Software manages cooling, shrinkage

polyXtrue This software from Plastic Flow provides 3-D simulations of plastic melt flowing through extrusion dies, based on parameters set by users. Users can specify a wide array of conditions, such as pressures, temperatures, flow rates and die geometries. Two polyXtrue options are available, with simulations for either monoextrusion or coextrusion, and the software can be used as either a stand-alone package or as an add-in to SolidWorks and Inventor software.

What’s new? An updated version. Available to both purchasers of new polyXtrue packages, as well as existing users, Version 4.0 takes account of shrinkage due to extrudate cooling and the effect of non-uniform exit velocity. Using a completely new algorithm, the software treats the polymer as a viscous melt as it approaches the die, and as a solid at lower temperatures the farther it travels from the exit. In addition, Plastic Flow has upgraded the polyXtrue interface; the improvements include the ability to save and restore as many as four camera views, so that users can compare results from multiple simulations, and a new graphing module for plotting and comparing multiple curves on the same graph.

Benefits Accurate analysis of extrudate cooling, shrinkage and distortion. With the new version, the software makes calculations much more quickly. Overall, polyXtrue allows die makers to optimize their designs, while reducing their reliance on costly, time-consuming trial-and-error approaches.

Plastic Flow LLC, Hancock, Mich., 906-483-0691, www.plasticflow.com