Why Perform Early Risk Assessment Before Die Casting Mold Development?
Before launching any project, Raidymold conducts an early-stage risk assessment of the part. Given the structural characteristics and stringent quality requirements associated with the standard production process for this oil pan, we utilized MAGMA die-casting simulation software during the initial phase to analyze and compare different mold design options.
To address cooling and hot spot issues in the insert area, we developed two mold design options:
Option 1: 3D-printed insert + conformal cooling channels
Option 2: Conventional insert + standard point cooling
MAGMA simulation analysis regarding filling temperatures and hot spots demonstrated that Option 1 provided superior cooling in the insert area, effectively lowering both the insert surface temperature and the the temperature of insert surface and the temperature of part’s hot spot area.
Based on the simulation results, Option 1—incorporating 3D-printed inserts + conformal cooling channels—was selected for mold manufacturing. Subsequent mold trials proceeded smoothly, successfully validating the feasibility of the proposed design.
With extensive experience spanning over 100 high-pressure die casting (HPDC) projects for oil pans, RAIDYMOLD continuously refines its expertise in die casting mold design and cooling solutions.
What Two Die Casting Mold Concepts Were Evaluated?
To address the cooling risk around the critical insert area, two die casting mold concepts were developed and compared.
| Item | Concept 1 | Concept 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Mold insert | Conformal cooling 3D printed insert | Conventional machined insert |
| Cooling system | Conformal cooling channels | Conventional point cooling |
| Manufacturing method | Additive manufacturing | Conventional machining |
| Cooling principle | Cooling channels follow the product geometry | Conventional cooling points |
| Main objective | Improve local heat transfer and reduce thermal hot spots | Conventional cooling reference |
| Evaluation | Preferred concept | Reference concept |
Concept 1 used conformal cooling inserts manufactured by additive manufacturing, with cooling channels designed to follow the geometry of the critical insert area.
Concept 2 used a conventional mold insert with conventional point cooling.
The purpose was not simply to introduce a new manufacturing technology, but to determine whether the additive manufacturing conformal cooling channels could provide a meaningful thermal advantage for the HPDC die casting mold.
Why Use Conformal Cooling for the Die Casting Mold Insert?
Conventional cooling systems are limited by machining accessibility and the geometry of drilled cooling channels. In complex insert areas, it can be difficult to position conventional cooling points sufficiently close to the product surface.
As a result, certain areas may experience insufficient heat removal and localized heat accumulation.
With conformal cooling channel design, the cooling channels can be positioned much closer to the product geometry and arranged according to the local thermal requirements.
For this project, the key question was:
Can conformal cooling significantly improve heat transfer in the critical insert area compared with conventional point cooling?
To answer this question objectively, both concepts were simulated under the same HPDC mold process conditions using MAGMA.
4. Were the MAGMA Simulation Parameters Based on Actual HPDC Process Conditions?
To make the simulation results relevant to actual production, the MAGMA simulation was established using the actual HPDC process parameters.
For the product that had already completed die casting trials, the process parameters were based on the actual values monitored during the die casting trial.
| Simulation Parameter | Actual Value |
|---|---|
| Process | HPDC |
| Product | Automotive Oil Pan |
| Fixed Die Temperature After Spraying | 150°C |
| Moving Die Temperature After Spraying | 150°C |
| Insert Temperature After Spraying | 150°C |
| Aluminum Melt Temperature | 660°C |
| Die Casting Machine | 1650T |
| Casting Pressure | 800 bar |
| Effective Shot Sleeve Length | 750 mm |
| Software Filling Percentage | 39.4% |
| Spray Time | 28 s |
| Air Blow Time | 22 s |
| Cooling water temperature | 20°C |
| Cooling water flow rate | 0.5 m³/h |
| Cooling water flow time | Normally open |
4.1 Injection Velocity Profile
The injection velocity profile was established according to the actual HPDC process conditions.
Both die casting mold concepts were evaluated under the same process parameters to ensure that the comparison focused on the cooling system rather than differences in casting conditions.
