Using Moldflow for Environmentally-Friendly Products

1. Using Moldflow to Develop Environmentally-friendly Products Presented by:

2. Plastics – Villains or Heroes • Both, actually • Heroes • Replace environmentally unfriendly materials • Conserve energy being lighter than alternatives and insulators • Villains • New plastics consume resources • Used plastics impact the environment

3. Hero • Plastics, originally made from wood and natural products. • They often replaced environmentally unfriendly materials. • They allow energy saving weight reductions.

4. Villain • Improperly disposed of, plastics are an environmental hazard. • Ingestion • Entanglement • Aesthetics

5. Why Be Green? – Help the Heroes! • Waste adds up • On the land: • Reduce “Permanently” land fills • Estimate in the US, plastic is 21% (vol) of 200m tons municipal waste/year • Lower hazardous air emissions which occur when burned • In the oceans: • Stop plastics from living on the surface of the ocean affecting the ecosystem • Avoid the concentrated toxins from entering the food chain Sources: EPA ICMA & Energy Star

6. Why Be Green? – Help the Heroes! • Better energy consumption matters • Lowers utility bills • Preserve natural resources • Fight air pollution and global warming with lower emissions • Green house gas emissions up 16.3% from 1990 to 2005 • Industrial emissions create 27% of fossil fuel CO2 (2005) • In the US, 6.6 tons of greenhouse gases are emitted per person every year Sources: EPA ICMA & Energy Star

7. Moldflow “Green” • Engineering • Applying technology to derive value • Economics • Financial benefit • Environment • Positive environmental impact • Use engineering to create botheconomic and environmental benefit.

8. Environmentally Friendly Products • Preserve Natural resources • Less material usage • Use or renewable materials • Reduce Waste • Less scrap • Reuse existing tools • Create products that last longer • Reduce energy consumption • More efficient manufacturing • Less energy used • Reduce greenhouse gases • Create more energy efficient products • Achieve this with Moldflow • TECHNOLOGY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

9. Moldflow “Green Goals” • Material Usage • Use less for the same or better result • Explore alternative “green” materials • Energy Usage • Use the minimum energy necessary • Resources usage • Extend the useful life of tooling

10. Environmental Tip #1 • Be Smart With Materials

11. Problem Wall sections too thick on 2 television housings Solution from Moldflow/Results Reduced wall thickness using Mold Adviser Material consumption reduced by 5% in housing A Material consumption reduced by 10% in housing B Environmental Benefit Less material Preserves existing resources Less time to cool, lower energy Toshiba America INDUSTRY: Consumer PRODUCT: Television Housing “The reduction in material has led to… a total savings for Toshiba of about $150,000 per year.” -Charlie Simon, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Toshiba

12. Explore “Green” materials • “Green” Polymers/Biopolymers are made from biomass • Eg. sugar beet, potatoes, corn or wheat • Sugar beet: Polyglonic acid • Starch: Polylactic acid (PLA) • Biomass: Polyethylene • Renewable resources • PLA has high modulus, but brittle similar to PS. • Cost went from $25-$1.5/lb in 5 years • Applications include packaging • food trays, blown starch pellets for shipping fragile goods, thin films for wrapping.

13. Explore “Green” materials • “Biodegradable, and some are also compostable • Usually requires industrial compost system • May degrade 90% within 6 months. • If so, they can use 'compostable' designation, under European Standard EN 13432 (2000). • Moldflow Labs have characterized 9 PLA’s & blends • 2 are non-confidential grades • Mitsui Chemicals& Cargill Dow

14. Environmental Tip #2 • Reduce Scrap

15. Problem High scrap rate Solution from Moldflow/Results Decreased runner diameters to reduce scrap Optimized processing conditions to reduce cycle time Environmental Benefit Less scrap Less impact on landfills Shorter cycle time Less energy consumption Less green house gas Delphi Automotive Systems INDUSTRY: Automotive PRODUCT: Plate Scrap Savings $28,000 Cycle Time Savings $7,000

