What is Conformal Cooling?

Conformal Cooling is a manufacturing technique that involves creating cooling channels or passages within a tool or mold that conform to the shape of the part being manufactured. Conformal cooling is most often used in plastic injection molding to reduce cycle times and improve part quality.

How Does Conformal Cooling Reduce Mold Cycle Time?

Conformal cooling provides precise heat regulation, optimizing cooling rates, and significantly reducing cycle times. Traditional cooling mechanisms designed in straight lines only provide coverage to a partial outline of the part’s geometry in the mold. Conformal cooling channels, however, are 3D printed to reach all the unique contours of a part’s geometry in the mold or tooling inserts.
Temperature control is crucial in injection molding, as the mold heats up when molten plastic is injected into it. With conventional cooling techniques, the temperature of the mold often rises over the threshold for ejecting a successful part–wasting time and money while the mold cools to an acceptable temperature for part ejection. Conformal cooling maintains a nominal temperature, allowing for a more rapid temperature reduction so that the overall cycle times are reduced each time the mold opens and closes.

By implementing conformal cooling, businesses can achieve remarkable results in terms of increased productivity and profitability. With cycle time savings, machinery and resources are freed up to produce other parts, unlocking manufacturing capacity.

In addition to these benefits, the efficient heat regulation provided by conformal cooling significantly improves overall efficiency. By optimizing cycle times, companies can allocate resources more effectively and avoid the need for additional equipment.

Materials Advanced by Conformal Cooling

Conformal cooling plays a pivotal role in improving quality of part production with a variety of materials, including nylon. Mold temperatures are quickly and subtly adjusted, allowing for precise control.
For materials that are heated to extremely high temperatures and require a more contracted cooling process, our engineers are also currently exploring variations like ‘conformal heating,’ using hot oil instead of water to cool molds when dealing with high-temperature materials.
Our engineers typically 3D print the cooling inserts in materials like Steel. Advanced technology like Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM) opens up endless opportunities in design and production making it possible to 3D print lines that follow the complex shape–including cross sections–of each part.

Avoiding Dimensional Issues

Quality or dimensional issues often stem from an inability to control the thermal delta (or heat difference) across the expanse of a part. High scrap rates, warpage, and distortion are all typical symptoms of uneven cooling. Conformal cooling helps maintain the dimensional integrity of the part, ensuring consistent quality and reducing waste.

While a typical customer may be running 50 to 80 parts an hour traditionally, with 3D printed conformal cooling inserts they can look forward to upwards of 140 parts per hour, making a huge difference in productivity for every manufacturing job.

What are Applications for Conformal Cooling?

There are a variety of parts and features that can benefit from using conformal techniques, across multiple industries. Objects like cups with handles, are a great example. Conformal cooling minimizes the potential for dimensional issues like shrinkage, distortion, warpage, and loss of structural integrity. Instead, manufacturers enjoy uniformity in parts, consistent quality for high-performing parts, and reduced waste during production.
To identify suitable applications for conformal cooling software like Moldex3D can be used for comprehensive analysis of molds, simulating flow patterns, cooling efficiency, and identifying potential issues like hot spots. This powerful software helps provide detailed data and visualizations, enable fine-tuning of conformal cooling parameters, and enhances part quality—allowing manufacturers to optimize production efficiency and produce larger volumes of parts.

Why do Manufacturers Use Conformal Cooling?

Manufacturers gain a significant edge in today’s competitive landscape with the ability to identify the correct applications and uses for conformal cooling. Efficient temperature regulation, reduced cycle times, improved part quality, and increased productivity are just some of the benefits offered by conformal cooling.
By leveraging the transformative potential of conformal cooling, businesses can thrive in a competitive market, setting new standards for productivity and excellence. See how Shapeways can help manufacturers with their conformal cooling needs.

Shapeways for Conformal Cooling

The impact and efficiency of conformal cooling can transform production for your company, and accelerate growth. In 2022, Shapeways further expanded its traditional manufacturing capabilities with the acquisition of Linear AMS, an expert in injection molding known for innovative solutions like conformal cooling. Linear’s true, consultative approach made them a trusted partner in solving the toughest manufacturing challenges and Shapeways has continued with that legacy.

