ANSYS POLYFLOW

ANSYS POLYFLOW is an advanced general purposed finite-element-based CFD software product for the analysis of polymer processing and glass forming. ANSYS POLYFLOW is particularly well-known for its extensive library of viscoelastic fluid models.

Thanks to its unique inverse die design capability, customers around the world are able to cut dies much faster than with the traditional build-and-test method. This translates into substantial cost reduction and time savings. Most importantly, the quality of the blown and thermoformed products is greatly improved by running trial and error processes with ANSYS POLYFLOW rather than on the production line.  Glass forming and float glass engineering simulation helps the designers to produce higher quality table ware, glass container and flat glass faster than before.

Customers have reported dramatic return on investment by introducing CFD modeling with ANSYS POLYFLOW into their design processes.

» ANSYS POLYFLOW 12 Brochure (PDF)

  
     

Features

General Modeling Capabilities
Finite element CFD solver for complex non-Newtonian rheologies including viscoelastic flow, with advanced techniques for remeshing, overlapping geometry and contact detection

Numerical Method
Robust finite element solvers with parallelization to solve complex physics in polymer and glass processing

Viscoelastic Method
Easily access a large number of viscoelastic models for use in extrusion, blow molding, thermoforming, glass pressing etc.

Material Properties
Access a modifiable database with a large number of materials, or use the automatic fitting tool (POLYMAT) for experimental data, including temperature and composition dependent properties

User-Defined Functions
Customize material properties, boundary and initial conditions and post-processing of results

Interface, Graphics, Post-processing and Reporting
Quickly setup and solve complex problems, comprehensive customizable reporting of solution quantities, tools for solution monitoring and statistical analysis

Exported Quantities
Flow and thermal quantities, part thickness, stresses and shear rates, mixing and rheological data

Supported Hardware
32 and 64 bit Windows XP and Vista, multicore or multi-CPU machines

Mesh Capabilities
Advanced adaptive remeshing techniques with automatic interpolation, mesh superposition for overlapping geometries and the capability to fuse multiple meshes

Rheological Method
Newtonian and non-Newtonian rheology, temperature dependent properties, user defined rheology and POLYMAT curve fitting tool

Boundary Conditions
Comprehensive set of boundary conditions including inlet, outlet, wall, symmetry, free surface, periodic, porous media, FSI (fluid structure interaction),full/partial wall slip, contact detection and user defined boundary profiles

Chemical Reaction and Combustion Modeling
Models for finite rate, curing and foaming

Parallel Processing
Shared memory parallel with automatic domain decomposition

Data Export
Export data to  a wide range of external post-processors, including ANSYS CFD-Post, Fieldview, Ensight and PATRAN

Online Help and Documentation
Comprehensive PDF documentation

Simulation Examples

ANSYS POLYFLOW is used in the plastics, food and glass industries to simulate and design manufacturing processes, such as extrusion, injection molding, thermoforming and blow molding. These processes typically involve complex materials behavior, moving machinery and deforming or moving fluid surfaces.

Gear VOF Model
Injection molding of a 3D gear using the VOF model

Bottle Blow Molding
Thickness distribution optimization

» View more examples