Benefits of SOLIDWORKS Plastics for Product Development

The integration of SOLIDWORKS Plastics in your workflows provides several benefits when you develop plastic parts and molds.

Simulation enables the efficient optimization of the plastic injection molding process to create a quality product and reduce manufacturing costs. SOLIDWORKS Plastics can help you predict part defects and find remedies to eliminate them, optimize the runner and cooling system, and define the best process settings before you create the first prototype mold.

Benefits of Integrating SOLIDWORKS Plastics in Product Development
Cover a wide-range of injection molding processes
  • Simple part filling
  • Co-injection (sandwich) molding
  • Gas-assisted injection molding
  • Water-assisted injection molding
  • Insert overmolding
  • Multicavity molding
  • Reactive molding
Predict manufacturing-related defects on parts and molds
  • Air traps that necessitate venting
  • Locations of welding lines indicating areas of possible structural weakness
  • Nonuniform shrinkage can cause warpage
  • Hesitation or jetting indicates a need for different injection position
  • Short shots indicate issues with part design or process conditions
  • Voids and sink marks necessitate redesign of parts
Part design
  • thickness distribution
  • fillets
  • ribs
Gate design
  • gate type
  • gate location
Runner design
  • hot versus cold
  • type
  • layout
  • balancing
Cooling system design
  • configuration
  • channel types
  • free-formed
  • coolant
Avoid expensive mold rework
  • Informed choices for gate positions and runner system
  • Simulation of cooling system
Reduce time to market
  • Simulations are much faster than prototype testing
Components that do not have a direct influence on the part, such as screws and hoppers, are not considered in a simulation.