Study on Cooling Layer and Thin Insert Thickness Between Coolant and Cavity for Injection Mold with Bridge-Type...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Manufacturing Technology

Background:

• Injection molding of composites requires precise temperature control for optimal product quality.
• Traditional mold designs can struggle with efficient heat management, leading to defects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and optimize an integrated cooling layer system for thin-thickness mold inserts.
• To enhance heat transfer efficiency and control mold temperature in composite injection molding.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Taguchi method with an L25 orthogonal array for parameter optimization.
• Investigated insert thickness, cooling layer thickness, water flow rate, and coolant temperature.
• Performed detailed analysis on five representative experimental cases.

Main Results:

• Identified optimal parameters: 0.5 mm insert, 10 mm cooling layer, 3.5 L/min flow rate, 80 °C coolant temperature.
• Achieved a stable mold temperature with a cavity difference of 3.6 °C and low simulation-experiment deviation (2.4%-7.2%).
• Reduced defects like warpage and shrinkage, improving surface quality and melt flowability.

Conclusions:

• The optimized cooling layer system effectively enhances through-thickness heat transfer in thin molds.
• Glass fiber reinforcement significantly reduces displacement, demonstrating the interplay between thermal management and mechanical properties.
• This approach ensures superior quality and reduced deformation in composite injection-molded products.