The year’s top innovations in molding: conformal cooling

3_split_manifold_wideNew developments have improved the way conformal cooling lines are produced to prevent leakage and mold damage. Polyshot Corp. (West Henerietta, NY) has creates an innovative method called “plate fusion technology” from which the company claims has helped customers see a 39% cycle time savings in one particular application.

The advent of 3D printing, aka additive manufacturing, using the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) and selective laser melting (SLM) processes brought new opportunities to improve conformal cooling channels in injection molds. Linear Mold & Engineering (Livonia, MI), now Linear AMS after the sale of 70% of the company to Moog, is seeing big demand for its conformal cooling channels in molds created using both the DMLS and the SLM 3D metal printing machines. Linear, an early adopter of AM technology, has made it a core competency.

StackTeck Ltd. (Brampton, ON, Canada) introduced its KoolTrack conformal cooling technology. It was the culmination of several developments, combining the company’s ability to simulate heat transfer in the part and molding surface components with a proprietary bonding technology. The bonding process in the manufacture of molding surface components allows for intricate cooling channels to be cut in steel parts that are then bonded together to make cores and cavities that have cooling circuits inside. This is providing cycle time savings of 10 to 15% for sub-10-second cycle times, the company claims.

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