining cooling channels
  In design projects, if your model contains cooling channels, you must define the components that represent them so the solver can identify them.
- Running a simulation
  When running a simulation, the solver relies on specific assumptions and automated processes to ensure accurate and efficient results.
- Viewing results
  The results page allows you to view and explore the thermal analysis results of your job after its simulation is completed.
- Tutorials
  These examples are designed to help you become familiar with some of the major features available in SimForm.
  - Setting up and running a conventional cooling design
    In this tutorial, you will perform a mold cooling analysis for a conventional cooling design.
  - Comparing cooling designs
    In this tutorial, you will compare the thermal performance of conformal and conventional mold cooling designs.
  - Running a feasibility analysis
    In this tutorial, you will perform a feasibility analysis for a model of a computer mouse shell plastic part design.
  - Extracting cooling channels
    In this tutorial, you will learn how to extract and define the inlets and outlets of your cooling channels directly from your mold without using physical CAD bodies.
  - Running a basic mold analysis
    In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up, solve, and interpret results of a basic mold analysis.
    - Create a job
      Create a job in an existing project and upload the mouse shell conformal cooling design.
    - Define the basic mold
      Define the size and mold material of the basic mold. The SimForm solver considers the effect of the mold size and material properties on part quality and cooling time estimations.
    - Define the plastic part
      Categorize your plastic part components so the solver can identify them. You will then define their materials.
    - Run the simulation
      Start the solving process.
    - View results
      Display the freeze time and the temperature distribution on the plastic and mold parts to locate regions where you can improve the cooling design and optimize the cooling time.
  - Learning videos
- Glossary

View results

Display the freeze time and the temperature distribution on the plastic and mold parts to locate regions where you can improve the cooling design and optimize the cooling time.

Click Results to open the results page.
Rotate your model using the model manipulation tools to inspect the freeze time distribution on your plastic part.

The display window shows the global and local freeze time, or safe ejection time, distribution on your plastic part in seconds.
You can use the local freeze time results to identify areas that need a longer time to cool down. This helps you optimize your plastic parts, for example, by reducing wall thickness, and improve the cooling system design by adding highly conductive inserts or baffles.
You can use the global freeze time to accurately estimate the part cost for a quote and provide a realistic cycle time target for the mold maker. Once the mold is designed, you can compare the actual mold cooling performances to the feasibility analysis well-designed mold.
In the Display Mode panel, select Plastic Surface to display the volume temperature distribution of the plastic part.

Notice the areas with relatively high temperatures. Placing cooling channels or baffles near these regions improves heat extraction, results in a more uniform temperature distribution, and reduces cooling time.

You can use basic mold analysis results to make informed decisions early in the design process, leading to significant time and resource savings.

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