Computer simulation of production processes is a valuable tool that can greatly shorten the development phase of a product and accelerate time to market. Simulation exercises can quickly demonstrate the limitations or the achievable characteristics for various sets of resins and processing parameters, thus reducing the number of real-world trials that must be conducted.
Huntsman can simulate all the processes used for production of automotive parts. We maintain an extensive database to support simulations used internally for development of solutions, and externally to help customers set up processes. Our simulation capabilities can predict outcomes with a 90% success rate, using detailed property characterization to support your application simulations.
It is important to be certain from the beginning that producing your material or part is technically and economically feasible, and that it will deliver the properties you require. Our unique combined capabilities of resin characterization methods and mathematical modelling of cure kinetics and flow will help you achieve greater predictability in your development process.
Our simulation technologies enable you to significantly reduce the number of trials needed for product qualification. This saves valuable time and reduces costs when determining key product attributes such as preform and mold temperatures, injection speed and time, cure and vacuum times, quantity of resin, maximum pressure, press profile, and shrinkage.
We can help you to significantly improve conversion from ideas to marketable products. Our dedicated technical service teams of experts in composite chemistry, processing and testing will collaborate with you to deliver the right results and successful outcome of development trials, production launch or fixing manufacturing issues. To date, our onsite and offsite availability ensures that more than 80% of requests are solved before deadline.
Our experts will work with you to create simulations that will address your most important issues, from material selection to process design to component optimization.
Find the right materials for the composite part you want to produce.
Understand the drivers for cost optimization of your manufacturing process (part thickness, temperature variation and other attributes).
Optimize your part with the right preform heating strategy, for example, steering the gelation profile to be able to apply pressure during cure.
Simulation reduces the time required for resin selection, and for definition and/or optimization of processing parameters. Based on the results of simulation exercises, Huntsman’s technical experts can provide guidance to develop your production processes. Our leading composite and electronic expertise, broad product range and unique simulation capabilities can reduce development cycles by up to 50%.
We can simulate the kinetics of resin systems, and also their rheological behavior during processing. We can perform kinetic simulation for all processes.
Composite processes include preforming, HP-RTM, WCM, Sheet Molding Compound, Pultrusion, Wet Filament Winding, Towpreg manufacturing and Towpreg Winding. Processes for electronics include Vacuum Casting, Automatic Pressure Gelation and Trickle and Roll-Dip Impregnation.
Flow simulation allows us to examine resin paths and pressure changes, plus total filling time to optimize injection strategy. Cure simulation allows us to consider temperature and Tg evolution to optimize cure cycles.
Accurate rheokinetic data for the resin systems are used to generate material models, which are projected onto CAD data. This enables us to predict the material behavior at each point in a process. Simulations make it possible to find the right materials for the parts you want to produce, and to understand the drivers for cost optimization of your manufacturing process.
