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About Project

A conformal-cooling system lays out the cooling channels conforming to the shape of the products. Incorporating 3D printing, milling, and generative design, a reduction in cooling times by 20% could be realized compared to conventional methods, where channels are drilled straight through the mold.

Solution

• Step 1: When printing transparent models, we need to focus on the structures, as polishing is highly required to make the parts clear.
• Step 2: 3D print the cooling channel model in one piece with SLA Clear Resin and our industrial SLA 3D printer. We have printed dozens of clear parts every day and tuned the 3D printer to the best condition.
• Step 3: When printing is finished, remove the supports and rinse it with IPA, then manually sand and polish the surface with 400-4000 grit sandpaper until the model becomes transparent.
• Step 4: The inner channels are hard to reach for sandpaper. The IPA would wash away the excess material. Then we infuse the dye solution to color the channels.
• Step 5: Spray the model evenly with UV oil. As the oil protection layer has a thickness, the dimension of parts may be affected, so the clear parts are used just as display models, not functional ones. If the client wants a frosted effect, we would sandblast the clear parts.