Injection Molding Cooling Analysis

Optimization of cooling channel layout and prediction of mold and resin temperature distribution. Since cooling time accounts for 60-80% of the total molding cycle, cooling efficiency directly impacts cost. AM (Additive Manufacturing) is utilized for designing conformal cooling channels.

This can be expressed mathematically as follows.

Heat transfer in cooling channels:

Injection molding cooling analysis simulation is formulated as a coupled problem of thermodynamics, material mechanics, and fluid dynamics. Since the physical phenomena of the manufacturing process span multiple time and spatial scales, an appropriate combination of macro-scale continuum models and meso/micro-scale material models is required. The goal is to quantitatively predict the causal relationship between process parameters (temperature, velocity, load, etc.) and product quality (dimensional accuracy, defects, mechanical properties).

The accuracy of manufacturing process simulation heavily depends on the fidelity of the material model. It is necessary to properly define elastoplastic constitutive laws, creep laws, phase transformation models, etc., as functions of temperature and strain rate. Data obtained from material testing (tensile, compression, torsion) is fitted, and validity within the extrapolation range is verified. Thermodynamic databases such as JMatPro and Thermo-Calc are also utilized.

Manufacturing process simulation is formulated as a coupled problem of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics.

Here, $T$ is temperature, $\mathbf{v}$ is the material velocity field, $k$ is thermal conductivity, and $Q$ is internal heat generation (Joule heating, latent heat, frictional heat, etc.).

During solidification, the release/absorption of latent heat significantly affects the temperature field. Formulation using the enthalpy method:

This can be expressed mathematically as follows.

Here, $L$ is the latent heat, and $f_l(T)$ is the liquid fraction (takes a value between 0 and 1 in the solid-liquid coexistence region).

Plastic deformation of metals is described by constitutive laws such as the Johnson-Cook model:

$A$: Initial yield stress, $B$: Hardening coefficient, $n$: Hardening exponent, $C$: Strain rate sensitivity, $m$: Thermal softening exponent.