Additive Manufacturing Technology Improves Efficiency for Conformal Cooling Production
Conformal cooling with direct metal laser melting (DMLS) technology enables users to create metal 3D printed parts directly from a CAD model, and can optimize production of injection molded plastic parts.
Source | EOS
EOS’ industrial 3D printing features metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology for optimizing the production process of injection molded plastic parts.
Utilizing conformal cooling with direct metal laser melting (DMLS) technology, users can create metal 3D printed parts directly from a CAD model. The main requirement to create such a part is a metal powder in a metal 3D printer, where an ultrafine layer of the metal powder is spread across the building platform. Next, a powerful laser in the 3D printer melts the powder exactly at the points defined by the CAD model. Layer by layer, the process repeats until the part is completed.
Innomia, a manufacturing production and prototyping company, used the metal AM technology with MaragingSteel MS1 to make integrated precision cooling channels to mitigate irregular heat dissipation which can cause deformations in its automotive armrest application.
The precision cooling and the production using AM technology resulted in the temperature distribution and associated heat dissipation being substantially more homogenized. Because the heat is distributed and leaves both the tool and the component faster, a water temperature of 60°C is sufficient for cooling, thereby reducing the energy needed. The insert surface itself does not heat up beyond 90°C, a detail that further enables engineers to resolve humidity problems in the surrounding area.
Metal AM improved production by reducing the cooling time of the application by 60% while also preventing part deformation. It lowered production costs with a 17% cut in cycle times for the plastic injection moldings. In addition, it extended production plant maintenance from every two weeks to every five to six.
According to the company, EOS MaragingSteel MS1 is well suited for for injection molding tools, inserts and mechanical engineering parts. The material can be easily posthardened to more than 50 HRC, and can be machined, spark-eroded, welded, micro shot-peened, polished and coated. The chemical composition corresponds to 18Ni300 and M300.
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