ISOPLATENS
PACKAGING/SEALING
ISOMANDRELS
PLASTIC WELDING
COMPOSITES
PLASTICS
DEVELOPMENT OF A VAPOR CHAMBER MOLD WITH INTERNAL COOLING CHANNELS
- Challenge: To develop a rapid heating/cooling mold platform for out-of-autoclave composite curing.
- Application: Composite Tooling.
Acrolab engineers designed and built a mold base with uniform temperature distribution that met the specifications of the customer for rapid heating/cooling for out-of-autoclave composite part production. Acrolab provided a detailed report to the client outlining the performance parameters of the vapor chamber composite mold and operating instructions for the mold.
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DEVELOPMENT OF ISOTHERMAL ROTATIONAL MOLDS
- Challenge: To develop isothermal rotary molds to reduce production cycle time, reduce mold weight and reduce energy consumption.
- Application: Composite Processing – Thermal Uniformity
By developing a system that provides uniform heating and cooling to the mold, several production processes could be improved such as reduction in cycle time, increased productivity and a reduction in energy consumption. One of the results during the analysis by the client was the correlation in their data where they were able to develop a scalable model for the rotary mold design utilizing this new concept design.
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DEVELOPMENT OF ISOBAR HEAT PIPE ASSEMBLIES FOR LARGE FORMAT MOLDS
- Challenge: To develop Isobar® heat pipe assemblies for insertion into large format molds for composite processing to improve the part curing process (in-autoclave).
- Application: Composite Tooling
The use of Isobar heat pipes in the production of large composite parts (In-Autoclave) demonstrated a significant improvement in the manufacturing process by reducing cycle time by up to 50% while also increasing product quality. The entire process was monitored throughout and a quantitative assessment determined that improvements, specifically related to product quality and cycle time, were remarkable and repeatable. Contact Acrolab’s engineering team to discuss how we can improve your processing challenges.
Isobars Provide Near-Isothermal Conditions for Thermoset Plastic Molds
Acrolab’s solution to thermoset plastic injection molds involves strategically positioning the Isobar® heat pipes to allow both full accessibility and an easier process for heater replacement in the event of failure. The end result is a more simplified mold maintenance program and less downtime.
- Isobars are used within thermoset plastic injection molds to super-conduct energy to the molding surfaces.
- They provide near-isothermal conditions and allow rapid energy distribution throughout the entire working surface of the mold.
- Isobar® heat pipes replenish the energy drawn from the mold surface to the part during the cure cycle significantly faster than solely relying on the thermal conductivity of tool steel.
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Plastic Thermoset Heating Isobars Provide Near-Isothermal Conditions
Acrolab’s solution to Plastic Thermoset involves strategically positioning the Isobar® Heat Pipes to allow full accessibility and easier heater replacement in the event of failure. The end result is easier mold maintenance and less downtime.
- Plastic Thermoset Heating Isobars are used within the thermoset molds to super-conduct energy to cores and mold
face sections. - They provide near-isothermal conditions and allow rapid energy throughput throughout the entire working surfaces of the mold.
- Isobar® Heat Pipes replenish the energy drawn from the mold face to the part during the cure cycle significantly faster than relying on the thermal conductivity of tool steel.
Isobar® Heat Pipe Technology Provides High-Speed Heat Transfer, Beneficial in Standing Cores for Thermoset Plastic and Rubber Molding Processes
Acrolab’s Isobar® heat pipe technology can be used in standing cores for thermoset plastic and rubber molding applications by providing a high-speed heat transfer path for energy to travel. When compared to a solid steel core pin, a core bored out to accept an Isobar® heat pipe can reach steady state in approximately half the time of the standard solid steel core.
In comparison, the steady state temperature of the Isobar-infiltrated core is 40% higher. Isobars® in standing cores can resolve processing challenges such as uneven core heating and low-temperature recovery.
Isobar® Heat Pipe Technology Provides a High-Speed Isothermal Path, Beneficial in Standing Cores for Thermoset and Rubber Heating
Acrolab’s Isobar® Heat Pipe technology can be used in standing cores for thermoset and rubber heating by providing a high-speed, isothermal path for thermal energy to travel. When compared to a solid steel core pin, a core bored out to accept an Isobar® Heat Pipe reaches steady state in approximately half the time of the solid steel core.
In comparison, the steady state temperature of the Isobar-infiltrated core is 40% higher. Isobars® in standing cores resolves processing problems such as uneven core heating and low-temperature recovery.
Isobar® Heat Pipes Provide Uniform Temperature To All Molding Surfaces
Molds with deep cavities and standing cores will cure much easier and more uniformly with the installation of Isobars. The entire cure cycle will be enhanced due to isothermal conditions on the molding surface. Installation of Isobar® heat pipes assist greatly in recovery of the mold face temperatures in up to half the time when compared to traditional heating and conduction methods.
