Mold cooling structure

Abstract

To provide a mold cooling structure capable of suppressing an excessive rise in refrigerant temperature.SOLUTION: A mold cooling structure 1 includes: a cooling plate 2 that closes an opening of a cavity C of a mold D; and a cooling piece 3 that is fixed to the cooling plate 2, is inserted into the cavity C of the mold D, and forms a first refrigerant chamber RC1 in which a first refrigerant R1 circulates between the cooling piece and an inner wall of the cavity C of the mold D. The cooling piece 3 has a second refrigerant chamber RC2 in which a second refrigerant R2 for cooling the cooling piece 3 circulates. The cooling plate 2 has: a first refrigerant passage 211 for circulating the first refrigerant R1 in the first refrigerant chamber RC1; and a second refrigerant passage 212 for circulating the second refrigerant R2 in the second refrigerant chamber RC2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a mold cooling structure. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a mold cooling structure configured to cool the cavity surface of a mold by a coolant (e.g., water) flowing within the mold (for example, Patent Document 1 below). The mold cooling structure described in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of cooling holes, a main coolant passage, and a sub coolant passage.

[0003] The cooling holes extend from a base of the mold toward a cavity surface within the mold, and a first coolant flows through the cooling holes. The main coolant passage connects the cooling holes in series, and the first coolant flows through the main coolant passage. The secondary coolant passage extends along at least a portion of the main coolant passage, and a second coolant different from the first coolant flows through the secondary coolant passage.

[0004] In this conventional mold cooling structure, the second refrigerant has a lower temperature than the first refrigerant, and the second refrigerant removes heat from the first refrigerant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-029993 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the above-described conventional mold cooling structure, the refrigerant circuit including the plurality of refrigerant holes has a two-dimensional structure, and therefore the heat dissipation area between the main refrigerant path through which the first refrigerant flows and the sub-refrigerant path through which the second refrigerant flows is small, and there is a risk that the temperature of the first refrigerant will not be sufficiently reduced.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a mold cooling structure capable of suppressing an excessive increase in coolant temperature. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a mold cooling structure for cooling a mold having a cavity, comprising: a cooling plate that closes an opening of the cavity of the mold; and a cooling piece that is fixed to the cooling plate and inserted into the cavity of the mold, and forms a first refrigerant chamber through which a first refrigerant circulates between the cooling piece and an inner wall of the cavity of the mold, wherein the cooling piece has a second refrigerant chamber through which a second refrigerant that cools the cooling piece circulates, and the cooling plate has a first refrigerant flow path that circulates the first refrigerant through the first refrigerant chamber and a second refrigerant flow path that circulates the second refrigerant through the second refrigerant chamber. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the above aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a mold cooling structure capable of suppressing an excessive increase in the coolant temperature. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a mold cooling structure according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a mold cooling structure of Comparative Example 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a mold cooling structure of Comparative Example 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a mold cooling structure according to the present disclosure. The mold cooling structure 1 of this embodiment includes, for example, a cooling plate 2 and a cooling piece 3, and cools a mold D by circulating a refrigerant R such as cooling water. The mold cooling structure 1 may also include, for example, a refrigerant introduction pipe 4. The refrigerant R includes a first refrigerant R1 that cools the mold D and a second refrigerant R2 that cools the cooling piece 3.

[0013] The mold D is, for example, a die insert of a die-casting mold, and has a cavity C formed by hollowing out the mold D. The mold D has, for example, a plurality of cavities C. Specifically, the cavity C of the mold D includes, for example, a first cavity C1 and a second cavity C2.

[0014] The mold cooling structure 1 includes, for example, a plurality of cooling pieces 3 and a plurality of refrigerant introduction pipes 4. The plurality of cooling pieces 3 include, for example, a first cooling piece 31 and a second cooling piece 32. The plurality of refrigerant introduction pipes 4 include, for example, a first refrigerant introduction pipe 41 and a second refrigerant introduction pipe 42.

