Page 43 - Plastics News November 2020
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Husky Debuts Mid-Volume PET Preform Altair Launches Injection Molding Simulation
System System
usky Injection Molding Systems' new NexPET
Hsystem is described by the company as a game-
changing mid-volume PET preform molding solution. It
is designed to help producers introduce multiple new
applications into the market quickly and cost ata analytics, simulation, and high-performance
effectively. The preform system benefits both Dcomputing company Altair has introduced
injection molding simulation software that, it says,
established companies producing niche brands or
slashes the cost and time involved in designing parts
smaller-run SKUs as well as emerging producers
for injection molding as well as prototype molds.
seeking a fast, low-risk entry into markets, said Husky.
Altair's Inspire Mold enables engineers to make better
It also allows manufacturers to respond nimbly to design decisions earlier, reduce costs, speed time-to-
shifting market trends, such as greater consumer m a r k e t , a n d o p t i m i z e t h e q u a l i t y a n d
demand for personalized products. COVID-19 has manufacturability of finished parts.
amplified this trend globally, according to Robert Altair Chief Technical Officer James Dagg said.
Domodossola, President, Rigid Packaging. The “Inspire Mold puts designers and engineers firmly in
pandemic has forced many producers to “rapidly adapt control of faster, more intelligent, and intuitive
operations to scale up new applications like hand evaluation of injection molded plastic parts.”
sanitizer, disinfectant, and other health, personal Manufacturability of new components can now be
evaluated at the outset of the development process,
care, or cleaning related products,” said Domodossola.
identifying possible warping, sink marks, and short
The NexPET system can run up to a 48-cavity mold and
shots before costly investments are made in molds.
is equipped with a number of productivity-enhancing Design iterations are completed faster, and fewer are
features. It has Faster mold changeovers along with needed before an optimal solution is identified. Scrap,
different screw diameters to maximize production tooling, and rework costs are slashed, and there are no
output flexibility. The system has a Reflex PET clamp to requirements for specialized, GPU-computing
hardware. While injection molding simulation has
distribute the right amount of force and maximize
been used for many years by plastics specialists, the
mold life along with a rotating end-of-arm tooling with
time and expertise requirements of legacy tools have
up to three cooling positions to ensure preforms are limited their appeal to the broader design and
ejected at ideal temperatures. It also has one of the engineering markets. According to Altair Inspire mold
efficient intuitive, easy-to-use controls. It also comes is breaking down these barriers. It is easy to learn and
with a adaptive system that automatically adjusts oil use. It provides extremely rapid model definition
without meshing. Most importantly, it solves the
pressure to suit applications while conserving energy
numerical equations fast. Product designers and
and moreover its has the capability to run recycled PET
engineers can easily conduct virtual testing,
pellets and varying quantities of flakes. The NexPET
validation, correction, and optimization of molding
system will benefit established companies producing designs via an intuitive, five-step workflow. Fast, next-
niche brands or smaller-run SKUs as well as emerging generation 3D technology eliminates experimental
producers seeking a fast, low-risk entry into markets. approximations of traditional 2.5D solvers.
NOVEMBER 2020 43 Plastics News
