Create an Inspire Mold File

AMM facilitates the preparation of material data for injection molding simulation using Inspire Mold.

The process includes selecting the correct workspace, importing material data, fitting various physical properties, preparing and reviewing the file for export, and exporting the file.

Step 1: Select Material General Information

  1. Launch AMM and select Polymer.
  2. Select the Project Folder from using the pop-up window.
  3. Provide the Material General Information. Enter a Material Name to identify the material being characterized.
    Figure 1. Material General Information

    Material General Information
  4. Select the polymer Material Class. By default Polymer - Thermoplastic is selected.
  5. Select the required Chemical Family from the sorted list based on the chosen Polymer Material Class (PA6/6).
  6. Choose one of the following options:
    1. Enter the Material Manufacturer’s name.
    2. Click to view the list of material manufacturers. Select the required material manufacturer from the list (BASF).
  7. Select the options for the following:
    1. Select the data source and the options are: "Mixed" (use comments), AMDC, CAMPUS Plastics, Laboratory Report (..), Reference Books, or Reference Web Sites (e.g., NIST)
    2. If the source is a laboratory report, specify the independent laboratory name.
    3. Click to view the list of independent laboratory names.
    4. The Data Last Updated displays the last updated date of the material model. By default the current date is displayed.
  8. Enter any reference Notes of the material model.
  9. Select the ObjectiveInspire Mold (.xml) workflow for injection molding simulation setup.
  10. This will activate the specific rows in the Material Test File List panel, and automatically select the necessary items.
    Note: Dynamic Moduli is activated but not selected. This is an alternative for Poisson Ratio fitting that creates a list of shear moduli vs temperature to use in place of a table of elastic moduli.

Step 2: Import, Fit, and Approve Specific Volume pvT Data

The Material Test File List and file type values are auto-populated based on the selected Objective workflow. Default file types can be changed if the data for import is different than the selection.

  1. Select Equation of State (pvT) and select the required File Type value, if necessary, to import and fit specific volume data.
    Figure 2. Import pvT Material Test Data

    Import pvT Material Test Data
  2. Select Load Material to import the material data file from your system.

    The Project Folder in the File Management pane serves as the default location for data import.

    The imported file containing test result data will automatically undergo fitting to the Tait model before subsequent models. Following the completion of the fitting process, the Specific Volume tab will reveal a plot showing the data alongside the Tait model fit. Users can easily update the plot by modifying the specific volume model parameters, with the data depicted through points and the fit represented by curves.

  3. Adjust the Transition Temperature parameter, b6, as required. For example, change it to 7.25E-08 and then press Enter to refine the data fit, and update the plot.

    Verify the Transition line on the plot curves.

    Figure 3. Specific Volume, pvT Data

    Specific Volume, pvT Data
  4. The Quality Check should display (two) green lights to indicate that the connectivity fit is good, and will readily pass the Polymer Material Data Analytics (PMDA) checks for continuity performed by Altair's Molding solver.
  5. Select Save Changes to save changes made to the coefficients.
  6. Select the Approve Model Fit check box to approve the Specific Volume model parameters and automatically return to the Material Overview tab.

Step 3: Import, Fit, and Approve Shear Viscosity Data

  1. Select Melt Viscosity in Material Test File List and import an Excel data file for Viscosity vs Shear Rate data.
  2. The default Shear Viscosity Constituent Model is the Cross model.
  3. Optional: Select the other models and observe the changes in the plot.
  4. Optional: Select the model selection for the Temperature Dependence and observe the changes to the plot. Be sure to return to the Williams Landel Ferry model for this exercise.
    Figure 4. Shear Viscosity Constituent Model

    Shear Viscosity Constituent Model
    Note: Review the Viscosity vs Shear Rate and Temperature value differences for all the Shear Viscosity Constituent Models.
  5. Verify the plot curve data for the temperature values.
  6. Select Save Changes to save the state of the coefficients after making changes.
  7. Select Approve Model Fit to approve the fit of the viscosity model pair.
    Note: The application automatically navigates to the Recommended Process Conditions tab.
  8. On the Recommended Process Conditions tab, modify the Ejection Temperature to 180.00 C for the selected model.
    Note: A lab report will often have these values. Modify the values as necessary.
    Figure 5. Adjust Recommended Process Conditions

    Adjust Recommended Process Conditions
  9. Modify the Units for Stress, Temperature, and Density for convenience.
  10. Select Approve Process Values to approve and save the settings.

Step 4: Set and Approve Thermal Conductivity and Specific Heat

  1. Enter the Thermal Conductivity scalar value, for example 0.2300 [W/(m*K)].
    Figure 6. Approve Thermal Conductivity

    Approve Thermal Conductivity
  2. Select the Thermal Conductivity button to open the Thermal Conductivity tab.
  3. Verify the value of the Thermal Conductivity Value (Nominal) parameter and then select Approve Model Fit to approve the setting.
  4. Enter the Specific Heat (Cp) scalar value; in this case, use 2680.0 [J/(kg*K)].
    Figure 7. Approve Specific Heat

    Approve Specific Heat
  5. Select the Specific Heat button to open the Specific Heat tab.
  6. Verify the value of the Specific Heat Value (Nominal) and then select Approve Model Fit to approve and save the value.
Note: Use the lab report values to specify the values of material parameters where applicable.

Step 5: Fitting the Poisson Ratio vs Temperature

  1. Select the File Type value as XLSX-Elastic Moduli for Moduli vs T.
    Figure 8. Select File Type

    Select File Type
    Note: This section assumes isotropic behavior and is valid for unfilled polymers (pvT as fit in the tab), or the unfilled constituent of a fiber filled polymer (pvT extracted from Composite).
  2. Select the Moduli vs T button to import the file that contains elastic modulus vs temperature data.
  3. Select the units for Temperature from the pop-up window. The default unit for temperature is Celsius.
  4. Select the unit for Moduli if the range is provided and if the same pop-up displays again. The default unit for moduli is MPa.
    Figure 9. Select Units

    Select Units
  5. The Elastic Mechanics tab is centered on the fitting of the Poisson Ratio vs Temperature and displays plots for Poisson Ratio vs Temperature, Bulk Modulus vs Temperature, and Modulus vs Temperature.
    Figure 10. Moduli vs Temperature Data

    Moduli vs Temperature Data
  6. The parameter array field is editable. Change the parameters if required to improve the fit for specific temperature ranges. Try the following for the current data, [322.51 0.426 0.3775 0.052].
    1. The first two field parameters define the center of the sigmoid function (T0, nu0). The third parameter defines the minimum Poisson Ratio for the function, and the last parameter is a horizontal scaling factor (i.e. temperature scaling factor for the function.
    2. If editing the fields leads to trouble, select the Fit Poisson button to refit the parameters to their original values. as the Poisson Ratio parameters and plot curves are verified for the model fit data.
  7. Select Approve Model Fit to approve the fit. The Material Overview tab displays the preview of a fit model file.
    Figure 11. Preview Model Fit Data

    Preview Model Fit Data

    The Yield Stress value should be updated with a tested value, if known.

    Note: The preview is editable. Modify the values and/or rename the file as necessary.
  8. Select Export File. The model fit data file is exported to the Project Folder path and is ready for injection molding process.
    Note: The <.xml> file can be imported into Inspire Mold for use in simulation and should be valid for all processes from filling through warp simulation.
  9. Select Save Material to save the accumulated material information in a binary file.