[0015] The cooling plate 2 is, for example, a plate-shaped member made of metal. The cooling plate 2 is arranged, for example, on an end surface where the openings of the cavity C of the mold D are formed, and closes the openings of the cavity C. More specifically, the cooling plate 2 is arranged, for example, on an end surface where the openings of a plurality of cavities C including a first cavity C1 and a second cavity C2 are formed, and closes the openings of a plurality of cavities C including the first cavity C1 and the second cavity C2. The cooling plate 2 also has a refrigerant flow path 21 that allows the refrigerant R to flow. The refrigerant flow path 21 is provided, for example, so as to penetrate the cooling plate 2.

[0016] The refrigerant flow path 21 includes, for example, a first refrigerant flow path 211 through which a first refrigerant R1 for cooling the mold D flows, and a second refrigerant flow path 212 through which a second refrigerant R2 for cooling the cooling piece 3 flows.

[0017] The first refrigerant flow path 211 includes, for example, a first refrigerant inlet 211a formed on one side of the cooling plate 2, a plurality of first refrigerant relay ports 211b formed on the surface of the cooling plate 2 facing the mold D, and a first refrigerant outlet 211c formed on the side of the cooling plate 2 opposite to the one side.

[0018] Similarly, the second refrigerant flow path 212 includes, for example, a second refrigerant inlet 212a formed on one side of the cooling plate 2, a plurality of second refrigerant relay ports 212b formed on the surface of the cooling plate 2 facing the mold D, and a second refrigerant outlet 212c formed on the side of the cooling plate 2 opposite the above-mentioned one side.

[0019] The cooling piece 3 is, for example, fixed to the surface of the cooling plate 2 facing the mold D and inserted into the cavity C of the mold D, forming a first refrigerant chamber RC1 in which a first refrigerant R1 circulates between the cooling piece 3 and the inner wall of the cavity C. The cooling piece 3 also has a second refrigerant chamber RC2 in which a second refrigerant R2 that cools the first refrigerant R1 circulates. The second refrigerant chamber RC2 is, for example, a hollow portion of the cooling piece 3 formed by hollowing out the metal cooling piece 3.

[0020] The first cooling piece 31 and the second cooling piece 32 are fixed to the cooling plate 2 and inserted into the first cavity C1 and the second cavity C2, respectively, to form a first refrigerant chamber RC1 between themselves and the inner walls of the first cavity C1 and the second cavity C2. The first cooling piece 31 and the second cooling piece 32 each have a second refrigerant chamber RC2 that circulates a second refrigerant R2 that cools the first refrigerant R1.

[0021] The refrigerant introduction pipe 4 is, for example, fixed to a surface of the cooling plate 2 facing the mold D, and is connected to a refrigerant flow path 21 penetrating the cooling plate 2. The refrigerant introduction pipe 4 introduces, for example, a first refrigerant R1 from a first refrigerant flow path 211 of the refrigerant flow path 21 to the first cavity C1, and introduces a second refrigerant R2 from a second refrigerant flow path 212 of the refrigerant flow path 21 to the second cavity C2.

[0022] More specifically, the base end opposite the tip end of the first refrigerant introduction pipe 41 among the multiple refrigerant introduction pipes 4 is connected to the first refrigerant relay port 211b from which the first refrigerant R1 introduced from the first refrigerant inlet 211a is discharged. This first refrigerant introduction pipe 41 penetrates the first cooling piece 31. As a result, the opening of the tip end of this first refrigerant introduction pipe 41 is disposed in the first refrigerant chamber RC1 formed between the outer surface of the first cooling piece 31 and the inner wall of the first cavity C1.

[0023] Among the multiple refrigerant introduction pipes 4, the base end of the second first refrigerant introduction pipe 41 is connected to a first refrigerant relay port 211b that opens to the inside of the opening of the second refrigerant chamber RC2 provided in the second cooling piece 32. This first refrigerant introduction pipe 41 passes through the second refrigerant chamber RC2 and penetrates the tip of the second cooling piece 32. As a result, the opening of the tip of this first refrigerant introduction pipe 41 is disposed in the first refrigerant chamber RC1 formed between the outer surface of the second cooling piece 32 and the inner wall of the second cavity C2.

