When producing plastic parts with high volumes, especially those featuring hard-to-cool local areas, demands on mold longevity and cycle time become critical. Is there an effective solution? Absolutely.
We introduce a cutting-edge application of 3D printing in plastic mold technology that guarantees a mold life exceeding 2 million cycles and offers superior cooling performance compared to beryllium copper.
The AM TYRAX steel additive manufacturing process showcases obvious advantages:
Conformal Cooling Channels: Enables the creation of cooling channels as small as 1.2mm in diameter to eliminate hot spots, thereby shortening the cycle time.
High Longevity & Cost Efficiency: Mold life surpasses 2 million cycles, a significant increase over beryllium copper’s typical 100,000 cycles. Using this material for mold cores/cavities can reduce mold cost by over 75% compared to beryllium copper.
Excellent Material Properties: Provides good polishability and corrosion resistance.
Reduced Overall Production Cost: Lowers the total cost of injection molding production.
Material & Energy Savings: Saves insert material and reduces energy consumption during the insert manufacturing process.
Sustainability: Contributes to energy conservation and reduced consumption during production, lowering carbon dioxide emissions.
After the 3D printing of the steel with integrated cooling channels is complete, the core/cav/insert undergoes heat treatment, achieving a hardness of 58-60 HRC. Subsequent machining can cause tool adhesion, so it’s essential to use high spindle speeds, high cutting speeds, and low feed rates.
ATC-Mould possesses the expertise and experience in processing and producing molds with this special steel. If you have related requirements, please feel free to contact us for a discussion.