Three-dimensional computer-aided mold cooling design for injection molding

Mold cooling system design in injection molding is of great importance because it is crucial not only to reduce molding cycle time but also to improve part quality. Traditional mold cooling analysis is based on the hybrid finite-difference/ boundary element (FD/BEM) approach. This approach was developed to accommodate the conventional 2.5D Hele-Shaw flow-based shell element model. In this paper, a true three-dimensional mold cooling analysis approach is developed. A fully tree-dimensional numerical analysis faithfully simulates the effects of part geometry, cooling system design, and ambient temperature on the solidification of the part. Finite volume method (FVM) is adopted as the numerical engine of the new approach. This developed approach is proved from numerical experiments to be a cost-effective method for true 3D simulation in injection mold cooling analysis.