Comparison of Conventional and Conformal Cooling Channels in the Production of a Commercial Injection-Moulded Component

Abstract

Cooling channels are critical in injection mould tooling as cooling performance influences component quality, cycle time, and overall process efficiency. Additively Manufactured moulds allow the incorporation of cooling channels conforming to the shape of the cavity and core to improve heat removal. These conformal channels can reduce the cycle time, reduce mould temperature, and enhance the temperature uniformity on the mould's surface, leading to improved quality of the moulded components and reduced wastage in the production. The design of such channels is more challenging than conventional channels; thus, Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) has a significant role within the design process. In this paper, a novel design for conformal cooling channels for the production of a commercial component from an industrial partner is investigated. This component had issues of high cycle time and a high defect rate due to residual stresses, resulting in component shrinkage. First, the existing conventional drilled cooling channels in the mould were simulated in Autodesk Moldflow Insight to evaluate temperature distribution and cycle time. Based on the temperature distribution, conformal cooling channels were designed in Solidworks, addressing the problem areas. Next, a simulation of fluid flow in the conformal channels was conducted in ANSYS-Fluent to ensure equal flow distribution in the entire circuit, iteratively arriving at an optimal configuration. Finally, the results of the new conformal channels, including mould temperature and cycle time, were compared with conventional cooling channels in simulation. The results showed a significant reduction in cycle time and improvement in the temperature distribution, thereby minimising residual stresses and shrinkage.

Condition Monitoring of Additively Manufactured Injection Mould Tooling: A Review of Demands, Opportunities and Potential Strategies

“… ( a ) Temperature profiles for a moulded component using conventional vs. ( b ) conformal cooling and their corresponding 3D meshed cooling desings [ 10 ]. …”

A Feasibility Study on the Use of Injection Molding Systems for Mass Production of 100W Class Wind Turbine Blades

“…The temperature of the mold varies due to the design and conditions of the cooling channel, which has a great influence on injection molding. It affects many factors, such as fill time, short shot, ejection time, and deformation of the product; various studies are being conducted on cooling channels [21][22][23][24]. In this study, cooling channel performance analysis was also conducted to evaluate the performance of the cooling channel.…”

Towards sustainable injection moulding using 3D printed conformal cooling channels: a comparative simulation study

“…For this reason, a significant amount of research worldwide has been dedicated towards making the cooling phase of the injection moulding cycle more effective and efficient, thereby making the process more sustainable. Examples of the effect of a shorter cooling time can be found in [2,[6][7][8]. The drive behind this aim for a more sustainable injection moulding process stems from the ever-increasing pressure from society and governing bodies to curb the onset of climate change.…”

“…In the numerous studies conducted on the effect of CCCs on the injection moulding cooling phase, the results have been highly positive. Taking for example the work of [6], the use of CCCs with varying radii reduced the cycle time by 43%. In a separate study by Berger et al [7], CCCs were designed to mimic the behaviour of human blood vessels, resulting in a cycle time reduction of 14%.…”