Altair Inspire Mold simulates injection molding process to optimize manufacturability

Altair Engineering (Troy, Mich., U.S.) launches Altair Inspire Mold, an end-to-end solution for simulating injection molding.

Inspire Mold offers engineers fast, highly capable tools with what Altair claims is unrivaled solver performance and unprecedented opportunities to make better design decisions earlier, reduce costs, speed time-to-market and optimize the quality and manufacturability of finished parts. Altair compares this alternative to the conventionally laborious processing and design iterations when evaluating injection molded plastic parts, as well as the building and reworking of prototype molds. 

With Inspire Mold, Altair says manufacturability of new components can now be evaluated at the outset of the development process, and the risk of defects such as warping, sink marks and short shots are mitigated before any costly investments are made in molds. Design iterations are completed faster, and fewer are needed before an optimal solution is identified. Further, scrap, tooling and rework costs are said to be slashed, and there are no requirements for specialized, GPU-computing hardware.

Other key features of Inspire Mold include:

• Optimized user experience: Product designers and engineers are able to easily conduct virtual testing, validation, correction and optimization of molding designs via an intuitive, five-step workflow.
• Fast, next-generation 3D technology: Experimental approximations of traditional 2.5D solvers are eliminated. Support for advanced physics empowers advanced and novice users with deeper insights and understanding.
• Access to materials data: Data for 60 materials is embedded in Inspire Mold and the Altair Material Data Center (MDC) will soon be integrated, allowing MDC license holders direct, immediate access to reliable, high-quality material data.
• Comprehensive end-to-end solution: Technology stretches from initial design through to material mapping of reinforced engineering polymers, analyzing and optimizing the structural and fatigue performance of complex parts.

Inspire Mold joins Altair’s existing Inspire manufacturing simulation offerings including casting, forming, mold-filling, extrusion and additive manufacturing.