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Isobar® Super-Thermal Conductors Enable Faster, More Uniform Cooling to The Entire Mold Surface
When designed into the mold, the unique heat transfer characteristics of the Isobar ® super-thermal conductor ensures that energy build-up on the mold face is rapidly directed to the mold’s cooling channels. This ensures much more efficient and uniform cooling to the entire mold surface, resulting in shorter molding cycles.
While Isobars® can be incorporated into the cooling channel it is only necessary that they be in proximity to a water line to promote effective cooling. This presents the mold designer with greater flexibility for positioning cooling lines in locations remote from complex core and cavity inserts, allowing for simplified tool design and eliminating the need for additional seals.
Isobar® Heat Transfer Systems can eliminate the need for additional bubblers and baffles; components associated with O-ring leakage, mineral build-up, pressure drops, etc, resulting in fewer maintenance requirements and reducing unscheduled downtime.
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Isobar® Super-Thermal Conductor Allows Faster, More Uniform Cooling to the Entire Mold Surface
When designed into the mold, the unique heat transfer characteristics of the Isobar ® super-thermal conductor ensures that energy build-up on the mold face is rapidly directed to the mold’s cooling channels. This ensures much more efficient and uniform cooling to the entire mold surface, resulting in shorter molding cycles.
While Isobars® can be incorporated into the cooling channel it is only necessary that they be in proximity to a water line to promote effective cooling. This presents the mold designer with greater flexibility for positioning cooling lines in locations remote from complex core and cavity inserts, allowing for simplified tool design and eliminating the need for seals to prevent coolant leakage.
Isobar® Heat Transfer Systems eliminate the need for bubblers and baffles; components associated with O-ring leakage, mineral build-up, pressure drops, etc, resulting in fewer maintenance requirements and less unscheduled downtime.
Isobar’s Enhanced Thermal Conductivity Combats Both Thermal Issues and Mold Durability
One of the most desired features of our Isobars® are their ability to deliver high thermal conductivity, directly impacting your molding operation on several fronts mitigating part production issues such as warping, residual stress and inefficient temperature distribution, etc. Mold durability is also enhanced, particularly when the plastic is reinforced with abrasive glass fibre.
High thermal conductivity Isobars® have been applied in molds where warping and filling problems have occurred because of inefficient temperature distribution over the mold surface. This is because their high thermal conductivity promotes high diffusivity of heat throughout the entire mold. For complex mold geometries, particularly in larger molds, more efficient energy distribution is achieved when using Isobars.
Isobar’s Advanced Thermal Conductivity Combats Thermally Related Issues and Enhances Mold Durability
One of Isobars® most favourable features is it’s ability to maintain high thermal conductivity, while reaching hardness levels of more than 50 HRC, making them ideal for tackling thermally related issues, such as productivity, part warping, inefficient temperature distribution, etc. Mold durability is also enhanced, particularly when the plastic is reinforced with abrasive glass fibres
High thermal conductivity Isobars® have been applied in molds where warping and filling problems have occurred because of inefficient temperature distribution over the mold surface. This is because the high thermal conductivity also indicates a high diffusivity of heat through the mold in all directions. For difficult mold geometries, particularly in larger molds, efficient distribution is obtained when using Isobar.
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Isoplatens Offer Unique Gains Over Traditional Press Platens
Isobar® heat pipes accept energy inputs from any location along their length and redistribute these inputs uniformly at high speed – Isoplatens provide a unique advantage over traditional press platens!
Acrolab’s Isobar® and Isoplaten technology presents the molder with revolutionary advances in processing high-quality molded parts at a much more affordable cost. This is achieved through faster cycle times, applying more uniform cure rates at optimum processing temperatures, reducing maintenance and lowering energy requirements.
Isoplaten’s unique characteristics and proven capacity to deliver thermal uniformity permit the use of one single-zone temperature control for the entire platen – no special multi-zone controls or multiple thermocouples required.
- Integral water-cooling lines for fast process temperature changes are available on all models. The standard Isoplaten has an operating range of ambient to 250°C.
- Uniformly applies heat provided to the platen either by oil or steam channels or through a series of standard electric cartridge heaters. (The standard Isoplaten is electrically heated.)
ISOPLATENS Provide Thermal Stability
Acrolab’s Isoplatens® deliver high levels of thermal stability to press plate applications and can be designed for electric, oil or steam heating.
These technologically stable units utilize an engineered bi-level array of Isobar® Heat Pipe super-thermal conductors to redistribute and uniformly apply heat provided to the platen.
Isoplatens Grant Many Improvements
Isoplatens grant substantial improvements in cycle times, start-up times, thermal recovery rates and improved part quality. Isobar® Heat Pipes in the lower level of this section linearize the typical non-linear output of electrical heaters. The upper section provides further uniform distribution of the energy residing in the platen. The combination of the two levels of the Isobar® Heat Pipe array ensures that the random point-to-point temperature of the Isoplaten is ±3°C over 90 percent of the platen surface.