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The Secret of Rapid Production: How to Improve Mold Efficiency through Shape-Conforming Cooling?
With the continuous development of the plastic injection molding industry, improving production efficiency and product quality has always been a key issue in the industry. In this context, shape-conforming cooling systems have gradually become an important technology to improve mold efficiency. Compared with traditional linear cooling ducts, conforming cooling channels can be designed more accurately along the contours of the mold. Such a design not only provides a uniform cooling effect, but also significantly shortens the production cycle.
Conforming cooling channels are cooling channels that closely follow the shape of the mold core or cavity, which makes the cooling process during injection molding or blow molding faster and more uniform.
Overview of shape-conforming cooling technology
Conforming shape cooling technology is widely used in the plastic injection molding industry to improve mold efficiency and product quality. Traditional cooling ducts are mostly straight and evenly arranged, which results in uneven cooling, which prolongs cycle times and may cause defects in the finished product. In contrast, shape-conforming cooling technology ensures uniform cooling and significantly reduces production cycle time by precisely designing the cooling channels to perfectly match the shape of the parts to be produced.
This innovative approach has transformed the plastic injection molding industry, offering numerous benefits to manufacturers looking to increase their competitiveness.
Process Overview
Design phase
The shape-conforming cooling process begins during the design phase of the mold. During this stage, engineers create cavities and cores that define the shape of the plastic part. At the same time, they identify areas where heat accumulates, often having an impact on the quality of the final product.
Cooling channel design
The cooling channels designed by engineers will closely follow the contours of the mold and be strategically placed to ensure uniform cooling of the entire surface of the mold, effectively reducing deformation, shortening cycle times, and improving product quality.
Manufacturing and Optimization
Cooling channels can be integrated into the mold through traditional machining processes and additive manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing. To achieve optimal cooling efficiency, engineers often use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to optimize the design of cooling channels. These simulations help predict and analyze coolant flow, identify potential hot spots, and improve design efficiency.
Coolant circulation
During the injection molding process, coolant (such as water) is usually flowed through the cooling channels to absorb heat in the mold. This coolant removes heat, allowing the plastic material to solidify and cool faster.
Benefits of technology
By reducing cooling time, manufacturers can increase production and reduce energy consumption, thereby realizing cost savings and improving market competitiveness. As an efficient cooling optimization method, shape-conforming cooling technology not only improves production efficiency, but also enables high-precision and high-quality component production.
History and patents
This process was first proposed by Klaus Schmetz in 1999 and obtained US patent number 5,855,933. The company that applied for the patent at that time was "Innova" in Germany, which changed its name to "CONTURA Mold Temperature Control GmbH" in 2003.
Further reading
For interested readers, here are some relevant literature that provide an in-depth understanding of conformal cooling channel design:
- Emanuel Sachs et al. (2000). “Production of injection molding tooling with conformal cooling channels using the three dimensional printing process”. Polymer Engineering & Science.
- Xiaorong Xu et al., (2001). The design of conformal cooling channels in injection molding tooling.
- D.E. Dimla et al. (2005). "Design and optimisation of conformal cooling channels in injection molding tools". Journal of Materials Processing Technology.
- Other relevant research and technical papers.
In a rapidly changing manufacturing industry, will shape-conforming cooling technology become a key element of future production?
