Check out all the past SIMTECH™ INJECTION MOLDING CHALLENGES here.
Want to see all the 2019 Challenges? You can find them on this page. As each monthly challenge closes they will be posted here for your benefit.
The Paulson SimTech™Injection Molding Challenges are a series of monthly challenges testing your knowledge of injection molding using the world’s most advanced injection molding simulator – SimTech™.
Closed SimTech™ Challenges
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Throughout the challenges, participants will be added to the Challenge Leaderboard posted here.
View the Challenge Leaderboard by clicking on the #1 badge. 6
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APRIL CHALLENGE INSTRUCTIONS:
SCENARIO – For this challenge, you are molding a square cover which is 6.500” x 6.500” plus or minus 0.005″. The plastic you are using is Polystyrene on a 300 ton machine. Your part has flash, burnmarks, and is out of dimension. The standard (quoted) cycle time for this job is 14 seconds. The part tolerance for this job is ±.005.
The mold maker for this part made a mistake. The cavity length was made 0.005″ oversized. In the molding plant, the molder knew how to set the molding conditions that compensated for the error. He was able to mold this part to within 6.500″ and 6.505″. Can you?
CHALLENGE – You must solve the part problems and then improve the cycle. Try to get the highest efficiency score you can. But remember, you do not get a score unless all the part problems are solved.
BONUS – A 2% bonus will be added to your score if the melt temperature is within 2 degrees fahrenheit of the front zone barrel temperature.
NOTE: Only make one control change at a time and then click the “Cycle” button to see the effects of that particular control change. This is the best practice to follow when making any control changes whether it be in Simtech or on an actual molding machine. Also note, part problem bars, will be in red, and are located on the right side of the computer screen.
JUNE CHALLENGE INSTRUCTIONS
SCENARIO: June Molding Challenge – Hard Parts Per 120 Job Scoring
For our JUNE challenge we are changing the scoring method. In our first two challenges we used the Efficiency Scoring Method which is based on finding the most efficient cycle time. In this challenge, you will be scored on the number of good parts made.
(Open from 6-12-2019 to 6-20-2019) This challenge will really test the best molders!
SCORING
The job is scheduled for 120 hours. This includes set-up time and production time. Your score will be the number of good parts made.
More precisely, the score calculation is the number of parts made so far (by clicking the Cycle button), plus the projected number of parts to be made in the remaining time. The projected number is based on the most recent cycle time, as long as there is currently a “good part” and you have met “optimal machine settings” noted below.
Each click of the Cycle button consumes some time, equal to the current Cycle Time, out of your 120 hour budget. If you adjust your barrel temperatures, this consumes extra time proportional to the amount of change. Additionally, there are time penalties for taking hints. All of these effects eat into your time budget and therefore reduce your potential score.
As in the previous challenges, you must not have any alarms or problems to have a “good part”. New for this scoring method, we require “optimum machine settings”. Your Machine Control Settings and Cycle Results must meet the following requirements.
- Cushion Size must be less than 10% of the Screw Back Distance.
- Mold Full at VPT must be between 94% and 96%.
- Melt Temperature must be within ± 2°F of the Front Zone Temperature.
Any parts molded that are not “defect free” or do not meet the “optimum machine settings” above, DO NOT count as good parts made, and furthermore will cause projected number of parts to drop to zero. Your score will show a very low number (equal to the number of good parts made so far, if any) while these conditions persist, but will rebound as soon as you clear the bad conditions.
SCENARIO
The set-up in this challenge is already making parts without any defects but the machine settings will cause a variety of erratic part problems down the road. Your job is to improve the machine control settings and reduce cycle time.
It is your choice whether to make cycle time reductions first or complete the machine setting requirements first. Watch the production count (score) in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to monitor the production count. Remember, any parts made outside of optimal machine settings – conditions 1, 2 and, 3 above – are not counted and your score will be very low or 0.00 during this time.
If you have achieved “good part” and “optimum machine settings” and are accumulating parts (score), you can continue to adjust machine control settings to reduce the Cycle Time and therefore improve your score. This may cause you to return to bad conditions (low score) occasionally. Always remember to return to good settings before leaving your session so you do not accidentally drop off the leaderboard! You can return to your session at any time to try new settings, but be mindful of the challenge cutoff. At that instant, your existing score will be captured for the final leaderboard.
Part dimensions- The normal length for this part is 6.5 inches ± 0.005”
Cycle time –The quoted cycle time for this job is 15 seconds.
Expected Production: 57,600 parts
NOTE: if you get a Fill Time of 000 it means the mold is full but not packed. Make the necessary machine control adjustment.