Design and fabrication of conformal cooling channels in molds:Review and progress updates

Conformal cooling (CC) channels are a series of cooling channels that are equidistant from the mold cavity surfaces. CC systems show great promise to substitute conventional straight-drilled cooling systems as the former can provide more uniform and efficient cooling effects and thus improve the production quality and efficiency significantly. Although the design and manufacturing of CC systems are getting increasing attention, a comprehensive and systematic classification, comparison, and evaluation are still missing. The design, manufacturing, and applications of CC channels are reviewed and evaluated systematically and comprehensively in this review paper. To achieve a uniform and rapid cooling, some key design parameters of CC channels related to shape, size, and location of the channel have to be calculated and chosen carefully taking into account the cooling performance, mechanical strength, and coolant pressure drop. CC layouts are classified into eight types. The basic type, more complex types, and hybrid straight-drilled-CC molds are suitable for simply-shaped parts, complex-shaped parts, and locally complex parts, respectively. By using CC channels, the cycle time can be reduced up to 70%, and the shape deviations can be improved significantly. Epoxy casting and L-PBF show the best applicability to Al-epoxy molds and metal molds, respectively, because of the high forming flexibility and fidelity. Meanwhile, LPD has an exclusive advantage to fabricate multi-materials molds although it cannot print overhang regions directly. Hybrid L-PBF/CNC milling pointed out the future direction for the fabrication of high dimensional-accuracy CC molds, although there is still a long way to reduce the cost and raise efficiency. CC molds are expected to substitute straight-drilled cooling molds in the future, as it can significantly improve part quality, raise production rate and reduce production cost. In addition to this, the use of CC channels can be expanded to some advanced products that require high-performance self-cooling, such as gas turbine engines, photoinjectors and gears, improving working conditions and extending lifetime

SLM tooling for die casting with conformal cooling channels

The paper reports an experimental study of die-casting dies with conformal cooling fabricated by direct-metal additive techniques. The main objective is to compare the benefits and limitations of the application to what has been widely discussed in literature in the context of plastics injection molding. Selective laser melting was used to fabricate an impression block with conformal cooling channels designed according to part geometry with the aid of process simulation. The tool was used in the manufacture of sample batches of zinc alloy castings after being fitted on an existing die in place of a machined impression block with conventional straight-line cooling channels. Different combinations of process parameters were tested to exploit the improved performance of the cooling system. Test results show that conformal cooling improves the surface finish of castings due to a reduced need of spray cooling, which is allowed by a higher and more uniform cooling rate. Secondary benefits include reduction of cycle time and shrinkage porosity

NOVEL TECHNIQUES FOR REDUCING COOLING TIME IN POLYMER INJECTION MOULDS USING RAPID TOOLING TECHNOLOGIES

In this research, thermal simulations and injection moulding experiments were performed to compare moulds having cooling channels of circular cross section and those with profiled cross section channels. Studies have been performed on the cooling time reduction in plastic injection moulding by different techniques utilizing thermal simulations and thermal measurements during experiments. Rapid Tooling (RT) technique, which is a manufacturing technique used to produce injection mould tools in a short period of time, has been applied in this research to fabricate injection moulds having circular and profiled conformal cooling channels. Injection moulding experiments for parts was done with these RT moulds using a vertical injection moulding machine. Manufacturing of mould patterns was done using 3-dimensional Printer Rapid Prototyping machine which used wax as the build material. Wax patterns were designed, fabricated and used to fabricate the mould cavity and channels. Aluminum Filled Epoxy material was used for the fabrication of mould cavities having circular conformal cooling channels and profiled conformal cooling channels. As the thermal conductivity of aluminum filled epoxy is much lower than metal moulds, another innovative concept which was embedding a metal insert around the cavity, was also applied for enhancing the heat dissipation. The metal insert was fabricated from aluminum. The concept was tested by fabricating moulds with aluminum inserts. All moulds were tested by injection moulding experiments with embedded thermocouples to measure the temperature of the cavity surface and temperatures were recorded with a data logger. Analysis of the temperature data indicated that the profiled channels had an increased heat dissipation and reduction of cooling time of about 17 percent over the circular channels. With the moulds having aluminum inserts, there was an impressive increase in cooling rate and the cooling time was further reduced by over 50 percent as compared to moulds without inserts

