12th Tooling Conference & Exhibition - Tooling 2022

Intelligent temperature control of die casting moulds opens up enormous potential for improving cycle times, tool life, as well as the structure and warpage of the cast parts. In this context, “intelligent temperature control systems” are three-dimensional, contour-adapted temperature control systems that can be produced using generic AM processes. Moving them close to the component and "thermally fast-acting" tools make casting processes in the sense of a Foundry 4.0 approach controllable, more robust and more cost-effective. In die-casting, such temperature control systems are still exotic, while in polymer injection moulding they represent the latest state of the art.

In order to establish such new, expensive and risky technologies, the evidence of their effect on the die casting process and the cast components plays a central role. With the help of the virtual design and optimization of casting processes, which has been established for over 30 years, the effects of any temperature control measures on cycle time, tool life, as well as structure and warpage of the cast parts can be proven and quantified.

This contribution deals with the virtual layout and the optimization of complex three-dimensional, contour-adapted temperature control systems, as they can in principle only be represented by AM processes. Tool materials with different thermal conductivities and the evaluation of the temperature control for the tool life form complementary focal points.