Composite Metal Tooling
P. R. Lewis Consulting LLC
A Mold from 100 years ago could pass for a
mold from Today
As a molder I want
The cycle of beryllium and the tool
life of tool steel
The heat transfer of beryllium or
aluminum and the hardness and
toughness of tool steel
Tough, Hard, Heat Transfer
The toughness & wear resistance of Tool Steel
&
The Thermal Conductivity of Beryllium Copper
This is what all this is about.
Only three factors DRIVE Cooling
once the cavity is filled:
1. The Specific Heat of the Plastic
2. The heat transferred rate between
the cavity surface to the
temperature control
3. ΔT
This presentation is about
INHANCING Two of the Three
• We can’t change the Specific Heat of the plastic
• We can change the Coefficient of
Thermal Conductivity of the Cavity
&
• The ΔT
Molding is Δt
A mold is a high
pressure heat
exchanger
Steel limits most molding cycles
• LET THE PLASTIC LIMIT
THE CYCLE NOT THE
INSULATING EFFECT OF
THE STEEL
Which Cycles Faster?
• Beryllium
or
• Steel
Fast4m and CMT
The advantages of
BOTH
Steel and Beryllium
WHAT IF!
A mold temperature
controller existed that
could take advantage of a
mold with High Thermal
Conductivity?
Introducing
Three Companies
Technology developed by
three companies was
required to take this
leap in molding
technology
Composite Metal Tooling
P. R. Lewis Consulting LLC
• A mold with sufficient thermal conductivity
to quickly react to a temperature control
system capable of pumping 400° F water
followed immediately by 40° F water
resulting in the ability to fill a cavity at the
optimum temperature then cooling at the
optimum temperature
Composite Metal Tooling
P. R. Lewis Consulting LLC
What is Composite Metal Tooling?
1. Composite Metal Tooling (CMT) is using more
than one metal to achieve a synergistic effect in
plastic molds.
2. CMT is the practice of removing as much of the
mass of a steel mold cavity as is practical while
retaining enough for strength. The steel is
removed from the area of the cavity that will not
come in contact with the plastic, replacing it with
a highly conductive substance.
Replace Steel with Heat Transfer Metal (HTM)
maintain
Move Heat FASTER,
Strength & Hardness
Patented Technology
• Fast4m’s ingenuity in laminated tooling
capabilities are reflected in a worldwide portfolio
of issued and pending applications.
• Fast4m’s patented technology includes novel
designs for Conformal and FloodCooling™ in
molds dramatically reducing cycle time, part
stress and scrap, while improving overall part
cost, quality and reduced tool build timing and
cost.
Injection Mold Tooling - Instrument Panel Duct
Part Ejection Design
Conformal Cooling Design
72” x 22” x 14”
Photographs of Heat Transfer Metal Infused inside
injection molds
HTM joint has 92%
tensile strength – HTM
can be forced to infiltrate
the grain of the steel
HTM can be infused inside a mold to
significantly reduce cycle time and increase part
quality – it can fit between ribs, around ejector
pins Etc, Etc.
Fast4m or Composite Metal Tooling
• Maintain the properties of Tool Steel
• Increase the Thermal Conductivity
• New Molds or Retrofit
• Combine this with
• A temperature controller capable of
pumping water at 400° F then immediately
by 40° F
Temperature control units
Cycle time for Accuracy
Moving Mold
Half
Stationary
Mold Half
Cooling
Channel
Unfilled Part
Injection Unit
Cold Mold
Halves
Cycle time for Accuracy
Moving Mold
Half
Stationary
Mold Half
Cooling
Channel
Filled Molded
Part
Warm/ Hot
Mold Halves
Injection Unit
Temperature
Alternating
System
TWS
Temperature
control unit
„hot“
- 200 °F
- 300 °F
Cold water
The Molders Dilemma
• Maintaining the exact mold temperature
• Hot enough to fill
• Cool enough for cycle
• Walking the tight rope of temperature with
the lag trying to knock you off
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With Programmable Mold Temp,
Steel just wont work!
Watts/Meter/ºC
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Coefficient of Thermal Conductivity
Tool Steel
40 Watts per Meter per ºc
(w/m/ºc)
Heat Transfer Metal
390 w/m/ºc
350
300
250
Non-CMT
200
150
CMT
100
50
0
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52
Current Major Projects
Elring Klinger Sealing Systems, Windsor, ON
Service Mold Ltd.
2006 GM, Rocker Cover
StayNet® Inc., Kernersville, NC
Emerald Tool and Mold
Soccer Goal Corner Post
Eaton Corp., Arecibo, PR
Northern Illinois Mold
Tote Bin
2006 GM Rocker Cover
Tryout Results
• Press had heater control problems
• Mold heat up time was Equal to existing
molds even with low voltage
• Mold Surface Temperature
Core (+/-) 8° F (Sprue Cooling) Cavity (+/-) 3° F
After two hour run temperature drop 5° F
even with low voltage
Soccer Goal Cornet Post
T i m ’s a n d T o d d ’s H o u s e o f I l l R e p u t e
B e s t D a m P l a s t i c Sq u i r t i n ’ Jo i n t Ar o u n d
Si m p l y T h e B e s t E n g i n e e r e d
So c c e r G o a l s Av a i l a b l e
Soccer Goal Corner Support
Mold Specs
• Core Size – 39ea, 2” x 0.750” x 3.81”
• Heat Transfer Pins – 3 per. Each of 39
blocks – ½” Dia. with 0.100” between pins
and molding surface
• Thermal Conductivity –
• Core - 290 W/m/ºc
• – 100 W/m/ºc more than Beryllium
Moving the Heat
350
300
250
200
ºF
W / HTM ºF
W /0 HTM ºF
150
100
50
0
1
5
9
13
17
21
Minutes
25
29
Test Results with Krauss Maffei and
Ticona
Ticona nylon 66, 50% filled ½” glass fiber
Mold Temp at Injection - 270° F
Water Alternating between 400°F & 50°F
Part Appearance improved markedly
Part physicals were equal
Cycle dropped from 80 Sec to 41 Sec
A Mold
• With the Toughness & Hardness of Tool
Steel because it is Tool Steel
• Modified or Constructed to drastically
improve the Coefficient of Thermal
Conductivity
• Controlled by a Temperature Controller
capable of 400°F followed by 40° F
Composite Metal Tooling
P. R. Lewis Consulting LLC