Trochoidal Milling of AlSiCp with CVD Diamond Coated End Mills

Metal matrix composites have seen a rise in demand within the last decade. Aluminum alloy reinforced with silicon carbide particles is a type of particle metal matrix composite that has seen applications in the aerospace, ground transportation, and electronics industry. However, the abrasive SiC particles have made this material difficult to machine through conventional machining strategies. This research will focus on using computer aided manufacturing with trochoidal tool paths to maximize machining productivity and extend the tool life of CVD diamond coated end mills. The focus of this research will be on AlSiCp with a high volume fraction of reinforcement (30%) to expand the potential applications of this pMMC. The cutting experiments are divided into three parts: cutting test, confirmation test, and endurance test. Taguchi method will be used to perform an analysis of variance and signal-to-noise ratio to optimize a combination of material removal rate, average cutting forces, and surface roughness. The optimal cutting conditions were found to be 254 mm/min, 30°, and 9500 r/min for MRR+AvgFxy+Ra, 1524 mm/min, 30°, and 9500 r/min for MRR+AvgFxy, and 1524 mm/min, 90°, and 9500 r/min. The cutting conditions for MRR+AvgFx+Ra was not considered for the endurance tests as the machining productivity was too low to be considered a feasible option in the industry. It was concluded that trochoidal milling under wet cutting conditions produced nearly half the tool wear as previous research with conventional milling strategies. However, the longer the CVD diamond coated end mills were engaged in the AlSiCp workpiece, the more dominant the abrasive wear mechanisms appear and cause tool damage. It was concluded that square end mills may not be suitable for machining AlSiCp and that future research should focus on varying the tool geometry or utilizing ball end mills

Advanced stratified charge rotary aircraft engine design study

A technology base of new developments which offered potential benefits to a general aviation engine was compiled and ranked. Using design approaches selected from the ranked list, conceptual design studies were performed of an advanced and a highly advanced engine sized to provide 186/250 shaft Kw/HP under cruise conditions at 7620/25,000 m/ft altitude. These are turbocharged, direct-injected stratified charge engines intended for commercial introduction in the early 1990's. The engine descriptive data includes tables, curves, and drawings depicting configuration, performance, weights and sizes, heat rejection, ignition and fuel injection system descriptions, maintenance requirements, and scaling data for varying power. An engine-airframe integration study of the resulting engines in advanced airframes was performed on a comparative basis with current production type engines. The results show airplane performance, costs, noise & installation factors. The rotary-engined airplanes display substantial improvements over the baseline, including 30 to 35% lower fuel usage

Development of high efficiency high speed permanent magnet generator

Renewable energy technology is steadily gaining importance in the energy market because of the limited nature of fossil fuels, as well as the political pressures to reduce carbon emissions. To ensure sustainable development, adequate and affordable energy should be made available to satisfy the demand of electric energy. The High Speed Permanent Magnet (HSPM) generator is designed and developed and is expected to deliver 10 kW output power as well as to achieve a speed of 30000 RPM, however, to achieve a compact and efficient design with lower excitation losses, magnetizing currents and rotor losses requires the HSPM generator to be operated at high rated speeds of approximately 30000 RPM. However, at high speeds these machines produce a substantial amount of heat. This makes the thermal management of these machines difficult and complicated, which leads to demagnetization and the reduction of the output power and shortens the lifetime of the critical components such as the bearings. This thesis presents the design and development of the HSPM generator. It also identifies the heat generated by means of electromagnetic, mechanical and core losses. The development of an adequate cooling system (cooling jacket) is presented to avoid hot spots in the generator and thermal damage to the magnets, resulting in demagnetization. The use of pressurized oil air particles as a lubrication method for the bearings of the generator is also considered to avoid: thermal damage and starvation at the rolling element and to address the predominant concern of effectively cooling the HSPM generator ball bearings at elevated speeds. The HSPM generator is designed and developed to operate at a maximum speed of 30000 RPM to deliver 10 kW output power and is subjected to 80~92°C temperature rise with an idle power consumption of ~2kW, enough to cause hot spots on the generator, demagnetization of the magnets and severe impact to the rolling elements of the bearings. The developed cooling jacket and the newly developed oil air mist lubrication arrangement enables the control of the temperature rise of the generator and the temperature rise at the rolling element, respectively. A steady state analysis was also carried out at motor maximum power output to determine its safe operation with the objective of finding an optimal operating condition by performing a parametric study on the effect of cooling. A 3D steady state model of a 10-kW electric permanent magnet machine was generated and investigated with one cooling jacket layout. The end windings and bearings were not considered to simplify the motor model. Numerical analysis is performed with two different coolant flow rates, no flow and maximum flow (3.5 m3 /h) with special emphasis on the maximum motor temperature. The analytical calculations for the role of coolant flowrate on heat transfer characteristics for a high speed generator, showed that the convection heat transfer coefficient increases with an increase in flowrate (0.3 – 3.5 m3 /hr), while the numerical simulations showed that the maximum coolant flowrate conditions achieved lower temperature generation (27.9°C at the front bearing) throughout the generator compared to no coolant flowrate (43.7°C at the front bearing). The detailed understanding of the effects of these parameters on the generator’s temperature field will help in validating the performance of the generator with actual results

