A COOLING CHANNELS INNOVATING DESIGN METHOD FOR RAPID TOOLING IN THERMOPLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING

The Stratoconception process presented here allows the manufacturing of aluminium or steel sheets for direct rapid tools of large size. This process enables not only to validate a prototype part design after injection molding, but also the design of the mold and its thermal regulation in particular (this is an integrated product-process approach). This contribution deals with the thermal experimental and numerical study for injection molds produced by the Stratoconception process. To control the tool temperature and extracted heat fluxes, a new design method of cooling channels is presented: it offers the opportunity to take the maximum benefit of Stratoconception capability in molds thermal optimization.