B. Zink

56500205800

Publications - 4

Laser powder bed fusion and casting for an advanced hybrid prototype mold

Martin Zobač I. Fekete J. G. Kovács B. Zink István Hatos Dániel Török Tatyana Ageyeva Róbert Boros H. Hargitai

Publication Name: Journal of Manufacturing Processes

Publication Date: 2022-09-01

Volume: 81

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 748-758

Description:

One of the factors limiting the throughput of injection molding is cooling time, which is the most significant part of the total cycle time. The cooling efficiency of molds can be considerably improved with additive manufacturing techniques. A 3D printed injection mold with conformal cooling channels reduces cooling time by 30–40 %. However, the cooling efficiency of these molds can be further improved with a multi-material approach and the use of materials with excellent thermal and mechanical properties. In this study, we propose a hybrid mold insert made of steel and copper, produced with the combination of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) and casting. The steel shell that contains conformal cooling channels was printed by L-PBF. Then this shell was cast with copper. We found that the hybrid mold insert we developed has lower residual cooling time and heat extraction is more uniform than the conventional printed steel insert. The developed hybrid mold insert enables a reduction of residual cooling time by 15 %.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmapro.2022.07.034

Enhanced injection molding simulation of advanced injection molds

N. K. Kovács A. Suplicz J. G. Kovács T. Tábi B. Zink István Hatos H. Hargitai F. Szabó

Publication Name: Polymers

Publication Date: 2017-01-01

Volume: 9

Issue: 2

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

The most time-consuming phase of the injection molding cycle is cooling. Cooling efficiency can be enhanced with the application of conformal cooling systems or high thermal conductivity copper molds. The conformal cooling channels are placed along the geometry of the injection-molded product, and thus they can extract more heat and heat removal is more uniform than in the case of conventional cooling systems. In the case of copper mold inserts, cooling channels are made by drilling and heat removal is facilitated by the high thermal conductivity coefficient of copper, which is several times that of steel. Designing optimal cooling systems is a complex process; a proper design requires injection molding simulations, but the accuracy of calculations depends on how precise the input parameters and boundary conditions are. In this study, three cooling circuit designs and three mold materials (Ampcoloy 940, 1.2311 (P20) steel, and MS1 steel) were used and compared using numerical methods. The effect of different mold designs and materials on cooling efficiency were examined using calculated and measured results. The simulation model was adjusted to the measurement results by considering the joint gap between the mold inserts.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/polym9020077

Thermal simulations and measurements for rapid tool inserts in injection molding applications

N. K. Kovács A. Suplicz J. G. Kovács T. Tábi B. Zink H. Hargitai F. Szabó

Publication Name: Applied Thermal Engineering

Publication Date: 2015-06-25

Volume: 85

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 44-51

Description:

apid prototyping (RP) is a widely used process in the industry to shorten development time. Another advantage of this technology is the ability to create conformal cooling systems, thus not only cooling time and cycle time can be shortened, but also shrinkage, thus warpage can be decreased. The main disadvantage of Rapid prototyping materials is their low thermal conductivity, which strongly influences cooling properties and warpage. The research based on a special developed injection mold for novel rapid prototyping based mold inserts with cooling systems. A method has been introduced to determine the most important thermal parameters for injection molding simulations using rapid tools. Those parameters, which can be measured such as the specific heat and thermal conductivity of the mold materials, are directly implemented into the software. The heat transfer coefficient between the polymer melt and the rapid tool insert surface cannot be measured in a reasonable way, thus simulation software was used to determine that based on indirect calculation derived from real measurements. In the paper, the method was proved with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and Polyjet mold inserts.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.03.075

The analysis of injection molding defects caused by gate vestiges

N. K. Kovács A. Suplicz J. G. Kovács T. Tábi B. Zink H. Hargitai F. Szabó

Publication Name: Express Polymer Letters

Publication Date: 2015-04-01

Volume: 9

Issue: 4

Page Range: 394-400

Description:

Issues of product safety are the most serious problems of an injection molded product due to their risk to human health. Such a safety problem can be the needle-shaped vestige at the gate zone of injection molded products, called a gate vestige. Only observations of the formation of gate vestiges can be found in the literature, but the processing parameters influencing their dimensions, especially their height have not been studied yet. Our goal was to study the effect of various injection molding processing parameters and gate constructions on gate vestige formation.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3144/expresspolymlett.2015.37