CONFORMAL COOLING MOLDS WITH LATTICE STRUCTURES FOR INJECTION MOLDING

摘要

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for designing and manufacturing conformal cooling molds with lattice structures include, in one aspect, a method including: obtaining temperature and pressure data for a 3D model of a conformal cooling mold from computer simulation of injection molding; replacing a volume of the 3D model with a lattice structure to reduce the mass of the mold; adjusting a number of lattice unit cells for the lattice structure in accordance with the temperature data to increase heat conduction from hotter areas of the mold; adjusting thickness(es) of beams forming the lattice structure in accordance with the pressure data to prevent structural failure of the mold; and providing an updated version of the 3D model of the conformal cooling mold that incorporates the lattice structure after adjustment of the number of lattice unit cells and the thickness(es) of beams forming the lattice structure.