Metal Powder Mold Manufacturing with Conformal Cooling Channels

This metal mold manufacturing method makes it possible to create mold structures that are difficult or impossible to achieve with conventional machining processes. As a result, mold makers can reduce lead time, lower production costs, and improve overall mold performance.

One of the biggest advantages of this process is the ability to freely create internal structures inside the mold. Complex three-dimensional cooling channels can be integrated directly into the mold body, allowing better temperature control during injection molding.

These conformal cooling channels can improve molding precision, shorten cycle time, and increase production efficiency.

Material Characteristics

The Fe-based powder material used in this technology mainly contains alloy steel powder. By combining iron-based powder with nickel powder and copper-based powder, the final molded material can achieve excellent mechanical performance without microcracks.

The maximum bending strength and hardness of the finished mold are comparable to S50C mold steel, which is commonly used in traditional mold manufacturing.

After machining, the mold can achieve dimensional accuracy of approximately ±0.03 mm and a surface finish of around 20 μm Rz.

Benefits of Internal Cooling Channels

This technology allows water pipes or cooling channels to be installed directly inside components such as the gate bushing area.

Because the cooling system can follow the contour of the molded part more closely, heat can be removed more efficiently during injection molding.

This helps shorten cooling time, reduce molding cycle time, and improve production output.

Better thermal control also reduces the risk of overheating, warpage, molding defects, and premature mold wear.

As a result, the mold life can be extended while maintaining more stable molding quality.