The post What is Conformal Cooling? | Shapeways appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Founded in 2007, Eastern Rail Corporation built a reputation on designing sustainable, high-quality solutions for the Metro Rail infrastructure in the US. For a specific component—an insulator that isolates the electrified third rail in underground subway systems–Eastern Rail needed to update the material to meet safety standards. A switch to Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) subsequently required a reevaluation of the existing mold. To tackle this issue, Eastern Rail approached Linear AMS, a Shapeways Company, seeking partnership in creating an innovative solution to enhance functionality and efficiency.

Eastern Rail is a long-standing customer, supporting transit agencies in metropolitan areas like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Miami, where urban rail systems frequently operate in underground tunnels. Such an environment demands components with specific dielectric properties, safeguarding against unwanted electrical charges and allowing for more effective management of underground train lines.

Incorporating Advanced Cooling Technology

Injection molding manufacturers often face challenges related to long cycle times, part quality, and overall efficiency. Conformal cooling technology specifically resolves these problems. Relying on 3D printing for customization and efficiency, conformal cooling adapts to fit into industrial molds. 

In contrast to conventional methods, which are restricted to machining in straight lines, conformal lines are designed to follow the shape of the part itself–leading to a more consistent temperature throughout the part’s cooling stage. This means that parts are less likely to warp, while also cooling up to 50% faster. With conformal cooling, manufacturers can reduce their cycle time and increase their throughput, all while improving part quality. 

For Eastern Rail, integrating this technology produced more consistent temperatures in tooling, leading to more efficient production cycles, satisfying stringent requirements for reliable and efficient rail systems.

Improving Tooling for Complex Materials

Initially, Eastern Rail encountered challenges due to the complex part design and core mold features, combined with the nature of Xencor PPS LGF-3045, a 45% long-glass, fiber-reinforced Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS).

While providing beneficial properties like heat resistance and durability, PPS also presents manufacturing difficulties. Linear performed a comprehensive analysis, revealing that Eastern Rail’s existing tooling with conventional cooling–in combination with a PPS material–would not produce a moldable part.

“I was aware a new approach would be necessary with the change in material,” said Mickey Morales, CEO of Eastern Rail. “After working with Linear for the past decade, I was confident in their engineering expertise and knew they were capable of delivering the dynamic solution this project needed.”
To address these issues, Linear and Eastern Rail worked side-by-side for months in prototyping and testing, experimenting with molds and the integration of 3D printed conformal cooling lines.

Upon initial review, the team suggested making the change to a steel mold over aluminum for production volumes. The PPS material is highly corrosive and would deteriorate the aluminum mold. Transitioning to a steel mold also opened up the possibility of using conformal cooling to allow for better thermal control. Additionally, based on the molding temperature requirements of PPS, the team determined hot oil would be necessary to maintain tool temperature, as opposed to water which is more commonly used.

“The shift to steel molds significantly transformed our approach, working much better with the unique characteristics of PPS and the need for a precise, controlled molding environment,” said John Tenbusch, Director of Automotive Sales at Shapeways.

“After working with Linear [A Shapeways Company] for the past decade, I was confident in their engineering expertise and knew they were capable of delivering the dynamic solution this project needed.”

Mickey Morales, CEO of Eastern Rail

Reducing Cycle Times & Improving Part Quality

The introduction of conformal cooling was highly effective, yielding a remarkable improvement in efficiency after Linear introduced steel tooling. Implementing conformal cooling led to a design adjustment that significantly cut costs. Interchangeable inserts, usually requiring three cores, were reduced to just one.

“We had to incorporate cooling one way or another,” said David Dickerson, Manager of Client Services at Shapeways. “Without conformal cooling, we couldn’t have made the interchangeable parts we needed for the various sizes of the insulator.”

With the new steel molds and conformal cooling inserts, the Linear team was able to reduce the cycle time from 181 seconds to 138 seconds, reflecting a 23% improvement. Reduced production time allows for more parts to be made, lowering both piece cost and overall program cost, without sacrificing part quality. The more even, controlled temperatures also led to the production of higher-quality, more reliable parts.

While the initial prototyping and testing phase required significant time and financial investment, the cost savings over the long term more than justified the upfront expenditure. The enhanced material durability, lower maintenance needs, and increased production speeds collectively contributed to significant long-term economic advantage for Eastern Rail.

“While we encountered a few obstacles during our journey, Linear’s team of experts was again able to provide a highly engineered solution while providing cost-saving benefits,” said Mickey Morales, CEO of Eastern Rail.

Aligning with Regulatory and Environmental Considerations

Eastern Rail’s openness to new solutions enabled improvements with both short and long-term benefits, meeting industry-specific needs while maintaining a commitment to environmentally friendly materials and regulatory compliance.

