Case Study: Samsung achieves stronger, lower-cost refrigerator door covers with Altair HyperWorks

HyperWorks Enables Global Appliance Manufacturer to Use New Material for Stronger, Lower-Cost Product

Samsung (Suzhou Samsung Electronics Co.) faced cracking of refrigerator upper and lower door covers after switching from ABS to lower-cost HIPS; the failures occurred during temperature cycling and were traced to HIPS’ higher thermal expansion, chamfered front edges, and residual stresses from injection molding. To address this, Samsung used Altair’s HyperWorks CAE suite—primarily HyperMesh and RADIOSS—to model thermal fields and assess stress, deformation and failure locations.

Altair’s simulation-driven solution guided design changes (thicker top surfaces and extended vertical/horizontal ribs) that eliminated the cracking while keeping HIPS. Using Altair’s HyperWorks tools, the safety coefficient rose from 1.3 back to 2.0, maximum deformation fell from 3.3 mm to 2.3 mm, and although cover weight increased slightly (upper +27.6 g, lower +17.5 g), the lower cost of HIPS delivered overall material savings and improved Samsung’s product quality and cost competitiveness.

Samsung

Zhao Shouzhen

CAE Engineer