Novel concepts for the design of moulds and equipment for expanded polymer bead foams

Alessio, Franco; Alessio, Mattia; Vedani, Maurizio; Viganò, Roberto

doi:10.1007/s40964-020-00153-3

Cited by 3 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The adoption of these design features also implies the creation of a special chamber and related inlet/outlet channels to replace the chest compartment, and to adopt measures to assure the required mould structural strength. A contribution to increased structural strength of the mould walls with reduced thickness can be created by implementing 3D lattice structures into the mould design, which enables the flow of the fluids across the occupied volume while contributing to mould stiffness [8,10].…”

Section: New Opportunities For Mould Architectures Offered By Ammentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As stated, one of the main requirements set by energy saving concerns is the reduction of the mould wall thickness in contact with the beads to speed up heating and cooling cycles. Limitation to this solution given by structural integrity and shape stability when the wall becomes too thin can be counterbalanced increasing the stiffness of these thin surfaces by adding ribs or creating a sandwich panel structure (where one of the two surfaces is the mould wall) filled with a structural lattice core [8,10]. In particular, it is assumed that the adoption of a structural 3D lattice could also be adopted to effectively convey process fluids across the mould chamber, allowing for a large reduction in the amount of fluids adopted during each process cycle.…”

Section: Design and Manufacturing Of The Mouldmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Figure 2a is an example for the first situation. Here, the sandwich design concept was applied to a mould for EP helmets with excellent results, leading to a reduction of the cycle time of 75% and energy saving of about 80% [10].…”

Section: Design and Manufacturing Of The Mouldmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, studies about the use of hot air as secondary medium for heat transport were conducted, demonstrating a reduction of energy consumption and of cycle time [2]. Concurrently, approaches based on the manufacturing of moulds using Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies have also been proposed, taking advantage of the increased flexibility in shape design [8][9][10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Design of additively manufactured moulds for expanded polymers

Alessio¹,

Alessio²,

Savoldelli³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The traditional tools used in steam-chest moulding technologies for the shaping expanded polymers can be replaced today by lighter moulds, accurately designed and produced exploiting the additive manufacturing technology. New paradigms have to be considered in the mould design, assuming that additive manufacturing enables the definition of different architectures that are able to improve the performance of the moulding process. This work describes the strategies adopted for the design and manufacturing by Laser powder bed fusion of the moulds, taking into specific consideration their functional surfaces, which rule the heat transfer to the moulded material, hence the quality of the products and the overall performance of the steam-chest process. The discussion about a case study and the comparison between the performance of the traditional solution and the new mould are also presented in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new approach.The study demonstrates that the re-design and optimization of the mould shape can lead to a significant reduction of the energy demand of the process, thanks to a homogeneous delivery of the heating steam throughout the part volume, which also results in a remarkable cutting of the cycle time.

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Section: New Opportunities For Mould Architectures Offered By Ammentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Design and Manufacturing Of The Mouldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Design and Manufacturing Of The Mouldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Design of additively manufactured moulds for expanded polymers

Alessio¹,

Alessio²,

Savoldelli³

et al. 2022

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Finally, studies about the use of hot air as secondary medium for heat transport were conducted, demonstrating a reduction of energy consumption and of cycle time [2]. Concurrently, approaches based on the manufacturing of moulds using additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have also been proposed, taking advantage of the increased flexibility in shape design [8][9][10].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of additively manufactured moulds for expanded polymers

Alessio¹,

Alessio²,

Savoldelli³

et al. 2023

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The traditional tools used in steam-chest moulding technologies for the shaping of expanded polymers can be replaced today by lighter moulds, accurately designed and produced exploiting the additive manufacturing technology. New paradigms have to be considered for mould design, assuming that additive manufacturing enables the definition of different architectures that are able to improve the performance of the moulding process. This work describes the strategies adopted for the design and manufacturing by Laser powder bed fusion of the moulds, taking into specific consideration their functional surfaces, which rule the heat transfer to the moulded material, hence the quality of the products and the overall performance of the steam-chest process. The description of a case study and the comparison between the performance of the traditional solution and the new moulds are also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new approach. This study demonstrates that the re-design and optimization of the mould shape can lead to a significant reduction of the energy demand of the process, thanks to a homogeneous delivery of the heating steam throughout the part volume, which also results in a remarkable cutting of the cycle time.

show abstract

Innovative design of moulds by additive manufacturing for sustainable processing of expanded polymers

Vedani,

Viganò

2024

Green Manuf Open

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This present work explores how the Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique can be leveraged to create innovative moulds for expanded polymers (EPs). Traditional steam-chest moulding tools, typically made from cast aluminium alloys due to their high thermal diffusivity and good castability, can be replaced with lighter moulds. These new moulds are precisely designed and produced using laser-powder bed fusion technology, resulting in significantly reduced thermal capacity and optimised steam distribution throughout the part volume. The general design approach is outlined, and the performance of this innovative solution is demonstrated through a case study. Experimental tests on the prototype moulds and moulding equipment revealed substantial reductions in cycle times and energy consumption compared to traditional steam-chest moulding methods for producing the same product. The tests also demonstrate that the evolution of the moulds influences the machines currently used in the process. These could be revisited and redesigned to improve further the performance provided by the new AM moulds even more.

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Novel concepts for the design of moulds and equipment for expanded polymer bead foams

Cited by 3 publications

References 15 publications

Design of additively manufactured moulds for expanded polymers

Design of additively manufactured moulds for expanded polymers

Design of additively manufactured moulds for expanded polymers

Innovative design of moulds by additive manufacturing for sustainable processing of expanded polymers

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