We know that in order to obtain qualified injection molded products, at least two points must be kept in mind: during injection molding, the flow velocity of the melt in the cavity is as the same as possible, and the temperature of the cavity wall of the mold is as the same as possible. If the conformal cooling water channel can be processed on the mold, it can be more evenly distributed around the mold cavity compared with the traditional water channel, and the product can be uniformly cooled, thereby ensuring the manufacture of precision products.
1. What is a conformal cooling channel?
The conformal cooling water channel is a cooling water channel with complex and irregular shapes designed according to the shape of the product. Its design jumps out of the traditional design position and frame, allowing the waterway to change in accordance with the changes in the surface geometry of the mold cavity. This not only provides mold designers with a larger mold design space, but also simplifies the design method of the cooling waterway. Taking a closer look, the mold’s heat dissipation waterway design can also be designed with irregular shapes to improve heat dissipation efficiency. This is the basic principle of conformal cooling waterways.
2. Where are the difficulties in the realization of conformal cooling channels?
The process of making conformal cooling water channels is limited by manufacturing technology. Generally, drilling is used to process the cooling water channels of the mold, so the shape of the water channel can only be straight. For a long time, the design of conformal cooling channel can only stay at the theoretical stage.
But since the emergence of metal 3D printing, these problems have been improved in a breakthrough!
Regardless of the diameter of the mold channel, or the inner corner processing that is difficult to perform on a general lathe, metal 3D printing can be easily achieved. What’s better is that even if the planning method of the conformal cooling channel is complicated, the metal 3D printing only needs one process. , Both can accurately complete the mold and the conformal cooling channel at the same time.
Of course, not all molds need conformal cooling channel design, because the price of conformal cooling channel is more expensive than traditional waterways. Generally speaking, products with complex shapes that cannot effectively dissipate heat, thin walls and other products that are extremely sensitive to temperature and require high product quality require molds with conformal cooling channels.
Post time: Oct-29-2021