Laser powder bed fusion and casting for an advanced hybrid prototype mold
Dániel Török, Béla Zink, Tatyana Ageyeva, István Hatos, Martin Zobač, Imre Fekete, Róbert Boros, Hajnalka Hargitai, József Kovács
Abstract
One of the factors limiting the throughput of injection molding is cooling time, which is the most significant part of the total cycle time. The cooling efficiency of molds can be considerably improved with additive manufacturing techniques. A 3D printed injection mold with conformal cooling channels reduces cooling time by 30–40 %. However, the cooling efficiency of these molds can be further improved with a multi-material approach and the use of materials with excellent thermal and mechanical properties. In this study, we propose a hybrid mold insert made of steel and copper, produced with the combination of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) and casting. The steel shell that contains conformal cooling channels was printed by L-PBF. Then this shell was cast with copper. We found that the hybrid mold insert we developed has lower residual cooling time and heat extraction is more uniform than the conventional printed steel insert. The developed hybrid mold insert enables a reduction of residual cooling time by 15 %.