Investigation on the transferability of algorithms for the numerical optimization of cooling channel design in injection molding on metal gravity die casting

摘要

The thermal mold design and the identification of a proper cooling channel design are primordial steps in the development of complex molds for injection molding. In order to find a suitable cooling channel system, a lot of effort is needed to avoid part warpage after solidification. In current research, a simulative procedure to optimize the cooling channel layout iteratively is being developed at the Institute of Plastics Processing. These algorithms are transferred to the metal gravity die casting process, which has several similar requirements to the mold. Effectively, the simulation is simplified to a heat conduction problem. Instead of water, high temperature resistant oil is deployed and the casted material is a A356 aluminum alloy instead of semi-crystalline plastics. The algorithm is adapted to these changed boundary conditions and the calculation of the optimized heat distribution is performed. Aim of this procedure is the construction of a mold producing parts with less warpage than a conventional mold.