TruCool conformal cooling provides superior heat transfer over conventional cooling technologies – on the left, conventional machined cooling, and right, conformal cooling
COOLING is the mould manufacturer’s next big opportunity! Cooling is often the longest portion of the moulding process, opening the door for major improvements and savings.
TruCool™ Conformal Cooling (by DME) uses the cutting edge Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM) 3D printing process to produce highly complex cavities, cores and components with conformal cooling channels.
This technology revolutionises mould building, allowing the ‘un-machinable’ to be built. Conformal cooling achieves shapes, paths and channel geometries impossible to obtain with conventional tooling. The proprietary 3D formulation technology for metal powder processing, enables the delivery of 3D printed metal without porosity, and that is superior to other standard off-the-shelf formulas.
By controlling both the hot and now the cold halves, the mould manufacturer can now have full process parameter control. The design solution places cooling (or heating) channels at the optimal distance from the part surface, allowing the mould to maintain a targeted, consistent temperature for complete thermal control.
This technology offers various key benefits, including:
Full design services are offered which include FEA analysis of the conventional solution, design of the conformal channels, simulation and comparative analysis and addition of mill stock. After manufacture involving the 3D print of the insert, comprehensive tests are carried out verifying the flow and pressure test, a full dimensional verification, whereupon the inserts are heat treated.
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