Design Evaluation

Plastics have tremendous latitude in how they will respond when subjected to different loading, temperature, and chemicals. This is one of the many reasons why plastics are extremely attractive when designing a new part or converting from metal. However, incorporating a relatively minor change in part geometry, material additive or reinforcement, or how the part is manufactured, can be the difference between part success or failure. We see mistakes made everyday because the design engineer did not recognize a potential problem could exist. Using the vast expertise in processing, mechanical behavior and failure of plastics, The Madison Group can evaluate your plastic part or design. Companies come to us to determine why a plastic part has failed and to help ensure a failure does not occur in the future.

It is critical when designing plastic parts that one understands how the plastic will behave in the environment and the stress load to which it will be subjected. The Madison Group uses both physical and analytical testing methods; microscopy; plus, numerical techniques for molding and structural analysis when analyzing and predicting part performance.

Performance Analysis Techniques

Mold Filling and Structural Analysis

Often part performance is dictated by how well the part is manufactured – poor manufacturing can make even the best designed part perform poorly or be out of specification. Many failures are the result of poor manufacturing. To help give insight into what happens in the mold during the molding operation, The Madison Group uses mold filling simulation. This tool allows one to predict mold filling, fiber orientation, solidification and warpage. More importantly, it allows one to determine possible molding issues before the part is ever molded. It is also used at times during a part failure investigation to determine if molding played a role in the failure. To predict how the part will perform structurally while in the field, we use structural finite element simulation. This software allows one to predict part response - stress distribution, and deformation - when a load is applied to the part. This tool is used to achieve proper design to reduce stress and deformation in the part so that failure can be avoided or understood if one has occurred.

We are the experts when it comes to mold filling and structural finite element simulation of plastics. The phrase “garbage in equals garbage out” holds very true for the design of plastics. The simulation process is not a plug and play operation. An appropriate model that accurately represents the part needs to be created; boundary conditions need to be understood, then applied correctly. The right material properties for the simulation being conducted need be used.

We not only understand how to correctly use simulation tools for plastics, we developed the proprietary Cadpress suite of simulation tools for compression molding of plastics. The Madison Group’s experts understand the underlying models that control the flow, fiber orientation and solidification used in simulation.

Why The Madison Group

The Madison Group is completely dedicated to plastics.

You will be working with a company that works solely with plastics. Our renowned Ph.D.'s and engineers have years of experience analyzing plastic - processing, behavior, design, and failure. We use numerous tools for mechanical and analytical testing and analysis to understand why plastic parts fail and how to prevent these failures. The Madison Group assists companies with their plastic part design to optimize part geometry while minimizing failure. Though our company does not do ground-up design, we can assist you throughout the complete design process. We analyze the plastic from "pellet to part".

• Understanding, selection and screening of plastic material, fillers and reinforcements
• Analyze processing (production) of plastic part
• Assist in determine appropriate material and part testing
• Background in processing, behavior, design, and failure of plastics
• Years of experience analyzing plastic parts
• Creep considerations
• Determine stress and deflection of part while in the field
• Analyze consequence of changing material or geometry of part