Abstract
The paper presents a new design of conformal cooling channels, for application in collimator-type optical plastic parts. The conformal channels that are presented exceed the thermal and dynamic performance of traditional and standard conformal channels, since they implement new sections of complex topology, capable of meeting the high geometric and functional specifications of the optical part, as well as the technological requirements of the additive manufacturing of the mold cavities. In order to evaluate the improvement and efficiency of the thermal performance of the solution presented, a transient numerical analysis of the cooling phase has been carried out, comparing the traditional cooling with the new geometry that is proposed. The evolution of the temperature profile versus the thickness of the part in the collimating core with greater thickness and temperature, has been evaluated in a transient mode. The analysis of the thermal profiles, the calculation of the integral mean ejection temperature at each time of the transient analysis, and the use of the Fourier formula, show great improvement in the cycle time in comparison with the traditional cooling. The application of the new conformal design reduces the manufacturing cycle time of the collimator part by 10 s, with this value being 13% of the total manufacturing cycle of the plastic part. As a further improvement, the use of the new cooling system reduces the amount of thickness in the collimator core, which is above the ejection temperature of the plastic material. The improvement in the thermal performance of the design of the parametric cooling channels that are presented not only has a significant reduction in the cycle time, but also improves the uniformity in the temperature map of the collimating part surface, the displacement field, and the stresses that are associated with the temperature gradient on the surface of the optical part.
Highlights
Lighting fixtures that are equipped with LED lamps provide high-quality and efficient white light, reducing the device’s energy consumption by up to five times less than the consumption of conventional fluorescent lamps
LED technology is linked to the use of optical elements that are capable of redirecting, concentrating, and taking advantage of the LED light, avoiding glare, and improving the performance of the luminaire [2,3]
In order to achieve a cooling that is as uniform and adapted as well as possible to the base of the collimators, a conformal cooling layout has been designed with a circular section and an inclined profile bordering the curved areas of the collimator piece
Summary
Lighting fixtures that are equipped with LED lamps provide high-quality and efficient white light, reducing the device’s energy consumption by up to five times less than the consumption of conventional fluorescent lamps. The presented conformal channels exceed the thermal and dynamic performance of traditional and standard conformal cooling channels, since they implement new sections of complex topology that are capable of complying with the high geometric and functional restrictions of the optical part, as well as with the technological requirements for the additive manufacturing of mold cavities. In this way, the presented system optimizes the heat exchange process between the cooling fluid and the plastic material. The new geometry that is presented in the paper improves the state-of-the-art, since it optimizes the heat exchange between the fluid and the surface of the part in those hot spots of the collimating part that are impossible to cool with standard conformal cooling layouts
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