This case study offers useful problem-solving insights for issues related to materials, tooling, and cooling. These solutions may be applicable to other manufacturing sectors as well. Overall, this project showcases the value of teamwork, innovation, and excellence in manufacturing

Find out more about how Shapeways can collaborate with your company.

The post Case Study: Eastern Rail Corporation appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Prototyping

Having the ability to rapidly fabricate prototypes keeps workflows moving steadily and avoids costly pauses in the manufacturing line. This is where 3D printing is most used in automotive manufacturing, as it allows for unparalleled speed in producing, editing and evolving iterations. Prototypes can be made for any stage whether it be as proof of concept or high fidelity prototypes that will better validate parts through the whole manufacturing process. It also allows for manufacturers to test new components and continue developing the way parts are made and contribute to a vehicle’s performance. Small scale prototypes can also be created for marketing purposes, like Volkswagen’s 10,000 tiny metal cars for the launch of their electric car model ID.3 in 2018.

Customization

Many consumers jump at the idea of adding their own flair to the commodities in their lives. The ability to pick out colors, patterns and take part in the design process greatly increases customer satisfaction and is something that 3D printing has enabled manufacturers to do while still keeping costs low. Many automotive companies have begun to introduce custom flourishes and parts to their cars as mass customization becomes much more feasible with 3D printing. In traditional manufacturing, a mold and specific tools would be needed to create each personalized component, but using 3D printing, this is easily achieved by editing the 3D file. Thus, 3D printing allows for the production of small batches of custom design pieces without raising the cost that customization would incur with traditional manufacturing.

BMW’s Mini car makers introduced a personalization service in 2018 called “Mini Yours” in which customers can choose colors and finishes, customize door handles, LED lights and panels, and can even add their own text or signature to various parts.

Similarly, Volkswagen began rolling out individualized cosmetic parts such as key rings, gear shift knobs and tailgates, all of which can feature custom lettering of the customer’s choice to be printed in stainless steel using the HP Metal Jet tool.

Tooling & Manufacturing Aids

3D printing also gives manufacturers the ability to produce lower cost manufacturing aids and tools for custom parts like jigs and fixtures. A 3D printed mold for a new part can provide a higher level of design freedom and 3D printed tools can be lighter and stronger. It also allows for more ergonomic tools for manufacturers. BMW and the Department of Ergonomics at the Technical University of Munich created 3D printed orthotic thumb devices to support and prevent strain for assembly workers. The workers’ thumbs are 3D scanned and each device is molded to fit each person’s thumb.

Creating Complex Designs for New Parts

The ability to produce viable end parts, paired with the design freedom that 3D printing allows for means that more complex and perfectly suited components can be incorporated into vehicles, creating further innovation in aesthetic and performance.

Several German additive manufacturing (AM) companies collaborated on a prototype for a vehicle seat called ULBS that combines safety and comfort with ultra light-weight structure. The prototype uses a filament winding process with parts printed in plastic, stainless steel and backrest cushions printed in Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU).

When Volkswagen recreated their 1969 mini bus, they 3D printed aluminium cast wheels using generative design, a method that uses an algorithm to produce many versions of a design idea that the designer can then choose from. They created 3D printed hubcaps with a clear resin that were electroplated to have the appearance of metal. These details allowed them to put a modern design twist on an iconic vehicle.

Bentley’s design studio has taken advantage of 3D printing to produce parts with a high level of intricacy. They have produced grille mesh, side vents and door handles with micro-scale detail precision that would not have been possible using another manufacturing method. They are able to design parts with complex geometries that create a bold aesthetic that builds on their classic designs.

Spare Part Production

As automotive manufacturers begin using 3D printing for general end part production, it also becomes possible to print spare parts as needed. If someone driving an older can model needs a part replaced that is out of production, this leaves the driver in a difficult position. Being able to 3D print that missing part solves that issue without car companies having to maintain an ever expanding inventory of old parts they may never need again. It gives manufacturers the ability to produce rare and hard-to-replace parts on demand while optimizing their inventory.

End Part Production

We’ve seen how manufacturers can use 3D printing for prototypes and select customizable parts, but as 3D printing technology evolves, so does its ability to produce end parts for industrial use. For one thing, 3D printing allows automotive manufacturers to consolidate multiple parts into one, thereby decreasing the vehicle’s overall weight while increasing fuel efficiency.

