COMPANY CATEGORY
SPECIAL PRIZE WINNER
Project Name: Cooling Insert Heat Transfer Analysis
Company: MGS Mfg. Group
By Kevin Klotz, Austin Braden, Ben McHenry
Summary
The main goal of this project was to determine the Moldex3D simulation parameter set that leads to matching results between the “virtual-world” and the “real-world.” A cooling fixture was built and simulated to achieve this goal. The cooling fixture mirrored a real tool recently completed but also made possible the easy transition from one cooling approach to another. The three engineered cooling designs in this project included the use of a Solid Copper Pin, an Isobar, and a Tiny Bubbler. Moldex3D was used to quantitatively compare these three cooling techniques in the virtual world and then to compare simulated results against real-world measured values.
Challenges
Being able to accurately predict the potential of molding related problems in any given part design is challenging. In many cases, predicting the required cooling time is paramount to the overall success of the project. Engineered cooling design, as opposed to standard cooling design, will add to tooling cost, but can be the difference between profit and loss. Predicting cooling time accurately is critical for profitability, quality, and for justification of tool cost when engineered cooling is deemed appropriate.
Solutions
- Use BLM to build all components solid mesh to reach “real world”
- Use CFD module to fit “real world” situation
Benefits
- Bubbler design with turbulent flow has 2.9% error compared with real data
- Isobar design with turbulent flow has 4.0% error compared with real data
- Copper design with turbulent flow has 8.4% error compared with real data
- Steel design with laminar flow has 2.2% error compared with real data
Products Used
Meet the Team