Case Study: ABB achieves 75% shorter cycle times with SLM Solutions conformal cooling

3D-Printing of tooling parts with conformal cooling channels

ABB Oy, Drives and Controls, a global leader in power and automation technologies, needed a better tooling solution for producing millions of high-volume cabling grommets. Its injection molding tool had no cooling inserts, resulting in a cycle time of about 60 seconds and cooling time of roughly 30 seconds, with room to improve efficiency and reduce scrap. SLM Solutions’ selective laser melting technology was used to explore conformal cooling for a tooling insert.

SLM Solutions redesigned the insert with conformal cooling channels and built several optimized channel profiles to compare cooling performance. The best designs reduced the TPE cooling time from around 30 seconds to approximately six seconds, cutting total cycle time from 60.5 seconds to 14.7 seconds. ABB also benefited from more uniform cooling, fewer defective products, and lower production time and cost.

ABB