Simulator development for active learning of the fundamentals of plastic injection moulding

This paper describes some aspects of new teaching software and its academic application. This program is an alternative for enhancing and improving the resources available for students to acquire practical knowledge in plastic injection moulding parameterisation. An injection moulding simulator has been developed that allows preliminary machine capacity determination, an analysis of the number of cavities, in order to define the injection cycle parameter, and defects analysis and its representation. The simulator is used by students on the plastics injection course. The environment allows the student to carry out an iterative process in order to optimise the injection moulding process parameters. All decision-making is based on an Expert System whose response is similar to that of a skilled machine operator.