Engel is showcasing a new process called “Exjection” that combines injection molding and extrusion. The process allows engineers to design long thin-walled plastic profiles that integrate a variety of elements that now require expensive secondary operations. Metals parts can be inserted in the mold cavity. Films can also be applied in the tool. The new process was described at Molding 2008 by Joachim Kragl, manager of processing technology for Engel of Canada, Guelph, Ontario. During the injection cycle, the mold cavity is moved to the machine axis. At the same time, plastic is injected into the cavity.
Applications proposed for the process include:
A water drain channel out of PP with a length of 3 meters
A cable binder made of PEEK, length 1500 mm
A furniture profile with textile decoration or aluminum decor
An entrance ledge with metallic effect pigmentation
A new process for laser-welding large-scale, steel-aluminum foam sandwich structures for lightweighting ships, which eliminates intermetallic phase, has been demonstrated.
A major advance in repairing composite structures combining robots and lasers bodes well for commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350XWB, which contain composites in large proportions of their structures.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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