Motor Housing Cooling Pipe with Support Material Injection Molding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for manufacturing hollow products and motor housing cooling devices face challenges such as stiffness issues, incomplete assembly, deformation under pressure, and inefficient cooling due to mold spotting gaps and thermal cross-talk, which hinder the production of high-quality, efficiently cooled motor components for electric vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a hollow portion forming pipe filled with a support material, such as soluble salts or heat-resistant fibers, which is inserted into an injection mold with a jig body to support the pipe and prevent deformation during molten metal injection, followed by removal of the support material to create a sealed cooling channel within the motor housing, allowing for efficient cooling fluid circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an upper product and a lower product are bonded together to form a hollow product, then the hollow product can be manufactured, but the bonded portion suffers from stiffness problems and assembly issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the upper and lower products into a single integrated housing body through injection molding, eliminating the need for bonding operations. The housing body is formed as one piece with the hollow portion, thereby avoiding stiffness problems and assembly issues at bonded joints while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
2Shape
If a long pipe is seated onto a mold for high pressure casting, then the product shape can be formed, but the long pipe may be deformed or broken under molten metal pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the long pipe from the molding process entirely and replaces it with a hollow portion forming pipe that is filled with support material. This support material provides the necessary structural resistance to molten metal pressure, preventing deformation or breaking while allowing the product shape to be properly formed
3Strength
If the hollow long pipe is filled with specific material and molded, then the pipe can resist pressure, but the specific material is difficult to remove after molding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical or chemical parameters of the support material to enable easy removal after molding. By selecting materials with specific properties (such as water-soluble materials or materials with different melting points), the support material can be conveniently removed from the hollow portion forming pipe after the product is molded, maintaining both pressure resistance during molding and ease of removal afterward
4Reliability
If the inner housing and outer housing are press-fitted and sealed, then the cooling channel can be formed, but mold spotting gaps cause cooling water leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the inner and outer housings into a single integrated housing body with an internal hollow portion, eliminating the interface between separate components. This eliminates mold spotting gaps and sealing issues entirely, as there are no joints between housing parts where cooling water could leak, while maintaining reliable cooling channel formation
5Ease of manufacture
If the cooling channel design is constrained, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the flow paths of input end and output end become misaligned causing thermal cross-talk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cooling channel into clearly defined inlet and outlet portions within the hollow portion forming pipe, with the support material providing structural definition. This segmentation allows for precise alignment of flow paths while maintaining manufacturing simplicity, as the hollow portion forming pipe can be configured with any desired shape and internal structure before being integrated into the housing body
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for manufacturing a cooling device and a motor housing cooling device manufactured using same, the method including the steps of: making a cooling pipe and forming the cooling pipe to a shape capable of being buried in a housing body; filling the cooling pipe with a support material; making a portion divided from the housing body as a jig body so as to support the cooling pipe against the jib body in an injection mold of the housing body; locating the cooling pipe in the injection mold of the housing body in such a manner as to be supported against the jig body and injection-molding the housing body; and after the injection molding, removing the support material from the cooling pipe.