Moldflow Plastics Advisers 8.1

MPA 8.1 delivers new technologies and key enhancements to help users analyze a broader range of parts with Advanced 3D technology, improve productivity with a redesigned user interface, shorten analysis preparation time with powerful and flexible modeling tools, interpret results more efficiently using new results visualization options, and increase collaboration with expanded communication capabilities.

Extended Solution with Advanced 3D Technology

Advanced 3D analysis technology provides the ability to analyze accurately part (mold cavity) designs that have thick regions or abrupt changes in thickness. Geometry features such as these are not suitable for MPA's Standard Dual Domain analysis technology, which has been developed and fine-tuned for the thin-walled part geometry that is most often encountered in plastic injection molding applications. The Advanced 3D analysis option dramatically increases the number of designs that can be successfully analyzed using MPA software.The Advanced 3D analysis also works with the Performance Adviser and Cooling Circuit Adviser add-on modules to evaluate part warpage and account for the effects of the cooling system, respectively.

Advanced 3D analysis option handles designs that have thick regions or abrupt changes in thickness.

Focus on Productivity and Ease-of-use

MPA 8.1 features a panel-based user interface that has been designed to streamline project management tasks, improve access to analysis results and supplemental information, and enhance user productivity, while maintaining the familiar, guided workflow established in previous MPA releases.

The panel-based user interface design streamlines workflow, provides uninterrupted access to the model, and improves overall user productivity.

Configurable Workspace Options

Show or hide panels and toolbars to customize the workspace configuration for a specific workflow. For example, create one workspace to support tasks prior to running an analysis and a second workspace for reviewing and comparing results.

Save the customized workspace to a file for later reuse or sharing with other MPA users across the enterprise.

MPA provides two pre-configured workspaces and remembers the last-used workspace configuration when you reopen the software. You can easily switch from one workspace configuration to another at any time.

Powerful and Flexible Modeling Tools

Runner and cooling channel layouts can be quickly and easily imported from CAD systems or created using new modeling planes, snap tools, and visual cues to aid in precise positioning.

• New Runner System Wizard produces a complete feed system automatically based on user-specified sprue, runner and gate properties.
• Modeling planes feature aids in quick and easy creation of runner and cooling channel segments.
• Visual cues are offered when modeling runner segments to assist in their creation.
• Export optimized runner and cooling channel layouts for reuse in a CAD system.
  

Intuitive Results Interpretation

New results visualization options allow for the comparison of results from multiple analysis iterations to realize design improvements and better understand plastics material behavior. New Dynamic Help functionality allows users to quickly understand those results that have the greatest impact on optimizing their part and mold designs.

Increased Collaboration

Enhanced report generation capabilities make it possible to automatically generate reports in Microsoft® Word® or PowerPoint® formats in addition to web-ready HTML format, to easily communicate valuable analysis results across the enterprise.

Easily create project reports in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint formats.

Smart Tools

MPA 8.1 features a redesigned Cost Adviser that facilitates detailed part cost analysis. Association with the model allows evaluation of how changes to part design, mold design, material choice, and processing conditions affect part cost. After the Cost Adviser is set up for a given project, it will track the changes to the model, material and processing conditions automatically and display the current cost based on material usage, cycle times, post-molding costs, operating costs and overheads.

For more information about MPA 8.1 and MPI 6.2, contact your local Moldflow representative or visit www.moldflow.com.