The materials that 3D printing has to offer are rising to meet the standards for end parts as well. Shapeways has partnered with BASF to provide access to high performance materials including Ultrasint® PP nat 01 and Ultrasint® TPU01 that are well suited to functional automotive end parts because of their versatility and durability.

Another excellent material choice is DSM’s Arnite® T AM1210 (P). Available through Shapeways’ partnership with DSM, this Arnite material is ideal for automotive parts needing to withstand high temperatures. This powder is easy to print with and is also environmentally friendly, as it can be recycled back through the powder bed process.

Whether you’re in the automotive industry looking to incorporate 3D printing for your manufacturing process, or you’re looking for help with additive manufacturing for another industry, we can provide a custom solution to help you scale your business.

The post The Impact of 3D Printing in the Automotive Industry appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Here, Jon talks about being an entrepreneur and how Shapeways has allowed him to grow his business.

How did you get involved with bicycles?
I started riding a bike when I was in college, getting to and from class. I never really liked going out on long recreational rides, but I found I loved riding to get somewhere.

In 2010 I moved to San Francisco, where I met my wife, Melissa. Our mutual love of bikes and disregard for authority has always been at the core of our relationship.

After spending a few years working as a designer and programmer in the games industry, I decided I couldn’t handle working for the man. After 6 or 7 years of biking to work, it was obvious that the typical bike commuter puts up with a lot of crap. Not all of that crap can be solved with clever, mass-producible products, but piles of it can be. So my wife and I cofounded Bike Pretty, and began to take shape.

How has the design of the Bike Strap evolved?
The first Bike Strap was just an off-the-shelf hook-and-loop strap holding a Bluetooth speaker to the top tube on my bike. It worked terribly. But I learned a ton about the problem without spending much time or money, and kept ruminating on the idea.

The first breakthrough came when we added a bottle cage mount to the Bike Strap improve stability. Early versions were the result of a brutal massacre of several off-the-shelf bottle cages with my Dremel. The new design was better, but still terrible.

It was around this time that a friend of mine showed me Shapeways. Soon after, we replaced my bottle-cage amputees with White Strong and Flexible Plastic delivered to my doorstep.

Jon Gaull’s prototypes for the Bike Strap

We finally made something resembling the current version when we upgraded to a three-inch-wide hook-and-loop strap. The new design redistributed the load being carried, which increased capacity to five pounds as well as taking object stability to a whole new level. We love it so much that we also sell Just the Strap.

Do you still work in 123D Design? Or have you moved on to more sophisticated 3D modeling software?
We are insanely lucky to have two uberfans who are experts in mechanical engineering and mass-produced injection molded parts. They are financing the next phase and making the necessary tweaks for mass production. They are way more knowledgable than I am, so I defer to their superior brains and software with all matters engineering-related.

But I still mess around in 123D when I have an idea I want to test since it’s ridiculously quick to make something functional.

As your Bike Strap operation expands, will 3D printing be replaced by other manufacturing processes?

The next step for the Bike Strap is selling through local bike shops and other resellers. To achieve this we need to bring down costs. Switching to injection molding is the most efficient way to do that, so we probably won’t be using a Shapeways-made bracket as a component in the Bike Strap for too much longer.

That said, the Bike Strap isn’t just a plastic bracket and a hook and loop strap. It’s also the manufacturing process necessary to consistently produce a high Bike Strap. To achieve this we use tooling made by Shapeways. Our tool is able to attach a hook and loop strap to a plastic bracket with sub-millimeter precision and costs about $25. So we expect that Shapeways will play a role in every Bike Strap made for many, many more units.

How has your experience expanded your sense of what’s possible?
Starting a business is hard. Melissa and I put everything we had into Bike Pretty and didn’t see returns for years — all while rent in San Francisco was skyrocketing. We were broke as a joke. Having powerful, simple, and inexpensive tools like 123D Design and Shapeways available meant that I could still pay rent without giving up on my dream of selling useful bike stuff.

The funniest part is that we thought the Bike Strap would take only three months to go from idea to ready for sale. In reality it took three years, dozens of redesigns, and thousands of miles of test riding. But we were patient, and the end result is a simple design which works great.

To me, the disruptive power of 3D printing is its capacity to reduce the upfront cost of making a commercially viable product. Gone are the days where the phrase “it takes money to make money” applies to many types of manufactured products. Stick it to the 1% and get your next idea off the ground using Shapeways!

You can order a Bike Strap (or Just the Strap) directly from Jon’s company Modeo.

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