Cooling channel derivation Automatic cooling channel design for reduced part warpage

Related Vendors

Institut für Kunststoff- verarbeitung (IKV) an der RWTH Aachen

CUMSA

The cooling channel configuration inside an injection mould critically influences cost-efficiency and part quality. For twelve years, researchers at RWTH Aachen University have worked on optimising and automating its design through an inverse approach.

The design of the cooling system plays a crucial role in injection moulding by governing heat transfer from the melt to both the mould and tempering channels. A frequent issue during initial production runs is insufficient dimensional accuracy, which can render parts unsuitable for assembly or fail to meet visual standards (Bourdon et al. 2012; Schötz 2023). This problem primarily stems from local variations in material shrinkage during cooling and solidification (Christian Hopmann et al. 2018). Such variations may be caused by abrupt changes in wall thickness, local stiffness differences, or inadequate tempering, resulting not only in dimensional deviations but also in warpage. Distortion during the process is influenced by the interacting factors of temperature evolution, part geometry, material shrinkage, process control and conditions (Meyer and Falke 2019).

Design constraints such as limited space or required connection dimensions often restrict geometric optimisation. Additionally, material shrinkage behaviour is largely dictated by physical properties and can only be adjusted within narrow limits. Thus, component quality depends on both operator expertise and significantly on mould design quality (Bourdon et al. 2012).