Next Chapter Manufacturing says HTC-45 — an optimized H-13 — will offer superior thermal transfer and longer tool life.
Next Chapter Manufacturing has successfully qualified HTC-45 as a new tool steel available for additively manufactured molds and dies, offering a material that it says eliminates the cracking that can be common with H-13 while also increasing thermal conductivity to twice that of maraging steel. The company announced the new offering and brought a sample printed component to the recent PTXPO (March 28-30; Donald E. Stephens Convention Center; Rosemont, Ill.). Plastic Injection Car Mould
Jason Murphy, owner and CEO Next Chapter Manufacturing, said in a release that the new HTC-45 will enable his company to push the limits of additive manufactured molds and dies by providing longer wear and tool life through better thermal transfer, which also leads to faster cycle times. Murphy told Plastics Technology that the newly qualified material behaves like copper beryllium in terms of thermal transfer but is still a steel.
Daido Steel developed DAP-AM HTC 40 and DAP-AM HTC 45 by optimizing the chemical composition of H13. International Mold Steel is the distributor of DAP-AM HTC powders. Next Chapter notes that H13 powder can be difficult to build without cracking, since the low thermal conductivity of maraging powder leads to higher thermal stress, cracking from water cooling channels and heat checking can occur on the design surface.
This core insert with conformal cooling channels was printed from HTC-45 powder. Photo Credit: Next Chapter Manufacturing
Mold protection is often neglected, but it more than pays for the time and attention required.
Applying a scientific method to what is typically a trial-and-error process. Part 2 of 2.
Need to figure out your mold-cooling energy requirements for the various polymers you run? What about sizing cooling circuits so they provide adequate cooling capacity? Learn the tricks of the trade here.
Plastic Injection Mold Bulk Buy © 2023 Gardner Business Media, Inc. Privacy Policy [Log On]