16. Environmental Tip #3 • Recycle Existing Resources

17. Problem: Large retooling project of older molds Solution from Moldflow/Results : Determined how to incorporate hot-runner systems Cooling analysis optimized cooling $125,000 savings per year Added 10 years to retooled molds Environmental Benefit Old molds not scrapped No impact on landfills Avoided machining a new mold Avoided additional energy consumption No additional greenhouse gas Recycled existing resources instead of consuming more Pentair Pool Products INDUSTRY: Various PRODUCT: Pool Equipment 1,250,000 US$ in total savings!

18. Environmental Tip #4 • Engineer Better Quality Products that Last

19. Problem Due to high mechanical forces ceramic parts had excessive failure Solution from Moldflow/Results : Redesigned part to use a fiber filled plastic Environmental Benefit Better quality parts that last longer Less resource drain to create replacement parts Less scrap Less impact on landfill Paul Jordan INDUSTRY: Electrical Components PRODUCT: Electrical Socket Savings of $30,000 in materials (Reduction of 50% scrap)

20. Environmental Tip #5 • Lower Clamp Force to Reduce Energy Consumption

21. Avenue Moulding Ltd. Problem • Needed to optimize the part design and runner system for a family mold Solution from Moldflow/Results : • Mold layout • 4 + 4 cavity family mold • 2 drop hot runner system feeds 2 separate cold feeds • Minimized volume of the feed system • Reduced production time • Saved material Environmental Benefit • 50% less clamp tonnage • Lower energy consumption • 30% less material • Less drain on resources Savings of £28,000 in Material based on annual production run INDUSTRY: Medical PRODUCT: Inhaler

22. Environmental Tip #6 • Lower Injection Pressure to Reduce Energy Consumption

23. Problem Updated a 20 year old mold to replace ABS with PVC Change to PVC expected to require high pressures to fill the thin walls Solution from Moldflow/Results : Changed local wall thickness and runner system Optimized process settings to improve flow and minimize cycle time Environmental Benefit Better flow with lower pressures Less energy consumption Less green house gas Shorter cycle time Better energy efficiency Wavin M&T B.V. INDUSTRY: Construction PRODUCT: Rain Water Collector No mold modifications, 15% shorter cycle time 25,000 Euro saved in material

24. Environmental Tip #7 • Reduce Rework to Reduce Energy Consumption

25. Problem: Too much money spent on trial and error tooling rework Solution from Moldflow/Results : Used Mold Adviser and Cooling Circuit Adviser get it right the first time Saved $30,000 in tooling rework per project. 5 new projects go into production per year Total savings of $150,000 per year Environmental Benefit Avoided excessive retooling Lower energy consumption less green house gas Precision Valve Corporation INDUSTRY: Various PRODUCT: Aerosol Valves Return on investment of 1.6 months! 150,000 US$ per year in tooling rework savings!

26. Environment Tip #8 • Create More Energy Efficient Products

27. Problem: Replacing aluminum with plastic Needed to optimize design for injection molding Solution from Moldflow/Results Used MPI/FLOW and MPI/COOL to determine optimal wall thickness Got it right the first time, eliminating mold changes Reduced development time significantly Environmental Benefit Plastic part was 30% lighter Better fuel efficiency for the car Audi INDUSTRY: Automotive PRODUCT: Cylinder Head Cover Cost saving of 20% compared to aluminium Weight saving of 30% compared to aluminium

28. Summary • Be Smart with Materials • More efficient design • Reduce Scrap • Engineer Better Quality Products that Last • “Green” Polymers • Reduce Energy Usage • Lower Clamp Force • Lower Injection Pressure Reduce Rework • Lower Cycle Times • Create More Energy Efficient/Lighter Products • Recycle Existing Resources

29. Thank You!Questions?

30. Other Background Information

31. Organic Polymers • Instead of making plastics from conventional petroleum products, they can be made from lactic acid. Lactic acid is produced (via starch fermentation) as a co-product of corn wet milling, which can be converted to polyactides (PLA), the material from which Mazin is made. Or it can be produced using the starch from food wastes, cheese whey, fruit or grain sorghum. By using lactic based plastics, the U.S. could save 50 - 90 trillion Btu¹s per year. This is equivalent to 9 - 15 million barrels of oil. Other estimates have placed the savings as high as 600 trillion Btu's to 32 million barrels of oil per year.

