Para minimizar los riesgos asociados a la disminución de la eficacia de la refrigeración, la limpieza periódica de los canales de refrigeración debe incorporarse al mantenimiento rutinario de los moldes. Estas son algunas de las mejores prácticas para mantener los canales de refrigeración limpios y operativos:

1. Regular Preventive Cleaning: Establish a cleaning schedule based on the mold’s usage frequency and the type of coolant circulating in the system. Regular diagnostics and short preventive cleaning sessions effectively prevent contaminant buildup before it leads to more significant issues that impact the process.
2. Flow Monitoring: Implement systems to monitor the flow of the cooling medium through the channels. Early detection of flow reductions or increases in the delta T (the temperature difference between inlet and outlet) can indicate blockages or the accumulation of scale or rust.
3. Documenting Maintenance Activities: Maintain detailed records of all maintenance activities, including cleaning dates/times and flow rates recorded for individual channels. This documentation helps track cooling efficiency declines over time and can guide future decisions regarding tool maintenance.
4. Choosing the Right Tool: Ensure that the cleaning device has features that allow for efficient and thorough cleaning, as well as monitoring the performance of each cooling circuit in the tool. It’s beneficial if the device also has data logging capabilities, enabling you to review and reference the data in future cleaning sessions.

This post Best Practices for Effective Cooling Channel Cleaning first appeared on Coolingcare.eu and is written by testadmin

Neglecting regular cleaning of cooling channels can have serious consequences for both the mold and the production process. As contaminants accumulate, the flow of water becomes restricted, reducing the efficiency of the cooling system. Lower heat dissipation due to a layer of low thermal conductivity insulation, combined with restricted flow, can cause localized overheating in the mold (known as hot spots). This leads to uneven cooling and unstable part quality. As a result, the percentage of defective parts increases, production costs rise, and more frequent mold repairs or even replacements become necessary. In critical cases, the cooling channels may become completely clogged, forcing a mold shutdown, disassembly, and mechanical drilling of the blockage, which generates enormous costs. This not only increases operational expenses but also negatively affects the ability to meet production deadlines. In times when customer quality requirements are so demanding, maintaining stable part quality with the shortest possible cycle time is crucial.

Potential Problems Arising from Tool Thermal Disturbances:

1. Extended Cycle Times: Contaminated cooling channels result in slower heat transfer, meaning the mold requires more time to cool. This leads to longer production cycles, reducing overall process efficiency and increasing operational costs.
2. Part Defects: Uneven cooling can affect part quality. Defects such as warping, sink marks, and dimensional deviations become more common, leading to a higher rejection rate by quality control. Additionally, uneven cooling can create internal stresses, reducing the strength of the product and causing it to crack under load.
3. Faster Mold Wear: Reduced cooling efficiency forces the mold to operate at higher temperatures for longer periods, accelerating the wear of mold components. This can shorten the tool’s lifespan and require more frequent repairs and refurbishments.
4. Higher Energy Consumption: An inefficient cooling system requires more energy to maintain the mold’s proper temperature, leading to increased energy costs and a greater environmental impact.

This post Consequences of Neglecting Cooling Channel Cleaning first appeared on Coolingcare.eu and is written by testadmin

The mineral deposits are primarily composed of calcium and magnesium carbonates. Carbonates, which are generally insoluble, are precipitated by heating water containing soluble calcium and magnesium bicarbonates. Bicarbonate is thermally unstable and will decompose to form carbonates and thus limescale when heated.

Factors influencing scale deposition:

• The higher the (temporary) water hardness, the more scale will form.

• The higher the pH (alkaline pH) of the water, the greater the tendency to scale

• The higher the temperature to which the water is heated, the more scale build-up will be present.

Precipitation and scaling on channel walls increases dramatically when the water temperature exceeds 60 degrees Celsius. It also depends on the hardness of water, so in some areas the problems caused by limescale are greater than in others. To counteract limescale problems, most injection molders deploy some form of water treatment to minimize the risk of mineral-based deposits such as calcium or magnesium.

The DS2 cleaner is recommended to remove limescale from calcium and magnesium deposits.

