Conformal cooling channels are cooling paths which follows the contour profile of the mould core or cavity to facilitate rapid uniform cooling. Until recently this simple concept was difficult to execute by the die mould manufacturing community owing to requirement of complex geometrical shapes that were impossible to create through the traditional machining route. Metal 3D printing eliminates the need for secondary drilling operations. This has has given freedom to the mould designer to design cooling channels that are in close proximity to the surface of the mold cavity. The designer can also optimize the shape of cooling channels such that it generates turbulence to carry off more heat. Maraging steel (18Ni300) is a widely used metal for 3D printing mould inserts with conformal cooling channels. After 3D printing the mould inserts, they are subjected to heat treatment so as to maintain hardness of upto 52-54 HRC. These mould inserts are later machined to meet surface finish requirements. The global injection molding market size was valued at USD 14.7 Billion in 2018 is projected to reach USD 21.4 Billion by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period according to Fortune Business Insights report. Injection moulding is a manufacturing process for producing parts by injecting molten material into a mould. This process is commonly used for manufacturing plastics ranging from toys to automotive body parts, cell phone cases to containers. As of recently, cooling channels for molds were (and still are) created through secondary machining operations such as radial drilling or gun drilling. To meet requirement of cooling at intricate profiles, moulds were split into segments and soldered. A provision for baffle cooling was also provided. However, these either shortened the mould life and also affected the overall part qualtity as weld joints deteriorated over time. Cooling rates for a mould segment rely upon its proximity to the cooling channels. Long cycle times, warpage in parts and poor surface finish of end parts are some of the indicators of non uniform cooling. Above is an example of inserts with conventional cooling and conformal cooling channels. Beneath the image of the insert observe the thermal effect in the conventional cooled insert as well as the conformal cooled inserts. From the thermal analysis, we can observe that the insert with conformal cooling channel addresses the hot zones (indicated in red). A side by side comparison shows rate of cooling is much faster in conformal cooled inserts indicating a greater thermal control during injection molding. With conformal cooling being touted as the next big thing, the tooling industry can save plenty by incorporating conformal cooling to ease the bottlenecks of conventional cooling. Overcoming the bottlenecks in injection moulding through conformal cooling. Benefits of conformal cooling Conformal cooling technology provides the industry greater thermal control over injection molds.The die mould manufacturing community are seeing encouraging results such as shortened cycle times, improved quality of the plastic part and faster ROI's (Return on Investment). They are also able to observe uniform cooling as coolant is now able to reach hot spots, even in the most intricate sections of the moulds. Email: enquiries@am-ace.com Website: www.am-ace.com Phone: +91 080 41828100 467-469, 12th cross, Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore 560058 India amace solutions Pvt. Ltd. Conformal cooling 65% of the cycle time is spent in cooling of part. Conventional cooling Conformal cooling Image: TAGMA