Abstract
In this paper, we present the results of experimental tests and numerical calculations for parts of foundry mold devices made by selective laser melting (SLM). The main aim of this research was to compare the heat conduction efficiency of the conformal and the traditional channel arrangement. The infusion spreader with a conformal channel arrangement and the test material were made with an M2 Concept Laser Cusing machine using 1.2709 steel powder. Temperature changes in the spreaders were compared between conventional and conformal cooling channels using finite element method (FEM) calculations. The position of the so-called “thermal equilibrium isotherm” was determined for both sprue spreaders, which separate the area of the mold with a constant temperature from the zone of cyclic temperature changes. The components of the sprue spreaders in a stress state caused by temperature changes during the operation of the pressure machine were determined using the FEM model. It was found that the cooling system shortened the time of solidification and cooling of the alloy. Based on the analysis of the strength test results and the fracture surface of the samples, the relationship between heat treatment parameters and the strength, hardness, and elongation of the tested material was determined. The sprue spreaders were installed under a pressure machine and tested under production conditions. The use of a sprue spreader with a conformal cooling system shortened the time of a single cycle of the casting machine compared to the conventional solution.
Highlights
A pressure mold is a complicated and precise tool that is designed to work directly in contact with liquid metal and used to shape it under high pressure in a mold cavity
The tests we conducted confirm the possibility of using selective laser melting (SLM) technology to implement parts of a pressure mold cooling system, thanks to both the high-strength properties of the obtained printed material and the features of this technology
The SLM method makes it possible to implement parts of the mold that are optimal in terms of heat dissipation from the solidifying alloy and whose construction is non-technological when using computerized numerical control (CNC) machining methods
Summary
A pressure mold is a complicated and precise tool that is designed to work directly in contact with liquid metal and used to shape it under high pressure in a mold cavity. An important issue is properly cooling the mold, which absorbs heat from the solidifying alloy. The trajectory of which are adjusted to the form of the surface to be cooled, the efficiency of heat transfer from the solidifying alloy is more effective [1,2,3,4,5]. In plastic injection molds produced by the SLM method, inserts and cores with a conformal cooling system are increasingly being utilized. In the cavity of the pressure mold, there are significantly greater pressures and temperatures than in the case of injection molds.
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