32. Energy • Average injection molding machine cost is 2.95 kWh/kg and could improved to [(2.2+1.2)/2) = 1.7 kWh/kg, which means upto a 42% saving. • This can be interpreted to mean that a typical molding machine is anywhere upto 42% inefficient through machine setup, i.e. cycle times, clamp tonnage or injection pressures, I would be more conservative and quote upto 30%. • From experience I would say that the industry needs tangible "bolt-on" hardware to when looking for an energy saving, Real energy savings could be achieved if there was a tool that can be easily used for optimizing machine settings. This could be done through training, or we could introduce an energy saving advisor, looking for design features that are wasteful, there was a great example from Ford yesterday in Detroit. Basically we need a shift in thinking from processors, to get them to go through return on investment analysis. • The design stage and material selection offer the best opportunity to make huge energy savings, as making changes to lower injection pressure and clamp force [lower injection velocity, higher melt temperatures], can increase cycle time etc ... I would say this represents to best opportunity to save energy. • The use of electric molding machines can make 70% energy savings, but this is limited by clamp tonnage.

33. History • Plastics were originally developed as synthetic substitutes for natural materials, such as rubber, tortoiseshell, and ivory, which were once widely used for consumer goods.  The first commercially viable plastic was celluloid, developed in the latter part of the 19th century as a replacement for ivory in billiard balls, combs, brushes, and other household items. Celluloid was made from cellulose nitrates: plant fibers were nitrated in acid to form nitrocellulose, which could then be molded into various shapes. It was later used as the substrate for flexible photographic film, making motion pictures possible. Cellulose was also molded into thin sheets, cellophane, used to package consumer products. Rayon, also produced from plant fibers, was developed in 1891. The first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was developed in 1907 by Leo Baekeland through a condensation reaction of phenol (derived from coal tar) and formaldehyde. • Although plastics were first developed as a substitute for natural materials, industrial designers began to design products based on the characteristics of the new materials.  Plastics made it possible to make brightly colored products, in addition to products with rounded corners, which was difficult to do with wood or metals. Products made of plastic became a prominent component of the Art Deco and art moderne movements in the 1920s and 1930s. After World War II, plastics were used to make an endless number of relatively inexpensive consumer products, including linoleum, Formica, and other household goods.  Plastics also made toys inexpensive, such as the  including dolls, such as the hula hoop and the Barbie doll, which was introduced in 1959. • http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1188.html

34. Balance • As with all materials, there are environmental costs and benefits associated with the use of plastics.  Plastics replace natural materials, including ivory and wood. Synthetic fibers also provide a substitute for cotton, a water- and energy-intensive crop. The use of plastic materials in cars and airplanes reduces their weight and therefore increases their fuel efficiency. The insulating capacity of plastics such as styrofoam reduce the amount of energy required to heat and cool homes. • There are, however, environmental impacts associated with the production and disposal of plastics. The wastes involved in the manufacturing of plastics have to be handled according to state and federal regulations. CFCs, which have been implicated in destruction of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, were formerly used in the production of Styrofoam; however, CFCs have not been used for this process since the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987. • One of the most significant environmental problems associated with plastics is the improper disposal of plastic goods by consumers. The use of plastics has enabled the development of innumerable disposable products, which has increased the amount of trash that is disposed.  Although paper accounts for most of the trash in landfills by volume, disposable products made of plastics contribute to the amount that must be disposed.