How to choose mold flow software, Autodesk or Moldex?
Both are highly developed and very capable products. Either one is much, much better than no process calculation at all. In that sense, you can’t go wrong whichever one you choose. That’s just as well, because it is going to be difficult to answer the question in a truly informed manner. There can be few if any people who are equally fluent and experienced in both systems, under industrial conditions.
If you had asked the question before Autodesk acquired Moldflow, I would have said without hesitation that Moldflow was the market leader and had the best product support. There was a constant stream of product developments, and high brand visibility at conferences, at exhibitions and in journals and magazines. I don’t see any of that now. In the UK and Europe, Moldflow seems to have slipped off the radar.
A niche product such as injection molding process simulation needs support by industry experts who can hold their own on the factory floor as well as at the keyboard. I think Autodesk’s CAD reseller channel struggles to deliver that. I am just an onlooker now, but I get the sense that Moldflow has stalled, and all the momentum is with Moldex. Certainly, over the last few years, I have read and seen quite a lot about Moldex and almost nothing about Moldflow. It is just a niche for Autodesk but it’s core business for Moldex.
Apart from due diligence on the future existence and development of the contenders, the decision may come down to matters such as integration with your CAD system, constant upkeep of the materials database, expectations or preferences of your clients, and which one is strongest on training and technical support in your locality.
And now for the declaration of interest. I was in at the start of Moldflow: I set up and ran all its operations in UK and Europe until the late 80s. We helped to move an industry from craft to science and I am proud of that. But the baton may have changed hands.
If you had asked the question before Autodesk acquired Moldflow, I would have said without hesitation that Moldflow was the market leader and had the best product support. There was a constant stream of product developments, and high brand visibility at conferences, at exhibitions and in journals and magazines. I don’t see any of that now. In the UK and Europe, Moldflow seems to have slipped off the radar.
A niche product such as injection molding process simulation needs support by industry experts who can hold their own on the factory floor as well as at the keyboard. I think Autodesk’s CAD reseller channel struggles to deliver that. I am just an onlooker now, but I get the sense that Moldflow has stalled, and all the momentum is with Moldex. Certainly, over the last few years, I have read and seen quite a lot about Moldex and almost nothing about Moldflow. It is just a niche for Autodesk but it’s core business for Moldex.
Apart from due diligence on the future existence and development of the contenders, the decision may come down to matters such as integration with your CAD system, constant upkeep of the materials database, expectations or preferences of your clients, and which one is strongest on training and technical support in your locality.
And now for the declaration of interest. I was in at the start of Moldflow: I set up and ran all its operations in UK and Europe until the late 80s. We helped to move an industry from craft to science and I am proud of that. But the baton may have changed hands.