In today’s fast-paced manufacturing world, creating prototypes and conducting a number of lab tests is becoming outdated. These traditional methods increase product costs, require a large workforce, and slow down production. Modern manufacturers are turning to virtual tools to test and improve designs before they even create a physical model. These tools help detect potential manufacturing issues early, reducing the need for multiple prototypes and allowing companies to launch products faster to market.
Plastic parts are now a part of our everyday lives and creating them with precision and efficiency is key. There are different ways to mold plastic, such as injection molding, extrusion molding, and blow molding. However, most manufacturers prefer injection molding because it’s versatile, cost-effective, and efficient.
One of the biggest challenges in designing high-quality plastic parts is ensuring accuracy in the manufactured part with the injection molding process. This is where SOLIDWORKS Plastics comes into the Design and development process. With SOLIDWORKS Plastics, which is directly integrated to SOLIDWORKS CAD, we can analyze, redesign and perform analysis again without leaving SOLIDWORKS. Designers can identify common Manufacturing defects such as:
- Sink marks (indentations on the Plastic part surfaces)
- Weld lines (visible lines where two molten material flow fronts meet)
- Air traps (pockets of air that get trapped in the mold cavity)
- Gate blush (blemishes at the injection points)
- Warpage (distortion or bending of the part)
- Short Shot (leaving incomplete or missing areas on the part)
- Volumetric Shrinkage (reduction of the overall volume of the part after cooling down to room temperature)
In addition to detecting manufacturing issues, SOLIDWORKS Plastics can also calculate important factors like cycle time, cooling time & we can optimize wall thickness, gate location, runner size, etc., which are essential for optimizing the molding process. We can avoid costly & time-consuming mold rework to meet the project within the budget.
The latest version of SOLIDWORKS Plastics 2025 comes with enhanced features that improve simulation performance and accuracy. These upgrades help designers create better parts faster, allowing companies to stay competitive in the market.
Key Enhancements in SOLIDWORKS Plastics 2025:
1. Short Shot Detection (2025 SP2)
The 2025 SP2 update introduces key user interface enhancements to streamline short shot detection in plastic injection simulations.
- “Warning: Short Shot” now appears under the Fill Time plot title.
- “Short shot” is also shown next to the Fill Results node.
- A tooltip under the Results node says: “A short shot has occurred during the fill simulation.”
- A warning has also been added to the Summary Property Manager.
2. Improved Fill Analysis Performance
Fill analysis is now 25% faster when using fiber-filled materials, improving overall simulation speed. Fill analysis can now detect weld lines and air traps even when a short shot is observed. For example, the image shows a short shot on the left and predicted air traps on the right.
3. Accurate Sink Mark Prediction
A new solver improves the accuracy of sink mark predictions by analysing features like ribs, bosses, gussets, and fillets. It focuses on these areas to better predict where and how deep sink marks will be.
Updates include:
- The “Sink Marks” plot is now called “Sink Marks Estimate at End of Fill“.
- A new plot, Sink Marks at Ejection, is added under Pack results for more accurate predictions.
- This improved solver works only with solid-hybrid and solid-hexahedral meshes, not with shell meshes.
4. Enhanced Warpage Analysis: Identify Root Causes More Effectively
Warpage remains one of the most complex challenges in plastic part manufacturing. SOLIDWORKS Plastics 2025 introduces more innovative tools to not only predict warpage but also explain why it happens. Warpage in plastic parts occurs mainly due to three reasons: uneven shrinkage, differences in cooling, and the way molecules or fibers are aligned.
Part Orientation:
The Deformation: Orientation Effects plot shows how part deformation is caused by the alignment of fillers like glass or carbon fibers in the material. For materials without fillers, this type of deformation is tiny or does not happen.
Uneven Shrinkage:
Deformation: Nonuniform Shrinkage plot shows how uneven shrinkage causes part deformation. This happens due to differences in mold temperature, cooling between thick and thin areas, and shrinkage along and across the melt flow.
5. Plastics Material Database upgradation
The plastics materials database has been updated with the latest information from manufacturers. It now includes 365 new material grades, updates to 142 existing ones, and removed 370 outdated grades.
6. Meshing & Solver performance
Meshing is now much quicker, especially for complex models with many faces and curves. The bigger and more detailed the model, the more noticeable the speed improvement. Simpler models see little change.
Plastic simulations now solve faster thanks to improved equation handling, without losing accuracy or stability. You will notice quicker results in Fill, Pack, and Cool simulation steps.
7. Updated Warp Analysis Result Names for Clarity and Consistency
Warp analysis result names have been updated for more precise and consistent terms.
The image compares the old and new result titles.
Conclusion
SOLIDWORKS Plastics 2025 is a significant forward for teams focused on producing high-quality plastic components. With improved fill analysis, more accurate sink mark predictions, and intelligent warpage analysis, users gain more confidence in their design decisions while reducing the risk of costly rework.
