Cycle time reduction is one way to increase the energy efficiency of the injection molding production process. For injection molding, conformal cooling channels can be considered as a potential solution for obtaining a uniform temperature distribution in the mold, which results in a shorter cooling time and better quality of the molded part. However, the design and manufacture of optimal cooling channels is a challenge due to their complex geometry and heat transfer. This paper presents a method to maximize the efficiency of a conformal cooling channel made by 3D printing technology. The combination of analytical formulas and CAE simulation is applied to design optimal cooling channels in terms of cooling efficiency and manufacturability. An actual case study is introduced and analyzed to demonstrate the benefit of the conformal cooling channel and the robustness of the proposed design method. The results show that the cooling time and cycle time can be reduced more than 50% when molding a plastic product that is difficult to cool by conventional straight-drilled cooling channels. This is a great contribution to an environmentally friendly manufacturing technology.

中文翻译：

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设计先进的注塑模具以提高冷却效率

减少周期时间是提高注塑生产过程能源效率的一种方法。对于注塑成型，可以将保形的冷却通道视为在模具中获得均匀温度分布的潜在解决方案，这可以缩短冷却时间并提高成型零件的质量。然而，由于其复杂的几何形状和热传递，最佳冷却通道的设计和制造是一个挑战。本文提出了一种通过3D打印技术最大化保形冷却通道效率的方法。在冷却效率和可制造性方面，将分析公式和CAE仿真相结合可用于设计最佳冷却通道。介绍并分析了一个实际案例研究，以证明共形冷却通道的好处以及所提出设计方法的鲁棒性。结果表明，在模制难以通过常规直孔冷却通道进行冷却的塑料产品时，冷却时间和循环时间可减少50％以上。这是对环保制造技术的巨大贡献。