NOGRID pointsBlow - Advanced 3D Glass Simulation Software for Container Glass Forming

NOGRID pointsBlow 3D glass simulation software is a powerful tool specifically developed and designed for the container glass industry. It enables glass manufacturers to optimize the design and forming process of glass containers with precision and efficiency. 
In traditional production workflows, achieving the desired container quality often requires multiple costly and time-consuming trials on the production line. With NOGRID pointsBlow, you can simulate the entire container glass forming process in full 3D - in a practicable time- allowing you to evaluate design alternatives, optimize process parameters, and reduce development cycles. This leads to cost reductions and time savings.

This advanced CFD-based (Computational Fluid Dynamics) glass simulation software offers a reliable and solid basis for product improvement, process stability, and quality assurance. Whether you are designing new containers or improving existing ones, NOGRID pointsBlow is an essential tool that helps reduce costs, shorten time-to-market, and enhance product quality across the board. For glassmakers this software is an indispensable tool to support glass design, production process, and quality control of glass containers.

Figure 1: Result view of selected time steps from a full 3D container glass simulation performed with NOGRID pointsBlow 

The following kinds of container glass forming processes can be simulated in full 3D or in 2D-axisymmetric:

• BB  (Blow and Blow),
• PB  (Press and Blow or Wide Mouth PB)
• NNPB  (Narrow Neck Press and Blow)
• PB tableware  (Press and Blow for the tableware industry)

Figure 2: Blow and Blow (BB) process steps

NOGRID pointsBlow enables simulation of any conceivable glass bottle design. Just like in real production, the simulation begins with gob loading and ends with take-out. All process steps are integrated into one simulation model, with wall activations and deactivations timed precisely according to IS machine time data.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the software supports any 3D bottle geometry - including complex shapes such as handled bottles or perfume containers. This means there are no design limitations: users can test and evaluate any container concept without restriction.

Over the years, numerous glass container designs have been simulated and compared to physical production results - with excellent correlation. Bottle weights can be freely defined without limitation. Simulation time varies depending on gob weight: typically minutes for 2D computations and a few hours for full 3D computations.

Figure 3: NOGRID pointsBlow supports 3D, 3D-clip, and 2D-axisymmetric container glass simulations

To support detailed analysis, NOGRID pointsBlow computes not only velocity, pressure, and temperature, but also the wall thickness of the container at each time step by solving an additional differential equation. The thickness distribution can be selected and visualized just like any other simulation variable - for example, temperature (see figure on the right). The XY plot shown illustrates the thickness distribution along the height of the bottle.

Furthermore, users can probe specific points within the glass volume, allowing the software to display all relevant variables at those locations for in-depth evaluation.

Before starting a container simulation with NOGRID pointsBlow, several input parameters are required - these include geometric data, initial and boundary conditions, material data and process data.

One of the first questions for new users is how to define the geometry: this includes the shapes of the blank mold, the final mold, the plug or plunger, and the initial glass gob just before loading. The gob geometry is freely selectable within the NOGRID pointsBlow's graphical user interface (GUI).

Since companies use different CAD systems for mold and part designs, NOGRID pointsBlow supports importing all necessary shapes via the widely used STEP file format. This allows users to extract the shapes required into a CAD file and export this file into STEP format (most CAD packages support exporting to STEP format), which can then be directly imported into the simulation environment.

Once all material and process data are provided, the simulation can begin immediately. And because NOGRID pointsBlow is based on a meshless numerical method, no meshing is required - points within the initial gob are filled automatically by the software.

Figure 5: Animation of a computed container in full 3D with a rectangular shape

NOGRID pointsBlow computes the entire forming process using all IS machine time data including pressure data, plunger movement, and heat transfer data. The plunger movement can be driven by force or can be given by time position curve. Since IS machine settings have a direct impact on the final thickness distribution and overall container quality,  NOGRID pointsBlow provides valuable support in the following areas: 

• Finding the optimal blank mold shape
• Reducing the number of mold design tests
• Finding the best IS time machine data
• Reducing the number of trials in production
• Finding the lowest possible container weight

Last but not least NOGRID pointsBlow helps identify and understand the root causes of glass defects in containers. By providing detailed insight into the forming process, the simulation serves as a valuable basis for understanding and optimizing every aspect of production.

NOGRID pointsBlow enables full 3D simulation of all main container glass forming processes within practical computation times. Its intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) is specifically designed for the container glass industry, making modeling and simulation steps easy to perform.

By implementing NOGRID pointsBlow, manufacturers can significantly reduce the number of costly mold and production trials. In many cases, the investment in a software license pays off after just one successful new bottle design.

NOGRID pointsBlow is unique and unmatched on the market. It is the only software capable of simulating container glass forming processes such as Blow-Blow (BB), Press- and Blow (PB), Narrow Neck Press- and Blow (NNPB), and PB for tableware in full 3D with feasible computation times. No other solution offers this level of capability and performance.

As a container glass manufacturer, you shouldn't miss the opportunity to test NOGRID pointsBlow. It is the only software worldwide capable of performing full 3D simulations of the container glass forming process with exceptional speed and reliability. Even complex container shapes - such as bottles with handles - can be accurately simulated. 

NOGRID pointsBlow offers unmatched precision in modeling every step of the container glass forming process, helping you make informed design decisions, optimize production, and reduce costly trial- and error efforts.

Don't miss your chance to simulate container glass forming at the highest professional level. With NOGRID pointsBlow, you'll work more efficiently while saving time, materials, and development costs.

We're confident that once you try it, you'll be both convinced and inspired. Contact us for a trial version and see the results for yourself.