Expert Design Evaluation System for injection Molding

The design and manufacture of injection molded polymeric parts with desired properties is a costly process dominated by empiricism including repeated modification of actual tooling. This paper presents and expert design evaluation system which can predict the mechanical performance of a molded product and diagnose the design before the actual mold is machined. The knowledge-based system synergistically combines a rule-based expert system with CAE programs. An iterative boundary pressure reflection method(IBPR) is developed to automate the cavity filling simulation program and to predict thermo-mechanical properties of a molded part precisely. Mathematical models of weldline and frozen-in molecular orientation are established to determine the spatial variation of microstructural anisotropies of a molded part from the result of cavity filling simulation. The strength ellipse is devised as and index which represents th spatial distribution of the microstructural anisotropies of a molded part, Heuristic knowledge of injection molding, flow simulation, and mechanical performance prediction is formalized as rules of an expert consultation system. The expert system interprets the analytical results of the process simulation, predicts the performance, evaluates the design and generates recommendations for optimal design alternative.