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

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HASCO Hasenclever GmbH + Co KG

Renishaw plc

3D Systems Corporation

Cooling time was reduced from 10.5 seconds for the conventional mould to 7.5 seconds for the conformal mould, and the all-important cycle time was reduced by 14%.

“Even though the temperature remained the same for both the conventional and the conformal cooling designs, the conformal design forced more liquid through a greater surface area, making it more efficient in cooling the mould,” says Young.

Results are shared with the industrial community

“The desire for better cooling techniques has been hanging out there for a long, long time,” says Young. “We now have the software to help mould-makers make better decisions about how to set up their cavities, cores and inserts, then bring them into reality with direct-metal 3D printing.”

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“With traditional cooling for injection moulding there is no perfect situation,” says Staub. “You can only drill holes in certain places and you can’t curve holes around channels like you can with conformal cooling designed for 3D printing. Now we no longer have to accept compromises in conformal cooling designs.”

Bastech purchased the Pro X 200 DMP system through a grant from the State of Ohio and the University of Dayton’s Research Institute, so part of the company’s mission is to share results with the industrial community.

Staub hopes that Bastech’s benchmark efforts will show shops of all sizes that there are solid, end-to-end solutions available to achieve conformal cooling.

“A lot of toolmakers will need to adopt these 3D technologies to improve their shops,” he says. “We want to share our successes so other shops can see that not only can it be done, but it can be done in a way that has a major impact on your bottom line.”

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