Three Models of the 3D Filling Simulation for Injection Molding: A Brief Review

摘要

This article reviews the state-of-the-art research and development in the 3D filling simulation of injection molding,most notably the different models.The article organizes prior studies into three sequential categories,namely,mid-plane models,surface models,and solid models.In the mid-plane models,the arbitrary planar mid-plane is used to represent the three-dimensional geometry of the part.Their model and formulation are presented based on the Hele-Shaw approximation.The article further discusses the main disadvantage of the mid-plane models,which introduces the surface models.The surface models represent a three-dimensional part with a boundary or skin mesh on the outside surfaces of a solid geometric model.This kind of model still adopts the Hele-Shaw approximation,but can avoid the re-modeling of the mid-plane.Subsequently,the situations that cannot be accurately predicted using the Hele-Shaw approximation are discussed,in which a full 3D simulation has become a promising solution.The leading 3D simulation approaches are summarized,including the finite element method,the finite volume ethod,the control-volume-based finite-element-method,and the boundary element method.The tracking algorithms of the melt fronts are also described.