Advertising in MoldMaking Technology offers
Issue link: https://mmt.epubxp.com/i/917019
Software 26 MoldMaking Technology —— JANUARY 2018 equipment impose. These are perfect tasks for the simulation software of our additive future!" Tim Lankisch, director of engineering at CAE Services (Batavia, Illinois), says that developing tools that make products like Moldflow simulation software easier to use enables engineers to test more of their ideas and solutions. Parts manufacturers and moldmakers are continually driven to reduce dimensional tolerances and improve strength characteristics or reduce part weight at the same time. "Those factors typically result in the potential for more part warpage, making the use of simulation critical to predict and correct the dimensional issues that can arise for those challenging parts," he says. Because of this, the develop- ment of simulation software has emphasized improving the quality and ease-of-use of 3D meshing. Additionally, soft- ware development has focused on creating and improving tools to help modify geometry to test both design modifica- tion solutions and windage solutions to warpage problems. "Partnering with companies that use world-class simulation to identify and solve molding problems is an important part of mitigating that challenge up-front," he says. CAE offers simulation services for shops, sometimes basing an employee at a customer's facility to work. "Simulation soft- ware vendors will continue to address the speed, accuracy and user-friendliness of their products based on direct user feedback and correlation studies." Making Job Tracking More Actionable In the realm of job-tracking software, the trends and chal- lenges for moldmakers are the same as they are for other types of software. Moldmakers are trying to do more with less. They need accessible data that is easy to use, and they More simplified machine and tooling-focused job- tracking software is trending in the market, making it much easier for mold shops to adopt them and use them effectively. Here, a screenshot of machine monitoring and job tracking software shows how user-friendly and easy it can be to access real-time or historical data reports that are customized for moldmaking. Image courtesy of R.E.R. Software Inc.