In the context of increasing productivity, profitability and energy efficiency, reducing this proportion is particularly important. One promising approach to reducing these cooling times is to increase the heat transfer between the fluid and the mold by generating turbulent flows within the cooling channels using targeted surface structures in the temperature control channels. As part of the ZIM funding project “Structuring the temperature control channels of injection molding tools to generate turbulent flows with a consistent effect with the aim of improving heat transfer performance”, surface structures and their influence on increasing heat transfer were therefore investigated. First, optimal structures were identified using CFD simulations and then incorporated into the cooling channels using machining manufacturing processes. The optimized cooling behavior was then validated in comparison to conventional cooling channels using experimental test benches. With the help of a jointly developed demonstrator injection molding tool, the suitability of the structures could be demonstrated and the influence of the geometric parameters quantified. This resulted in a 38% reduction in cooling time.
Rudolf Hein, managing director of Konstruktionsbüro Hein GmbH, sees great potential in the results in terms of increasing productivity and an important step towards more sustainable plastics processing: “Our partnership with the IKK and the IFW has helped us to make significant progress in optimizing cooling systems. With the surface structures we have researched, we have an additional solution for particularly demanding cooling applications. We see great potential for this technology, especially in applications for components with cycle-dependent temperature control.”
“The results of the TurbuStruk project show that there is still enormous potential for optimization in all areas of plastics processing in terms of energy efficiency and increasing sustainability,” says Felix Mehrens, from the ‘Plastics Technology and Recycling’ department at IKK.
The results of the joint research project will continue to be used by the partners in the future to further advance efficient and sustainable plastics production.
