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Conformal cooling
Conformal cooling: How AM is increasing efficiency and quality in the injection moulding industry Much of the early success for metal Additive Manufacturing came from tool and die applications and this sector continues to offer significant growth potential for the industry. In this report, Jarod Rauch, from tool and die manufacturer B&J Speciality Inc, and David Lindemann, 3D Systems, share their thoughts on the current status and future potential of AM conformal cooling solutions with Metal AM magazine’s Nick Williams.
Additive Manufacturing has been used to build moulds incorporating conformal cooling channels since the 1990s when the first metal powder-based AM systems came to market. The AM process in those early days used CO2 lasers and required metal powders coated with polymer binder, which would evaporate out after the part was built. The part would then be infiltrated with a second metal to remove the porosity. Today, the technology has moved on considerably, and the new generation of AM systems uses significantly more precise fibre lasers, high purity metal powders and an oxygen-free manufacturing environment. Despite the limitations of the early technology, tooling became one of the most important markets for the fledgling metal AM industry and the sector is regarded as one of the first real commercial applications of the technology. Whilst this success continues today, the use of Additive Manufacturing in the mould and die industry remains relatively niche compared to conventional toolmaking technologies.
Vol. 4 No. 3 Š 2018 Inovar Communications Ltd
B&J Specialty, Inc., based in Wawaka, Indiana, USA, offers precision machining, engineering and mould and die services to customers in the US Midwest. With the support of technology from AM technology provider 3D Systems, headquartered in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA, the company works to offer high performance plastic injection moulding tooling for customers through the implementation of additively manufactured conformal cooling solutions.
Why conformal cooling? In-mould part cooling is the most time-consuming part of the plastic injection moulding process - reduce the time for part cooling and you will increase production speed whilst achieving higher quality moulded parts with less scrap. A variety of techniques have been used to maintain even temperatures over the years, using methods such as bubblers, heat pipes and complex
Fig. 1 Segments of a conformal cooling system manufactured by B&J Specialty on a 3D Systems ProXÂŽ DMP 300 Laser Powder Bed Fusion system
Metal Additive Manufacturing | Autumn/Fall 2018
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