Recent developments in sustainable manufacturing of gears: a review

Abstract: Environment awareness is of the utmost importance to all socially responsible manufacturers. To be competitive on a global scale manufacturing needs to be aligned with various strict environmental regulations. The manufacturing industry at large is striving to improve productivity and product quality while maintaining a clean and sustainable environment. This can only be achieved by adopting sustainable techniques of manufacturing which include minimizing the number of manufacturing steps by employing advanced and alternative methods, environment-friendly lubricants and lubrication techniques while machining, reducing wastage, active waste management and minimizing energy consumption etc. Gear manufacturing industries, the major service providers to all other industrial and manufacturing segments are also focusing on to implement the techniques targeting overall sustainability. Some of the recent developments to achieve sustainability in gear manufacturing can be summarized as reducing the use of mineral-based cutting fluids by employing alternative lubrication techniques i.e. minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) and dry machining, material saving, waste reduction, minimizing energy consumption and maintaining economic efficiency by reducing the number of gear manufacturing stages (eliminating the necessity of finishing processes) by utilizing advanced methods such as gear rolling and wire electric-discharge machining (WEDM), and finally increasing productivity by minimizing tool wear at high gear cutting speeds through the use of alternative tool materials and coatings. This paper reviews and amasses the current state of technology for sustainable manufacturing of gears and also recommends ways to improve the productivity and quality while simultaneously ensuring environmental sustainability

University of Nevada, Las Vegas Transmutation Research Program: Annual Report Academic Year 2004-2005

It is my pleasure to present the UNLV Transmutation Research Program’s fourth annual report that highlights the academic year 2004 – 2005. Supporting this document are the many technical reports and scientific papers that have been generated over the past three years. In the fourth year of our program, we added 11 new research tasks and saw the conclusion of 8 of the initial 16 independent student research tasks started in 2001 and 2002. In all, the program has sponsored to their conclusion 28 M.S. and 2 Ph.D. degrees. The program supported 58 graduate students and 13 undergraduates in 6 academic departments across the UNLV scientific and engineering communities in the academic year 2004-2005. Our research tasks span the range of technology areas for transmutation, including separation of actinides from spent nuclear fuel, methods of fuel fabrication, reactoraccelerator coupled experiments, and corrosion of materials exposed to lead-bismuth eutectic

STUDY INTO THE EFFECT OF CUTTING SPEED ON THE SURFACE ROUGHNESS, ROUNDNESS, TOOL WEAR AND CHIP FORMATION DURING LATHE CUTTING OPERATION

Water soluble metal cutting fluids are used extensively in metal removal processes to act as a cooling and lubricating agent. The application of the metal cutting fluid is typically used according to the concentration recommended by the manufacturer. To minimize the production cost, metal cutting fluid usually diluted with the minimum recommended concentration given. The objective of this project is to recommend the best cutting condition during lathe cutting operation using the minimum concentration recommended. A commercial metal cutting fluid recommended that the minimum concentration for turning operation is 8%. Therefore, this project is conducted by turning AISI 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel workpiece with the application of 8% concentration of metal cutting fluid. The machining parameter of turning operation involved was cutting speed. A comparative study was conducted to study the effect of variation of cutting speed to surface roughness, roundness, tool wear and chip formation. Experiments started with turning sample of AISI 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel workpiece by heavy duty lathe machine using the smallest cutting speed, 60m/min which was selected based on the standard that fit with the machine capabilities. The analyzing development was conducted using Mitutoyo Surface Proftler and Mitutoyo Round Test machine to measure surface roughness and roundness respectively. 3D Non Contact Measurement was used to identify tool flank wear occurred and types of chip produced with perfect image. The results obtained were compared with three other experiment conditions, 90m/min, 180m/min, 200m/min. From this analysis, it is realized that performance of both cutting tool and machining parts was highly influenced by cutting speed

Design, Simulation, Manufacturing: The Innovation Exchange

The content of this book is based on the 3rd International Conference on Design, Simulation, Manufacturing: The Innovation Exchange (DSMIE-2020), held on June 9-12, 2020, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. This book reports on topics at the interface between manufacturing, materials, mechanical, and chemical engineering, with a special emphasis on design, simulation, and manufacturing issues. Specifically, it covers the development of computer-aided technologies for product design, the implementation of smart manufacturing systems and Industry 4.0 strategies, topics in technological assurance, numerical simulation, and experimental studies of cutting, milling, grinding, pressing, and profiling processes, as well as the development and implementation of advanced materials. It covers recent developments in the mechanics of solids and structures, numerical simulation of coupled problems, including wearing, compression, detonation, and collision, chemical process technology, including ultrasonic technology, capillary rising process, pneumatic classification, membrane electrolysis, and absorption process. Further, it reports on developments in the field of heat and mass transfer, energyefficient technologies, and industrial ecology. The book provides academics and professionals with extensive information on trends, technologies, challenges, and practice-oriented experience in the areas mentioned above