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Ansys Polyflow: Polymer Processing Simulation

Ansys Polyflow accelerates design and optimisation of processes such as extrusion, thermoforming, blow molding, glass forming and fiber drawing, making your manufacturing processes more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.

Optimie Die Designs and Reduce Costs by Simulation instead of Shop Trials

Ansys Polyflow’s unique inverse die design capability can identify final die designs much faster than traditional build-and-test methods. This translates into substantial cost reduction and time savings.

Your team can improve the quality of blown and thermoformed products by running trial-and-error processes with Ansys Polyflow, rather than testing changes on the production line. You can also model the deformation of molten plastic pushed through an extrusion die - simulating the flow within the die, predicting the extrudate shape for a particular die and predicting the required die shape in order to obtain a desired extrudate shape.

Key Benefits

Develop Better Packaging

Packaging is important to protect products from damage — but it is also a sustainability issue, as well as an additional cost to goods suppliers. Deploying virtual prototyping using Polyflow enables you to model the package manufacturing process. By coupling this solution with ANSYS structural products, your R&D team can evaluate and test a design’s behavior and durability. You can take corrective action at the design or manufacturing phase, or both, to quickly and cost-effectively design lighter packaging with better performance.

ansys polyflow packaging blow molding simulation

Reduce Extrusion Die Costs

Ansys PolyFlow allows companies to virtually design and test extrusion dies. Users can simulate the extrusion process and automatically perform die shape optimization.

  • Consider multiple design options making “what if” strategies easy
  • Design dies faster
  • Understand and eliminate flow related problems
  • Reduce costs for engineering and extrusion line time, die fabrication, and scrap material

Ansys polyflow simulation to reduce extrusion die costs

Investigate Diverse Materials with Digital Material Laboratory Models

ANSYS Polyflow includes a vast library of mathematical material models so you can understand and accurately characterize material behaviour. Simulation enables you to test the ability to process new resins, even before they have ever been produced, by comparing prototypes for different materials to see if they match or outperform existing and competitive materials. You can reverse-design a resin to maximize end-product performance while minimizing costs and environmental impact.

material modelling with ansys polyflow

Account for Nonlinear Thermal Effects, Including Radiation

ANSYS Polyflow models include viscous heating to allow you to detect potential deterioration of a polymer grade or undesired rubber curing. Accurate modeling of high-temperature processes, such as glass forming, requires the use of advanced nonlinear material properties, accurate radiation prediction (using, for example, the discrete ordinate radiation model) and the Narayanaswamy model that accounts for material stress relaxation during the cooling process.

viscous heating capability within Ansys polyflow

Fluid-Structure Interaction

Polyflow includes native fluid–structure interaction (FSI) to model thermomechanical interactions between flowing materials and surrounding solids in a fully coupled approach. When large deformations occur within the elastic zone, the mesh resolution is automatically refined to improve the quality of results.

fluid-structure capability using Ansys polyflow

Optimization and Design Exploration

Designing equipment and processes for best results involves evaluating multiple designs and optimising flow and geometric parameters. With Polyflow, you can declare any scalar as an optimization variable, including rheological parameters, boundary conditions and mesh displacements. Then you can use the built-in optimization algorithm to automatically minimize or maximize a given objective function based on input parameters.

Design of experiments (DOE) applied to Ansys polyflow

Can Ansys Help Transform Your Product Design and Development Processes?

Wilde Analysis has been an Ansys channel partner since 2000 and used the software within consulting projects for over 30 years.

Our combined software, training and consulting solutions enable you to exploit simulation within your business efficiently and effectively, with expert support and mentoring from our experienced technical services team.

For more information or to arrange an informal, no-obligation discussion on your requirements, please complete the form opposite or contact us using the details below.

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