An experimental analysis on the thermal performance of threaded bubbler cooling channels in injection mold cavity

Injection molding, a mass manufacturing process, facilitates the production of specially designed products in diverse shapes and sizes using various materials, serving industries from daily necessities to aerospace components. The cooling process in injection molding takes up a significant portion of the overall cycle time. In this study, a thermal analysis of conventional and 2 mm, 4 mm and 6 mm pitch threaded bubbler cooling channels in an injection mold cavity was conducted using Infrared thermal imaging. The experiments measured the temperature distributions in the mold cavity as they reached steady states during both the heating and cooling phases. Employing thermographic evaluations, the study shows that the 2 mm pitch threaded design exhibits superior efficiency, heating up 19.43 seconds faster and cooling down 25.56 seconds quicker than its conventional cooling channel. The 2 mm pitch threaded configuration achieved peak temperatures 6.08 % more rapidly and returned to near-ambient levels 5.53% faster, highlighting its enhanced efficiency. Additionally, the threaded bubbler cooling channel ensures a uniform temperature distribution within the mold, optimizing the quality of the end product. The Hud Bezel, produced with the threaded cooling channel shows a high-gloss and refined surface finish. The threaded cooling channel shows heat transfer enhancement with decreasing value of thread pitch. Overall, the 2 mm pitch threaded cooling channel emerges as a more efficient alternative to the traditional cooling channel, indicating potential improvements in thermal management and end-product quality in mold manufacturing processes. This enhanced performance of the threaded bubbler cooling channel could lead to significant energy savings and productivity gains in industrial applications.