Manufacturing conformal cooling water path is a revolutionary application of selective laser melting 3D printing technology for injection mold manufacturing. In this application, the manufacturing of the mold cooling water path avoids the restriction of cross drilling. The 3D printed conformal cooling water path can also be designed with different cooling circuits according to the cooling requirements, so as to dissipate heat at a consistent speed to promote the uniformity of heat dissipation.
However, one of the challenges faced by this application in the actual promotion is that the manufacturing cost easily perceived by the mold manufacturer is higher than that of the traditional mold, but the added value of the conformal cooling water path for the entire injection molding production cycle is easy to be ignored by users. About the value of 3D printing conformal cooling mold, 3D science Valley in how to measure the value of 3D printing mold In this paper.
The same challenge also exists in the application of 3D printing conformal cooling water path of die-casting die. Using 3D printing conformal cooling water path inserts to overcome the thermal imbalance existing in the die-casting process of existing dies, we have successively overcome the 3D printing die insert materials, established design rules, and measured the manufacturing cost of 3D printing die and the value it brings to the die-casting production of automotive parts.
It is very difficult to control the heat balance in large automobile die casting dies. This phenomenon will not only affect the performance, but also affect the casting cycle, scrap rate and labor cost. EXCO's experience about the application value of 3D printing in die-casting mold manufacturing is that additive manufacturing -3d printing die-casting mold can provide unique competitive advantages, including manufacturing die-casting mold inserts with conformal cooling water paths, which are closer to the mold surface than traditional water paths. The cycle time of die-casting mold with 3D printing conformal cooling water path is reduced, and the scrap rate and labor cost are reduced.
The application of 3D printing technology in die-casting die inserts has increased the manufacturing cost by 2-5 times, but in the subsequent die-casting production process, it can not only produce parts with better quality than those cast by traditional dies, but also save a lot of die-casting time. From the perspective of the whole die-casting life cycle, it can save thousands of dollars compared with inserts manufactured by traditional technology.
