Improvements in Injection Moulds Cooling and Manufacturing Efficiency Achieved by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing...

Area of Science:

• Manufacturing Engineering
• Materials Science
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• The plastic injection moulding industry relies on complex heating and cooling systems for metal mould manufacturing.
• Optimizing these processes is crucial for efficiency and product quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance plastic injection moulding and mould manufacturing processes.
• To integrate Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) with conformal cooling technology for mould production.

Main Methods:

• Manufactured a mould punch using WAAM with a conformal cooling system.
• Compared WAAM-manufactured mould with conventionally manufactured mould.
• Utilized Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) for theoretical analysis.

Main Results:

• WAAM mould demonstrated improved heat extraction compared to conventional methods.
• Achieved better temperature homogeneity in the final plastic part, reducing post-extraction deformation.
• WAAM process showed higher material efficiency, reducing the buy-to-fly ratio by 5.11%.

Conclusions:

• WAAM technology, particularly with conformal cooling, offers significant advantages for plastic injection mould manufacturing.
• This additive manufacturing approach enhances process efficiency, product quality, and material utilization.