MOLDCAUCHO – TOOL FOR THE OPTIMIZATION OF THE MOLD DESIGN AND THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF RUBBER PARTS
Program: AEIs. 2021
Referencia: AEI-010500-2021b-120
Date of RESOLUTION: 05/02/2022
Execution date: 19/11/2021-19/08/2022
The MOLDCAUCHO project aims to move towards the digitalization of rubber molding processes to make them more efficient and increase their quality and productivity. The main objective of the project is the development of a simulation-based tool to support mold design and the selection of optimal process parameters in the manufacture of rubber parts by injection molding.
MOLDCAUCHO aims to take advantage of the knowledge that can be generated by modeling the physical phenomena that occur in the vulcanization of rubber, so that through the simulation of the molding process it can be used on a daily basis in the production plant, that is, that the simulation makes the leap from the technical offices, where it is used for the design of the mold, to the production plant environment, where a fast response speed is necessary.
The following steps will be followed:
* Create a simulation model of the molding process of the chosen demonstrator including the physics of the problem, with sufficient detail and having characterized the rubber to be used, to obtain results with adequate accuracy.
* To achieve that the simulation flow allows to vary the same parameters that are controlled in the real line and provides as a result the key characteristics of the part on which the quality controls are performed, such as: vulcanization degree or critical dimensions.
* Based on the exploitation of the simulation flow, extract knowledge about the relative influence of the different variables, and their interactions, on the results of interest, for example: final part characteristics, cycle time,…
* To create a tool that condenses this knowledge in the form of reduced order models (MOR) that can be executed almost instantaneously, allowing to easily and quickly explore possible solutions to problems in the production phase and to optimize the optimal working conditions of the injection molding machine whenever the process requires a readjustment.
* The tool to be developed will have a simple and intuitive user interface, showing each of the outputs depending on the variation of the input parameters, having alerts of unfulfilled constraints and utilities that facilitate the search for optimums.
NATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF RUBBER INDUSTRIALISTS
INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO DE ARAGON – ITAINNOVA
MIJU S.A.
MOLDS GRABI S.L. – MOLWELD
TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET: 162,146.00 €.
TOTAL BUDGET ITAINNOVA: 78.000,00 €.
TOTAL PROJECT FINANCING: 81,686.00€.
TOTAL FINANCING ITANNOVA: 31,200.00€.
The MOLDCAUCHO project has been subsidized by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism in its support program for Innovative Business Groups with the aim of improving the competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
