General Questions

Q: What is Cav-Bal®PRO?
A: Cav-Bal®PRO is an advanced cavity balancing software designed to resolve cavity imbalance in injection moulding. It provides precise, data-driven adjustments for hot runner tip settings and flow control, ensuring uniform cavity filling, consistent part weights, and improved process stability in multi-cavity injection moulds.

Q: What is cavity imbalance in injection moulding?
A: Cavity imbalance occurs when multiple cavities in a mould do not fill evenly during the injection moulding process. This can lead to part weight variations, inconsistent packing pressures, dimensional inaccuracies, increased scrap rates, and quality control issues.

Q: How does Cav-Bal®PRO correct cavity imbalance?
A: Cav-Bal®PRO uses scientific injection moulding principles, including Design of Experiments (DoE) methodology and proprietary algorithms, to calculate the optimal hot runner tip adjustments needed to achieve cavity-to-cavity balance. This eliminates guesswork and trial-and-error approaches that can take a long time and often lead to a less than optimal balance of fill.

Q: Does Cav-Bal®PRO work on non-valve gated moulds?
A: Cav-Bal®PRO is primarily designed for valve-gated moulds but can also be used with non-valve gated hot runner moulds. However, the results may not always be as accurate, as any delta in non-valve gated moulds can introduce additional issues such as stringing or excessive vestige. For this reason, we do not market Cav-Bal®PRO specifically for non-valve gated applications. If stringing or vestige issues are a problem for your components, the best solution is simple: get a valve-gated mould.

Technical & Compatibility

Q: What types of injection moulds does Cav-Bal®PRO support?
A: Cav-Bal®PRO is specifically designed for valve-gated multi-cavity hot runner moulds. It provides precise balancing for hot runner systems, optimizing fill time uniformity, cavity pressure balance, and material distribution. It is not intended for sequential filling configurations.

Q: Does Cav-Bal®PRO require in-mould sensors?
A: No, Cav-Bal®PRO does not require any pressure, temperature, or flow sensors inside the mould cavities. It works by analysing shot-to-shot cavity weight variations and other standard process data, enabling engineers to make hot runner tip adjustments based on calculated recommendations.

Q: Can Cav-Bal®PRO be used with both thermoplastics and thermosets?
A: No, Cav-Bal®PRO is designed for thermoplastic injection moulding only.

Q: Does Cav-Bal®PRO integrate with injection moulding machines?
A: No, Cav-Bal®PRO is a standalone software tool. Users enters component weights from a short shot study, and the software generates precise recommendations for adjusting hot runner settings.

Q: How long does it take to use Cav-Bal®PRO to balance my injection moulds?
A: It depends on how many cavities you have and how long it will take you to weight the parts for the study. The software requests weight data from 3 shots at each step but this can be reduced to 1 shot per step if you are pushed for time. Time to complete the study can be around from 20 minutes and upwards to achieve perfect balance.

Licensing & Support

Q: Do I need Excel installed?
A: NO. Cav-Bal®PRO is a completely stand alone software installation for Windows PC's.

Q: How is Cav-Bal®PRO licensed?
A: Cav-Bal®PRO is available under an annual licensing agreement, priced per computer installation.

Q: Can I transfer my Cav-Bal®PRO license to another computer?
A: Licenses are machine-specific, but transfers can be arranged in cases of hardware failure or system upgrades.

Q: Is training available for Cav-Bal®PRO?
A: Yes, we offer on-site training and implementation support at your facility or at your moulding supplier. Training ensures that users can apply scientific cavity balancing techniques effectively. It's not cheap though and probably not required if you understand the concept of measuring cavity imbalance.

Q: What customer support options are available?
A: Technical support is available via email and scheduled calls. For advanced troubleshooting or implementation support, additional services can be arranged.

Implementation & Benefits

Q: How quickly can I see improvements in cavity balance using Cav-Bal®PRO?
A: Engineers can typically see improvements in cavity balance immediately after implementing the recommended hot runner tip adjustments. Significant reductions in part variability and scrap rates can be achieved within a single setup cycle.

Q: Can Cav-Bal®PRO reduce scrap rates and cycle times?
A: Yes, by improving cavity balance, Cav-Bal®PRO helps to reduce reject rates, eliminate overpacked and underfilled cavities, and optimise fill times—all of which contribute to reduced cycle times and increased productivity.

Q: Does Cav-Bal®PRO replace other scientific moulding techniques?
A: No, Cav-Bal®PRO is a complementary tool designed to work alongside scientific injection moulding practices such as Injection speed studies, hold pressure studies, clamp force, cooling time studies and of course, cavity balance studies. It's worth noting that this does essentially replace your standard cavity balance study but you can usually use the same data/experiment for both concurrently; this software has exportable data for you to fill in your own cavity balance documentation if you need to, along with a .pdf report.

Q: How do I know if my moulding process needs Cav-Bal®PRO?
A: If you have a multi cavity hot runner mould you need this! Well we would say that, but If your multi-cavity mould suffers from any inconsistent cavity fill, difficulty achieving balance, or has a narrow process window then Cav-Bal®PRO provides a scientific and structured approach to resolving these issues. There is no other tool available that can give you the best possible cavity balance via hot runner tip settings without cavity sensors. If you have the option to balance your cavities to the best possible level then how could you justify not doing it?

Getting Started

Q: How do I purchase Cav-Bal®PRO?
A: For pricing and licensing details, please contact us. We can also discuss your specific cavity balancing challenges and how Cav-Bal®PRO can help.

Q: Is there a free trial or demo available?
A: Cav-Bal®PRO is currently available under a paid licensing model, but we may offer live demonstrations upon request.

Q: How do I install Cav-Bal®PRO?
A: Installation is simple and requires a Windows-based PC. A step-by-step installation and activation guide is provided upon purchase, you wouldn't need to read that though if you have used a PC before.