To minimize the risks associated with declining cooling efficiency, regular cleaning of cooling channels must be incorporated into routine mold maintenance. Here are some best practices to help keep cooling channels clean and operational:

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.

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Az ásványi lerakódások elsősorban kalcium- és magnézium-karbonátokból állnak. A karbonátok, amelyek általában oldhatatlanok, az oldható kalcium- és magnézium-bikarbonátokat tartalmazó víz melegítésével csapódnak ki. A bikarbonát termikusan instabil, és melegítés hatására karbonátok és így vízkő képződésére bomlik.

A vízkő lerakódását befolyásoló tényezők:

- Minél magasabb a víz (átmeneti) keménysége, annál több vízkő képződik.

- Minél magasabb a víz pH-értéke (lúgos pH), annál nagyobb a vízkőlerakódásra való hajlam.

- Minél magasabb hőmérsékletre melegítik a vizet, annál több vízkő képződik.

A csatornafalakon a csapadék és a vízkőlerakódás drámaian megnő, ha a víz hőmérséklete meghaladja a 60 Celsius-fokot. A víz keménységétől is függ, így egyes területeken a vízkő okozta problémák nagyobbak, mint máshol. A vízkőproblémák ellensúlyozására a legtöbb fröccsöntő üzem valamilyen vízkezelést alkalmaz, hogy minimalizálja az ásványi alapú lerakódások, például a kalcium vagy magnézium kockázatát.

A DS2 tisztítószert a kalcium- és magnéziumlerakódásokból származó vízkő eltávolítására ajánljuk.

A korróziós folyamat során egy másik típusú lerakódás keletkezik. Ezek lehetnek szilárd, vízben nem oldódó lerakódások (mint például a mikrobiális korróziós folyamat során keletkező inkrusztáció) vagy vízkő - szilárd korróziós termékek vagy kemény vasoxidok rétege. A többi lerakódáshoz hasonlóan veszélyesek a csatornákra, korlátozzák az áramlást és csökkentik a hőelvezetés hatékonyságát.

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.

A DS1 tisztítószert magas vasoxid-koncentrációjú vízkőmentesítéshez ajánljuk.

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.

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A vállalatok világszerte minden évben tudtukon kívül több százezer eurót veszítenek a szerszámaik és gépeik hűtési hatékonyságának fokozatos csökkenése miatt. Alacsonyabb szerszámhatékonyság, hosszabb ciklusidő a műanyag alkatrészek méreteltéréseinek ellensúlyozása miatt, hosszabb szerszámleállások, karbantartás és szervizelés - mindezek a tényezők növelik az üzemeltetési költségeket, és a vállalat nyereségének csökkenését eredményezik. E problémák forrása nemcsak a hűtővíz minőségében, hanem a feldolgozási hőmérsékletben is keresendő, ami a lerakódások és a rozsda kicsapódásához és fokozatos lerakódásához vezet a szerszámok hűtőcsatornáiban és más hőcserélőkben.

Az ásványi lerakódások vagy korróziós melléktermékek lerakódási sebessége számos tényezőtől függ, például a hűtőközeg kémiai összetételétől és az üzemi hőmérséklettől. A hűtés kialakításának módja is jelentős hatással lehet a hűtési hatékonyság csökkenésére. A nulla áramlást generáló "holt" területek olyan helyek lesznek, ahol a hűtőközegből kicsapódott lerakódások természetes módon leülepednek. Fontos, hogy a közeg áramlását már a szerszámhűtés tervezési szakaszában szimuláljuk, hogy elkerüljük az alapvető hibákat, amelyek növelik a hűtési teljesítmény csökkenésének kockázatát. Sajnos a szerszám konstrukciós szakaszában a rendszer meszesedéséből adódó hűtési hatékonyság csökkenésének témája olyan távolinak tűnik, hogy ritkán veszik figyelembe.

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

When talking to customers, we always try to convince them to test the device they are interested in. We believe that before making an investment decision, the effectiveness of the solution should always be verified, especially when we are not dealing with a product that directly boosts a company’s productivity (like an additional injection molding machine, for example), but rather with a device that indirectly „unlocks” productivity and minimizes production costs.

During our visits to various companies, we often encounter competitors’ machines that, for some reason, are not being used and are left gathering dust in a corner. When we ask why the machine is not being used, we usually hear that it did not perform as expected in practice—whether in terms of effectiveness, ease of use, or reliability. This naturally raises the question of how the purchase decision was made and why the final users of the product were not actively involved in the decision-making process, or at least in giving their opinion on the solution.

Marketing departments can be very creative, writing things in brochures designed to catch the attention of a specific target group. It often turns out that a loudly promoted feature is something entirely trivial and obvious, or worse, that the so-called „automatic” XYZ device still requires frequent operator intervention during the process.

From our 7 years of experience, we’ve learned that purchase decisions made solely based on price, without considering the actual needs of the company, often result in the purchased machine being set aside and unused because it is either a) ineffective or b) impractical from the operator’s perspective. Such a purchase is a waste of money and, even worse, spoils the market, because the chance of buying another device with similar features is usually lost.

That’s why, as a manufacturer, we urge you to test, compare, and verify what you read and hear from salespeople. Remember, the most expensive machines are those that aren’t used; such an investment will never pay off. Verifying the effectiveness of a solution in your production environment will allow you to truly assess the machine’s performance, ease of use, and overall design.

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