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Fecha
2025-09-01
Derechos de acceso
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editorial
MDPI
Citas
Resumen
Injection molding is widely used for mass-producing plastic components, demanding precise thermal control to optimize cycle times and part quality. Traditional CNC-machined molds limit design flexibility and restrict advanced cooling features like conformal cooling channels (CCCs). Integrating CCCs improves cooling performance, reduces cycle times, and offers more efficient, cost-effective designs. Additive manufacturing (AM), especially Metal-Fused Filament Fabrication (Metal-FFF), offers geometries unattainable by machining. While most mold research focuses on Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), the feasibility of Metal-FFF molds remains underexplored. This study presents the design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of an injection mold produced via Metal-FFF with integrated CCCs. The process included computational design, resistance simulations, fabrication, debinding, sintering, and post-processing, followed by testing under injection molding conditions. Results show that Metal-FFF molds with CCCs boost cooling efficiency, cutting cycle times by about 30% compared to conventional molds, while offering greater design freedom and economic benefits. Nonetheless, issues such as porosity and shrinkage need further refinement to fully leverage this technology for industrial use.
Descripción
The registered version of this article, first published in “Machines, 13(9) (2025), 784", is available online at the publisher's website: MDPI, https://doi.org/10.3390/machines13090784
La versión registrada de este artículo, publicado por primera vez en “Machines, 13(9) (2025), 784", está disponible en línea en el sitio web del editor: MDPI, https://doi.org/10.3390/machines13090784
La versión registrada de este artículo, publicado por primera vez en “Machines, 13(9) (2025), 784", está disponible en línea en el sitio web del editor: MDPI, https://doi.org/10.3390/machines13090784
Categorías UNESCO
Palabras clave
Additive manufacturing, Conformal cooling channels, Metal FFF, Injection molding, Tooling
Citación
Solís, J. E., Claver, J., Marín, M. M., Rubio, E. M., & García-Domínguez, A. (2025). Injection Mold for Plastics Manufactured by Metal-FFF with Conformal Cooling Channels: A Proof-of-Concept Case. Machines, 13(9), 784. https://doi.org/10.3390/machines13090784
Centro
E.T.S. de Ingenieros Industriales
Departamento
Ingeniería de Construcción y Fabricación
Grupo de investigación
Producción Industrial e ingeniería de fabricación (IPME)