[0024] Among the multiple refrigerant introduction pipes 4, the base end of the first second refrigerant introduction pipe 42 is connected to the second refrigerant relay port 212b through which the second refrigerant R2 introduced from the second refrigerant inlet 212a is discharged. This second refrigerant introduction pipe 42 extends from the position of the opening of the second refrigerant chamber RC2 provided in the first cooling piece 31 to the end of the second refrigerant chamber RC2 on the opposite side to the opening. As a result, the opening at the tip of this second refrigerant introduction pipe 42 is located at the tip of the second cavity C2 on the opposite side to the base end where the opening of the second cavity C2 of the first cooling piece 31 is provided.

[0025] Among the multiple refrigerant introduction pipes 4, the base end of the second refrigerant introduction pipe 42 is connected to the second refrigerant relay port 212b that opens to the inside of the opening of the second refrigerant chamber RC2 provided in the second cooling piece 32. This second refrigerant introduction pipe 42 extends from the position of the opening of the second refrigerant chamber RC2 provided in the second cooling piece 32 to the end of the second refrigerant chamber RC2 on the opposite side to the opening. As a result, the opening at the tip of this second refrigerant introduction pipe 42 is located at the tip of the second cavity C2 on the opposite side to the base end where the opening of the second cavity C2 of the second cooling piece 32 is provided.

[0026] Hereinafter, the operation of the mold cooling structure 1 of this embodiment will be described in comparison with a mold cooling structure of a comparative example having a different configuration from the mold cooling structure 1 of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a mold cooling structure 1x of Comparative Example 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a mold cooling structure 1y of Comparative Example 2. In these mold cooling structures 1x and 1y of comparative examples, the same components as those of the above-mentioned mold cooling structure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0027] 2 does not have a cooling piece 3. Moreover, in this mold cooling structure 1x, the cooling plate 2 does not have the second refrigerant flow path 212. Moreover, the mold Dx cooled by this mold cooling structure 1x has a different shape and number of cavities Cx from the mold D cooled by the mold cooling structure 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment. Specifically, the mold Dx has a plurality of elongated cavities Cx whose shapes and numbers correspond to the plurality of refrigerant introduction pipes 4.

[0028] In this mold cooling structure 1x, the first refrigerant R1 introduced from the first refrigerant inlet 211a of the cooling plate 2 is introduced from the first first refrigerant relay port 211b to the base end of the first refrigerant introduction pipe 4, and is introduced from the tip end of the refrigerant introduction pipe 4 to the first cavity Cx. The first refrigerant R1 then flows between the inner wall of the first cavity Cx and the outer circumferential surface of the first refrigerant introduction pipe 4 while cooling the mold Dx, and is discharged from the second first refrigerant relay port 211b. The first refrigerant R1 then flows through the second cavity Cx, the third cavity Cx, and the fourth cavity Cx, similar to the first cavity Cx, and is discharged from the first refrigerant outlet 211c.

[0029] The mold cooling structure 1x of Comparative Example 1 is easy to process and inexpensive, but in order to increase the heat dissipation area, it is necessary to increase the number of refrigerant introduction pipes 4 and the number of cavities Cx. However, there is an upper limit to the number of refrigerant introduction pipes 4 and the number of cavities Cx due to requirements such as ensuring the thickness of the mold Dx.

[0030] 3 differs from the mold cooling structure 1x of Comparative Example 1 in that a cavity Cy provided in a mold Dy to be cooled is enlarged and has the same shape and size as the cavity C provided in a mold D to be cooled in the mold cooling structure 1 of the embodiment. Other configurations of this mold cooling structure 1y are the same as those of the mold cooling structure 1x of Comparative Example 1.

[0031] In this mold cooling structure 1y, the heat dissipation area is increased by hollowing out the inside of the mold Dy, and the cooling efficiency by the first refrigerant R1 can be improved. However, because heat is dissipated over a wide area from multiple locations of the mold Dy via the first refrigerant R1, the first refrigerant R1 may rise in temperature and evaporate in the cavity Cy located downstream of the flow of the first refrigerant R1, which may reduce the cooling ability of the mold Dy by the mold cooling structure 1y.

