Technical expertise
Technical Hub: Design, Materials, Simulation & Process
“A well-thought-out design solves many problems upstream and saves valuable time to focus on what matters most. That’s why it’s crucial to apply best practices, especially in the design of technical polymer parts.”
Materials: Thermoplastics (Engineering Polymers)
Choosing and characterising the material determines how reliable the part will be: engineering thermoplastics, composites and metals.
- Material data: mechanical, thermal and process behaviour, fibres, weld lines.
- Fibre orientation: glass, carbon, mineral fillers: their impact anticipated from the start.
- Allowable stress: failure risk measured between the simulation and the real material.
Example: injection-moulded transmission boot.
Simulation: CAE – CFD & Injection moulding
Coupled simulations to anticipate how your parts really behave, before the first prototype.
- Finite elements (FEA): stresses, strength, risk areas and simple solutions.
- Fluid dynamics (CFD): real temperatures, gradients, hot spots and turbulence.
- Thermal shock: coupled FEA and CFD for components that hold up in extreme conditions.
- Design of experiments and AI: DOE and artificial intelligence to explore more variants, faster, and capitalise on the results.
Example: optimisation of cooling lines.
Design
A well-thought-out design solves many problems upstream: best practices for engineering polymer parts apply from the very first sketches.
- CAD design: accurate modelling, design review and best practice.
- Assembly and inserts: metal and composite, built in from the design phase.
- Weight reduction and functional integration: optimised wall thickness and fewer parts.
Example: ZEN and YOYO strollers.
Process
The injection moulding process is prepared at the design stage, for a part that is manufacturable, stable and compliant.
- Rheology and injection: filling, gate locations, warpage: the process from the design stage.
- Weld lines and fibre orientation: their effect on mechanical strength taken into account in the simulation.
- Tests close to reality: input specifications aligned with real conditions and optimised test protocols.
Example: under-the-hood engine parts.
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