Vents

Use the Vents icon to define vents that enable gases to escape from the part and mold.

Location: Foaming ribbon, Vents icon



Click the satellite icon that appears when you hover over the Vents tool to display a table of all vents in your model.

Add Line Vents

Add line vents to enable gases to travel along the part and escape from the parting line of the mold.

You must create or designate a mold for your model before adding line vents.
  1. Click the Line Vent icon.
  2. Click and drag to sketch a line vent on the mold. Click again to end the vent.


    Figure 1. Example of Line Vents on a PolyFoam Model

    In a PolyFoam model, you sketch vents on the exterior faces of the mold for ease of use. The software projects the vents to the part and runs the simulation on the model as if the vents were located on the part.

    In a physical model, line vents are placed along the part to move the air from the part to the partition line.



    Figure 2. Example of Line Vents on a Physical Model
  3. Use the microdialog options to define the parameters of the line vent.
    Microdialog option Description Note
    Move Line Vent Click the Move tool to change the location of the vent. Alternatively, enter the X, Y, and Z coordinates for the vent.
    Thickness The thickness accounts for the size of the gap that exists at the parting line of the mold. Enter the gap thickness value.
    Porosity The porosity value controls the vent opening that syphons gas away from the part. Enter a value between 0 and 1, where 0 means the vent is fully closed, and 1 means the vent is fully opened.

Add Point Vents

Add point vents to enable gases to escape from around the part and through the exterior of the mold.

You must create or designate a mold for your model before adding vents.
  1. Click the Point Vent icon.
  2. Click a surface on the part to place a point vent.
  3. Use the microdialog options to define the parameters of the point vent.
    Microdialog option Description Note
    Move Line Vent Click the Move tool to change the location of the vent. Alternatively, enter the X, Y, and Z coordinates for the vent.
    Vent Shape

    Circular: Circular vents release gasses through the exterior of the mold.

    Square: Square vents enable air to escape from around the part in the mold.    		 Select a shape for the vent. For circular, enter the radius of the vent. For square, enter the X, Y and Z dimensions of the vent.
    Porosity The porosity value is the filtering capacity of the vent to syphon gases away from the part. Enter a value between 0 and 1, where 0 means no gases can escape and 1 means gases can fully escape.
    Variable Pressure Variable pressure defines a time-dependent venting system, including vacuum conditions, that can be applied to circular vents to syphon gases away from the part. Select the check box if your model includes a pressure system. To define the pressure properties, click the variable pressure button and enter the pressure over time in the dialog:

Vents Table

You can review, modify, and work with point vents in the Vents table.

Click the satellite icon on the Vents tool to display the table.

The table shows the current coordinates and radius or dimensions for each vent. Use the dropdown menu to select squared vents or circular vents.



Column 1 numbers the vents in the order that you added them. The Location column pinpoints the vent at X, Y, and Z coordinates. For round vents, the Radius column displays the vents' radii. For squared vents, the X, Y, and Z columns display the vents' dimensions. When a row is selected, you can use the microdialog to edit the corresponding vent.

Click the icon to export vents to a .csv or .txt file.

Click the icon to import vents from a .csv or .txt file.