Shenzhen, China - Anycasting Co. Ltd of Korea describes its AnyFoam simulation software for simulating the polyurethane foaming process as "the first such software available commercially anywhere in the world," according to Young-Wook Chae, research engineer with the Seoul-based company.
AnyCasting has sold one licence for this foam software to a major Korean home appliance manufacturer, Chae said, in a 27 May interview at the PU China 2010 event in Shenzhen, organised by London-based Crain Communications Ltd -- publisher of Urethanes Technology International -- together with China MinMetals Corp. of Beijing.
"We can use it to predict foam patterns, air pockets and density distributions in the product," Chae continued, noting that the programme allows foam conditions to be varied - for example, nozzle position, flow rate of the material and its temperature.
These parameters are fed into the virtual foaming software for users to be able to predict appropriate settings of parameters in their plants, the AnyCasting expert said, adding that the group has car companies interested in using the AnyFoam programme to fine tune their seat-foam moulding processes.
The polyurethane industry is ripe for such software is it confronts ever rising costs, and a highly competitive market, the Korean company feels. The software can be especially valuable in the R&D stage, AnyCasting said, to cut development time as well as keep production costs under control.
Chae put the cost of the AnyFoam programme at about $100 000, and he stressed that return on investment is good, with a payback period of one or two years.
See more on this in the forthcoming June/July edition of Urethanes Technology International.
PIC: The AnyCasting team on their PU China 2010 stand
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