For many company to be successful today, computer technology must be utilized to a growing extern in all areas. Without an uninterrupted information flow among all departments involve in production of a mold, it is not possible to meet customer demands for shorter lead times, lower costs, and higher product quality. The linking of the information in all computer systems implement CAE includes several parts as follows.
1. Software Requirements
No clear criteria exist for assessing the quality of software available for calculation purposes. Nevertheless, precise clarification of a few important points will assist in finding the most suitable product for a given application. The accuracy and reliability of the results depend on a wide range of influences that really have nothing to do with the actual calculation modules, e. g., and the quality of the data provided by the raw materials suppliers or the preparation of the geometric model. Their development status tends to change very rapidly, which means that comparative studies should be viewed with caution. Although the number of existing software installations is no real guide to their suitability, it can be said that a large number of users will gather more experience and that this experience can be fed back into further development of the software. For this to be effective, there must be good communication between users and the software manufacturer through regular user meetings. Documentations in the form of comprehensive handbooks combined with intensive training are vital for users. If problems are encountered when using the programs, users must be able to obtain expert support at short notice. All programs should be covered by an update service that supplies improvements and supplements to the software. It is equally important to ensure that a computing program fits into the existing software environment and, if it fits, to understand how it fits. One point that should not be underestimated is the level to which computing programs are supported by data from the raw materials suppliers.
