Particle Foam Processing
No or fewer physical tool iterations
Shorter development time
Data-supported decisions
Reduced rework and higher efficiency
Higher and more consistent part quality
Early detection of critical zones
Particle foam filling is highly sensitive to injector position, bead flow and process parameters. Simulation makes the filling behavior visible before the tool is manufactured or modified. Critical zones, underfilling and density variations can be detected and corrected at an early stage.
This reduces physical tool iterations, development time, compressed-air consumption and unnecessary rework.
The result is a faster, more efficient filling process with more uniform density and consistently higher part quality.
Optimization Steps
You provide the required Information
CAD Data
Raw Material Data
Process Paramters
Electricity Cost
Application Examples
M-Bumper
Every filler shapes the final part
A bumper may look simple from the outside, but its long flow paths, narrow sections and complex contours make uniform filling a real challenge.
The simulation reveals how the foam beads spread through the cavity, where the filling process slows down and how strongly each filler position affects the result. Critical zones, underfilling and inefficient flow paths become visible before the tool is built.
This allows filler positions and process parameters to be optimized digitally, for faster filling, more uniform density and fewer costly tool iterations.
Bird-House
See how every injector shapes the final part.
The shown bird house is a technology demonstrator for particle-foam toolmaking. By tracking the beads from each individual injector, the simulation reveals how the material streams mix throughout the cavity and where local density differences develop. This makes poorly supplied areas and unbalanced injector contributions clearly visible. The resulting insight provides a solid basis for optimizing injector number, position and tool layout. Instead of relying on trial and error, the process can be improved using detailed, injector-specific data.
W-Bumper
Filling is only half the story.
In a back-pressure process, the beads expand after filling as the pressure is released to ambient conditions. This growth enables the material to reproduce the full cavity contour and is therefore essential for a realistic digital process design. At the same time, bead expansion creates internal stresses, which are partly reduced again during steaming and molding.
Crack-gap filling can also be simulated. In this process, the beads do not expand after filling; instead, they are compressed as the tool closes and the available cavity volume decreases. This compression can create significant internal stresses and, in some areas, steep stress gradients. Digital optimization is therefore especially important to achieve a balanced material distribution, reduce residual deformation and ensure that the final component remains within its required tolerances.
A reliable simulation must capture not only the filling process, but also the resulting expansion or compression of the beads.
Component Performance
Design tailored precisely to every challenge
The cylinder tube demonstrates how particle-foam components deform under mechanical load. Simulation reveals where the material compresses, how forces are distributed and which areas are exposed to critical stresses or strains.
By considering the local density and material behavior, the structural response of the component can be predicted before physical testing. This enables geometry, wall thickness and foam properties to be adapted to the actual load case.
The result is a lighter, more durable component with controlled deformation and reliable performance within the required limits.
