Simplified Model for the Thermal Boundary Condition in Polymer Injection

The present paper discusses an alternative method for the definition of the thermal boundary condition in polymer injection molding. The model assumes that the cooling channels behave as a continuous heat sink located at the channels plane. Therefore, the mold thermal resistance can be easily calculated and added to those resulting from the interface polymer/mold and from the convective boundary at the channels. In addition, the heat dissipated into the environment is introduced as an additional heat sink. The thermal profiles in the polymer as well as the cooling times are very similar to those obtained with a full finite volume model for the mold/polymer combination. The simulated results were compared with experimental data taken on a fully instrumented mold. Good agreement was observed with a comprehensive reduction in the computational cost.Copyright © 2005 by ASME