[0032] That is, the mold cooling structure 1y of Comparative Example 2 can increase the cooling rate of the mold Dy and suppress seizure of the mold Dy by increasing the heat removal area of ​​the mold Dy by the first refrigerant R1 compared to the mold cooling structure 1x of Comparative Example 1. On the other hand, the mold cooling structure 1y of Comparative Example 2 has a tendency that the amount of heat received by the first refrigerant R1 increases compared to the mold cooling structure 1x of Comparative Example 1, and the temperature of the first refrigerant R1 increases.

[0033] In contrast, the mold cooling structure 1 of this embodiment includes a cooling plate 2 and a cooling piece 3, as shown in FIG. 1, and cools a mold D having a cavity C. The cooling plate 2 is arranged so as to close the opening of the cavity C of the mold D. The cooling piece 3 is fixed to the cooling plate 2 and inserted into the cavity C of the mold D, forming a first refrigerant chamber RC1 in which the first refrigerant R1 circulates between the cooling piece 3 and the inner wall of the cavity C of the mold D. The cooling piece 3 also has a second refrigerant chamber RC2 in which the second refrigerant R2 that cools the cooling piece 3 circulates. The cooling plate 2 has a first refrigerant flow path 211 that circulates the first refrigerant R1 to the first refrigerant chamber RC1 and a second refrigerant flow path 212 that circulates the second refrigerant R2 to the second refrigerant chamber RC2.

[0034] With this configuration, the first refrigerant R1 introduced into the first refrigerant flow path 211 from the first refrigerant inlet 211a of the cooling plate 2 flows through the first refrigerant chamber RC1 to cool the mold D, and is discharged from the first refrigerant outlet 211c of the first refrigerant flow path 211. The first refrigerant R1 discharged from the first refrigerant outlet 211c is cooled and is introduced again into the first refrigerant flow path 211 from the first refrigerant inlet 211a of the cooling plate 2, and circulates through the first refrigerant chamber RC1 to cool the mold D.

[0035] Furthermore, the second refrigerant R2 introduced into the second refrigerant flow path 212 from the second refrigerant inlet 212a of the cooling plate 2 flows through the second refrigerant chamber RC2 to cool the cooling piece 3, and is discharged from the second refrigerant outlet 212c of the second refrigerant flow path 212. The cooling piece 3 cooled by the second refrigerant R2 cools the first refrigerant R1 whose temperature has increased by cooling the mold D. The second refrigerant R2 discharged from the second refrigerant outlet 212c is cooled and is introduced again into the second refrigerant flow path 212 from the second refrigerant outlet 212c of the cooling plate 2, circulates through the second refrigerant chamber RC2, and cools the first refrigerant R1 via the cooling piece 3.

[0036] Therefore, according to the mold cooling structure 1 of this embodiment, similarly to the mold Dy of Comparative Example 2, the cooling speed of the mold D can be increased and seizure of the mold D can be suppressed by increasing the heat removal area of ​​the mold D by the first refrigerant R1 compared to the mold cooling structure 1x of Comparative Example 1. Furthermore, the cooling piece 3 suppresses the temperature rise and evaporation of the first refrigerant R1 in the cavity C located downstream of the flow of the first refrigerant R1, and the cooling capacity of the mold D by the mold cooling structure 1 can be improved.

[0037] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the mold cooling structure 1 capable of suppressing an excessive increase in the temperature of the coolant R.

[0038] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications or substitutions can be applied to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 Mold cooling structure 2 Cooling plate 211 First refrigerant flow path 212 Second refrigerant flow path 3 Cooling piece C Cavity D mold R1 First refrigerant R2 2nd refrigerant RC1 1st refrigerant chamber RC2 2nd refrigerant room

Claims

[Claim 1] A mold cooling structure for cooling a mold having a cavity, comprising: a cooling plate for closing an opening of the cavity of the mold; a cooling piece that is fixed to the cooling plate and inserted into the cavity of the mold, forming a first refrigerant chamber between itself and an inner wall of the cavity of the mold and through which a first refrigerant circulates; Equipped with the cooling piece has a second refrigerant chamber in which a second refrigerant for cooling the cooling piece circulates, The cooling plate has a first refrigerant flow path that circulates the first refrigerant to the first refrigerant chamber, and a second refrigerant flow path that circulates the second refrigerant to the second refrigerant chamber. Mold cooling structure.

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