Another type of deposit is formed during the corrosion process. These can be solid, water-insoluble deposits (such as incrustations during the microbial corrosion process) or scale – a layer of solid corrosion products or hard iron oxides. Like other deposits, they are dangerous to the ducts, restrict the flow and reduce the efficiency of heat removal.

Rust-based scale in the channels of water-cooled molds will typically have a high concentration of iron oxides / corrosion by-products. This is mainly because companies use „closed-loop” water systems where the concentration of iron oxide is up to seven times higher than in regular tap water. Another reason for the formation of deposits from the corrosion process may be the water left in the channels after the cleaning process. The dissolved oxygen in the water reacts with steel causing corrosion.

The DS1 cleaner is recommended for descaling with a high concentration of iron oxides.

This post Types of sediments and scale deposits first appeared on Coolingcare.eu and is written by testadmin

We see this type of connections most often in bigger molds that have a large number of cooling channels. It is impractical to connect cooling to each of the channels separately, so they are usually bundled into one manifold, the purpose of which is to supply the cooling media to the individual cooling circuits in the mold. Of course, this type of solution is not perfect. We must remember that the parallel connection of channels will typically generate various pressure drops (these drops may result from large disproportions in diameters, lengths or distances of the channels from each other, forcing them to be connected to the manifold with hoses of different length) which inevitably translate into uneven distribution of the cooling liquid to individual circuits, even if a manifold with an appropriate pressure-balancing volume is used. This solution should be treated as a compromise, as we should always try to connect channels in such a way that the risk of uneven distribution of the coolant is as low as possible. In a situation where one of the circuits is partially or completely blocked, a parallel connection will prevent the cleaning liquid from reaching this channel, because the solution will always try to find the path of least flow resistance.

However, it should be remembered that the process of cleaning the channels is not a process of cooling. This is a common misconception that people who bridge channels for cleaning use, arguing that the mold is connected in the same way during production. If we want to effectively clean the circuits connected to each other by means of a manifold, we must use a feed pump with a much higher capacity, that is able to overcome pressure drops generated by the cooling system, while maintaining the appropriate dynamics, which will guarantee the effectiveness of cleaning in the shortest possible time. The effectiveness of devices equipped with single pumps with a higher flow rate depends primarily on the number of litres of pumped liquid in a given time, which is never the most effective solution. That is why it is worth looking for solutions using hybrid systems, such as the patented, two-stage hydromechanical cleaning process in CoolingCare machines, in which two cooperating pumps for each of the cleaning sections are used. This approach gives much more flexibility and significantly reduces cleaning time.

This post A few words about parallel connections… first appeared on Coolingcare.eu and is written by testadmin

The purpose of the efficient cooling system of the mold is to guarantee an even distribution of temperatures on individual molding cavities, which translates into appropriate dimensional tolerances and the quality of injected parts.

Any temperature deviations caused by flow disturbances and / or the inability of the channels to effectively take away the heat will, over time, translate into the deteriorated quality of the manufactured product, the circulating medium circulating in the mold cooling system receives heat from it, ensuring an even temperature distribution, which in turn translates into appropriate quality, compliance with dimensional tolerances or cycle time.

Corrosion products, limescale and other deposits on the walls of the channels are the silent killer of the efficiency of our cooling system. Scale deposits reduce the efficiency of the cooling system by reducing the its diameter. Worse still, due to its very low thermal conductivity, even a thin layer of scale acts as an insulator, making it difficult to receive the heat from the molding cavity. The scale never precipitates evenly, which can quickly lead to disturbed mold thermal behaviour and quality problems. That is why it is so important to regularly monitor the cooling efficiency in our molds and act preventively.

It should be remembered that the issue of cleaning channels and maintaining high cooling efficiency throughout the life of the tool applies not only to those made in additive technologies, but also to conventional, drilled cooling channels. The only difference is that the complex geometry of the channels and the small diameters of the channels with conformal cooling make cleaning more difficult and requires the appropriate tools and methods. This does not mean, however, that classic structures with drilled channels are free from problems related to reduced cooling efficiency or clogging. It is a very common phenomenon and, worst of all, it happens imperceptibly.

