CONFORMAL COOLING FOR MOLDS PRODUCED BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING: A REVIEW

The present research study demonstrates a critical review on the permanent molds used for injection molding, pressure die casting and investment casting has one common task of dissipating the heat from the mold effectively for better production, longer tool life and better surface quality of the components being produced. Conventional method of keeping the mold cooler during the casting process is achieved by drilling the cross holes and then attaching to the coolant media. This follows the straight line profile owing to the process limitation and creates nonuniform cooling for a contoured surface. Hence the effectiveness of the cooling compromised where the cavities or punches are having more curvilinear surfaces. The method of making the cooling channels to follow the contour of parts is called conformal cooling. Earlier it was very difficult to produce such cooling channels, but with the invention of additive manufacturing, last few decades has witnessed a lot of experimentation and advancement in the field of conformal cooling