China3D printingNet February 11th, in the first part of this series, we outlined how to use3D printingTo make molds for injection and die casting. Especially for small batches of parts, additive manufacturing (AM) is more cost-effective.However, in some cases, regardless of the batch size, the technology can provide3D printingSome unique advantages. 3D printingThe service life of the metal molds and molds is longer than that of the plastic molds discussed in the first part.
Regardless of the batch size,3D printingThe biggest advantage provided by the mold is the ability to integrate conformal cooling channels (air channels that follow the mold/cavity and core shape) that cannot be achieved with traditional technology. The channels are integrated in the mold, so they can dissipate heat faster, reducing the cooling time required for parts and tools. This allows you to open the mold or mold and inject more material to speed up production.
Traditional methods of complex cooling strategies
For now, molds are usually made with CNC machines, and cooling channels are usually drilled in secondary machining. As a result, the heat dissipation becomes more uneven, which leads to internal stress and warpage inside the part itself. By adding functions called baffles, bubblers and isobars, more complex cooling strategies can be implemented, which obviously increases the labor and cost of parts. If necessary, you may have to segment the authoring tool to merge more complex channels. Then weld the mold/mold together, which will naturally shorten the life of the mold.
Using additive manufacturing (AM), compared to subtractive technology, the cooling channel can be printed in any shape and closer to the part. In turn, this can improve the consistency of the parts, while also reducing the cooling time, thereby reducing the time required to manufacture new parts (called “cycle time”). Fewer defective parts also means less waste and cost savings.
3D printingThere are many examples of molds improving the injection molding process. Czech tool manufacturer Innomia reduced cycle time by 17%, and ultimately reduced the time to market from 18 days to 13 days. Polish mold and injection company FADO reduced cycle time by 30%.The Linear Mold Company of Michigan reports that 20% to 30% of its mold sales are3D printingblade. Oyonnax Cedex can reduce its mold temperature by 20°C, thereby shortening the cooling time by 20 seconds. The Laser Bearbeitungs Center can reduce its cycle time by 60% and the scrap rate from 50% to zero.
3D printingThe tool blade has a conformal cooling function, which can shorten the cycle time by 17% while improving the quality of the armrest parts used in manufacturing” alt=”3D printingThe tool blade has a conformal cooling function, which can shorten the cycle time by 17%, and at the same time improve the quality of the handrail parts used for manufacturing” width=”492″ height=”371″ />
3D printingThe tool blade has a conformal cooling function, which can shorten the cycle time by 17% while improving the quality of the armrest parts used in manufacturing. Image courtesy of Magna Innomia.
The introduction of conformal cooling channels is actually just3D printingThe beginning of bringing benefits to mold manufacturing. The use of simulation software can optimize the cooling path, thereby greatly reducing the cooling time and cycle time. Topology optimization, generative design, and other simulation-based modeling techniques can be further applied to reduce the materials used to make molds, thereby making parts lighter, easier to move, and further reducing cooling time.
3D optimized molds printed using Altair software and PROTIQ. Image courtesy of Altair.
Companies like PROTIQ and NXCMFG are dedicated to3D printingSimulation tools and topology optimization of molds, molds and inserts. In one use case, PROTIQ was able to reduce the weight of the mold by 75%. This avoids lifting the tool by hand, and conformal cooling reduces the cooling time from 9 or 10 seconds to 3.2, which reduces the cooling time by a third.
In the above case, the metal used3D printingThe technology is metal powder bed fusion (PBF). Although they cannot have the same geometric complexity, directed energy deposition (DED) and hybrid manufacturing systems (usually combining DED and CNC) have their own advantages that can be brought to tool manufacturing.
In particular, DED and hybrid systems using DED can combine different metals or deposit metals on existing parts. For molds, this means taking advantage of the physical properties of multiple materials.
DMG Mori’s LASERTEC 3D hybrid machine tool can realize the application of multiple materials and classify materials.
Hybrid machine manufacturer DMG Mori discussed the adoption of3D printingA method of manufacturing a die-casting mold with a core made of copper, which quickly dissipates heat, and then prints an external mold from the tool steel. The mold steel is selected for its corrosion resistance. Alternatively, a mold can be manufactured in which a material (such as steel) is deposited on an existing block of base material (such as copper). Due to the thermal conductivity of copper, the base can act as a heat sink, thereby reducing cooling time. Finally, unlike PBF, DED can be used to repair molds over time.
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