This post Do you control the performance of your injection molds? first appeared on Coolingcare.eu and is written by testadmin

Cada año, empresas de todo el mundo pierden sin saberlo cientos de miles de euros debido a la disminución gradual de la eficiencia de refrigeración en sus herramientas y máquinas. Menor eficiencia de los moldes, mayor duración de los ciclos debido a la necesidad de contrarrestar las desviaciones dimensionales de las piezas de plástico, mayores tiempos de inactividad de los moldes, mantenimiento y revisión: todos estos factores aumentan los costes operativos y se traducen en una disminución de los beneficios de la empresa. La fuente de estos problemas se origina no sólo en la calidad del agua de refrigeración, sino también en las temperaturas de procesamiento, que se traducen en la precipitación y deposición gradual de depósitos y óxido en el interior de los canales de refrigeración de los moldes, así como en otros intercambiadores de calor.

La velocidad a la que se depositan los depósitos minerales o los subproductos de la corrosión depende de muchos factores, como la composición química del medio refrigerante y la temperatura de funcionamiento. Además, la forma en que está diseñada la refrigeración puede tener un impacto significativo en la disminución de la eficacia de la refrigeración. Las zonas "muertas" que generan flujos nulos serán lugares donde los depósitos precipitados del medio refrigerante se depositarán de forma natural. Es importante simular el flujo del medio en la fase de diseño de la refrigeración del molde, para evitar errores fundamentales que aumenten el riesgo de una disminución del rendimiento de la refrigeración. Desgraciadamente, en la fase de construcción del molde, el tema de la disminución del rendimiento de refrigeración debido a la calcificación del sistema parece tan lejano que rara vez se tiene en cuenta.

This post Factors influencing the decrease in cooling efficiency first appeared on Coolingcare.eu and is written by testadmin

Cuando hablamos con los clientes, siempre intentamos convencerles de que prueben el dispositivo que les interesa. Creemos que, antes de tomar una decisión de inversión, siempre hay que comprobar la eficacia de la solución, sobre todo cuando no se trata de un producto que impulsa directamente la productividad de una empresa (como una máquina de moldeo por inyección adicional, por ejemplo), sino de un dispositivo que "desbloquea" indirectamente la productividad y minimiza los costes de producción.

Durante nuestras visitas a varias empresas, a menudo nos encontramos con máquinas de la competencia que, por alguna razón, no se utilizan y se dejan acumulando polvo en un rincón. Cuando preguntamos por qué no se utiliza la máquina, solemos oír que no ha funcionado como se esperaba en la práctica, ya sea en términos de eficacia, facilidad de uso o fiabilidad. Esto plantea naturalmente la cuestión de cómo se tomó la decisión de compra y por qué los usuarios finales del producto no participaron activamente en el proceso de toma de decisiones, o al menos en dar su opinión sobre la solución.

Los departamentos de marketing pueden ser muy creativos, escribiendo cosas en folletos diseñados para captar la atención de un grupo objetivo específico. A menudo resulta que una característica promocionada a bombo y platillo es algo totalmente trivial y obvio, o peor aún, que el supuesto dispositivo "automático" XYZ sigue requiriendo la intervención frecuente de un operario durante el proceso.

De nuestros 7 años de experiencia, hemos aprendido que las decisiones de compra tomadas únicamente en función del precio, sin tener en cuenta las necesidades reales de la empresa, suelen dar lugar a que la máquina adquirida se deje de lado y no se utilice por ser a) ineficaz o b) poco práctica desde la perspectiva del operario. Una compra así es una pérdida de dinero y, lo que es peor, estropea el mercado, porque se suele perder la oportunidad de comprar otro aparato de características similares.

Por eso, como fabricante, le instamos a que pruebe, compare y verifique lo que lee y oye decir a los vendedores. Recuerde que las máquinas más caras son las que no se utilizan; una inversión así nunca se amortiza. Verificar la eficacia de una solución en su entorno de producción le permitirá evaluar realmente el rendimiento, la facilidad de uso y el diseño general de la máquina.

This post The most expensive machine is the one you don’t use, because it will never pay off. Don’t buy a pig in a poke. first appeared on Coolingcare.eu and is written by testadmin