3D printing and software make the design of cooling channels easier

Related Vendors

HASCO Hasenclever GmbH + Co KG

Renishaw plc

3D Systems Corporation

The Pro X DMP 200 is a cost-effective alternative to traditional manufacturing processes, offering reduced waste, greater speeds for production, short set-up times, very dense metal parts, and the ability to produce complex assemblies as a single part.

“It’s a tool that enhances our capabilities on the moulding side,” says Staub. “It gives us higher turnaround tooling and solves bottleneck problems in the shop. We can save 30-40 hours per mould by eliminating EDM and drilling, and drastically reducing CNC and polishing work.”

For the reverse-flow helix core, the design and analysis in Cimatron software, combined with 3D printing on the Pro X DMP 200, saved more than 40 hours of programming and shop time. When all costs were taken into consideration, the 3D-printed core yielded net savings of $1,765 (18%) over conventional methods, according to Young.

More importantly, the conformal cooling mould maintained a lower temperature throughout the run and reduced cycle time by 22%.

“Cycle time is nearly everything in injection moulding, with the ability to consistently control temperature a close second,” says Staub.

“The more consistently we can hold temperature, the more consistently we can mould quality parts,” says Young. “Eliminating warping due to temperature variation and lowering cycle time represent huge performance gains.”

In a second benchmark, Bastech went beyond the conformal core to design a complete core, cavity and slide-mould set for 3D printing. In this case, the goal was to maintain the same temperature (110F) between the conventional and conformal designs to see how it would affect cooling and cycle time results.

Once again, major time savings were recorded for programming, machining and polishing, and EDM was completely eliminated in the conformal cooling design. Automation within Cimatron software reduced design time from 30 hours to just seven for the conformal cooling mould. Total cost savings for the 3D-printed mould amounted to $2,505, a 16% savings.

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