Porous Media Heat Transfer for Injection Molding

摘要

The cooling of injection molded plastic is targeted. Coolant flows into a porous medium disposed within an injection molding component via a porous medium inlet. The porous medium is thermally coupled to a mold cavity configured to receive injected liquid plastic. The porous medium beneficially allows for an increased rate of heat transfer from the injected liquid plastic to the coolant and provides additional structural support over a hollow cooling well. When the temperature of the injected liquid plastic falls below a solidifying temperature threshold, the molded component is ejected and collected.

主权项

1. A cooling system for an injection molding device, comprising:
a cooling system inlet configured to receive coolant pumped into the cooling system inlet; a cooling system outlet configured to provide coolant pumped out of the cooling system outlet; a porous medium disposed within an injection molding device component, the injection molding device component comprising a mold wall and thermally coupled to a mold cavity formed when the injection molding device component is coupled to a reciprocal injection molding device component and configured to receive injected liquid plastic, the porous medium thermally coupled to the mold cavity via the mold wall; a porous medium inlet coupled to the cooling system inlet and the porous medium, the porous medium inlet configured to allow coolant to flow from the cooling system inlet and into the porous medium via the porous medium inlet; and a porous medium outlet coupled to the cooling system outlet, the porous medium outlet configured to allow coolant to flow from the porous medium and out of the cooling system outlet via the porous medium outlet.