Minimization of Warpage for Injection Molded Parts by Inverse Thermal Mold Design

Abstract

For injection molding, a controlled heat removal is important to produce dimensional accurate parts efficiently. The following article introduces a new concept called inverse thermal mold design. Using this method, a proper cooling channel system for the injection mold can be produced to achieve minimal part warpage. Based on the postulate of a homogeneous material density distribution within the plastic part to achieve homogenous shrinkage, the method calculates the local cooling demand of the part to derive the cooling channel layout of the mold.