Tadayoshi Matsumori

Design improvement of cooling channel layout for plastic injection moulding

The objective of this research is to propose a method for designing cooling channel layouts for plastic injection moulding; optimization techniques have been adopted to simultaneously reduce moulded defects and cooling cycle times. Using the numerical examples of coolant flow in cooling channels, it is found that curved cooling channels along the cavity significantly affect the temperature of the plastic. Moreover, the differences between cooling channels for 2-D and 3-D models are discussed. Furthermore, the cooling channel layout is designed in two stages on the basis of the results from the numerical examples. In the proposed design procedure, the cooling channel layout is determined after taking into consideration the design factors that are significant for maintaining the required plastic temperature.