5. What Difference Did Conformal Cooling Make to Insert Temperature?
The first evaluation focused on the insert surface temperature during the filling process.
The temperature behavior was analyzed from 0% filling to 100% filling for both cooling concepts.
| Average Insert Surface Temperature | 0% | 20% | 40% | 60% | 80% | 100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concept 1 – Conformal Cooling Insert | 20.7°C | 20.8°C | 20.9°C | 30.7°C | 46.4°C | 60.3°C |
| Concept 2 – Conventional Insert | 104.2°C | 103.8°C | 103.6°C | 111.0°C | 123.0°C | 123.5°C |
| Temperature Difference | 83.5°C | 83.0°C | 82.7°C | 80.3°C | 76.6°C | 63.2°C |
Simulation Result
Throughout the filling process, the conformal cooling 3D printed insert maintained a significantly lower surface temperature than the conventional insert.
The temperature difference between the two concepts ranged from:
63.2°C to 83.5°C
At 100% filling, Concept 1 still showed a temperature reduction of 63.2°C compared with Concept 2.
This result indicates that the conformal cooling channels improve heat transfer in the critical insert region and provide significantly stronger local cooling performance than conventional point cooling.
6. Does Lower Insert Temperature Also Reduce Thermal Hot Spots?
Reducing insert temperature is important, but from the customer’s perspective, the more important question is whether the improved cooling actually reduces thermal hot spots on the die casting.
Therefore, three measurement locations—A, B, and C—were selected in the critical insert area for further comparison.
| Thermal Hot Spot Time (s) | Point A | Point B | Point C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concept 1 – Conformal Cooling | 9.72 | 6.66 | 9.77 |
| Concept 2 – Conventional Cooling | 9.97 | 6.74 | 10.11 |
| Improvement | 0.25 s | 0.08 s | 0.34 s |
Simulation Result
The thermal hot spot values were lower with the conformal cooling insert at all three measurement locations.
- Point A: improvement of 0.25 s
- Point B: improvement of 0.08 s
- Point C: improvement of 0.34 s
The overall improvement range was:
0.08–0.34 s
This confirms that the cooling advantage of the mold inserts with conformal cooling is not limited to insert surface temperature. The improved cooling also contributes to better thermal control in the corresponding product area.
7. Why Was Concept 1 Selected for Die Casting Mold Manufacturing?
The MAGMA simulation provided two clear advantages for Concept 1.
① Lower insert temperature
Compared with the conventional insert, the conformal cooling insert reduced the simulated insert surface temperature by approximately:
63.2–83.5°C
② Reduced thermal hot spots
At the three selected measurement locations, the thermal hot spot values improved by:
0.08–0.34 s
Based on these results, Concept 1 demonstrated better thermal performance than the conventional cooling concept.
Therefore, the final die casting mold design adopted:
Conformal cooling 3D printed inserts + conformal cooling channels
The purpose of the selection was to control the critical thermal area before mold manufacturing rather than relying solely on mold modifications after die casting trials.
8. Was the Simulation Result Validated by an Actual Die Casting Trial?
Simulation alone is not sufficient to demonstrate the feasibility of a die casting mold concept.
After the MAGMA analysis, the selected conformal cooling additive manufacturing solution was implemented in the actual HPDC die casting mold.
The conformal cooling insert was manufactured using additive manufacturing technology, and the corresponding conformal cooling channels were integrated into the die casting mold insert.
The mold manufacturing process was completed successfully.
The completed HPDC die casting mold was then assembled and tested during the actual die casting trial.
The mold trial was successful.
This provided practical validation that the proposed additive manufacturing conformal cooling channels and 3D printed inserts could be successfully applied to the actual HPDC die casting mold.
9. What Is the Value of Conformal Cooling from the Customer’s Perspective?
The value of this project goes beyond the application of 3D printing. By identifying and addressing potential die casting mold and product quality risks before mold manufacturing, the project helped reduce development risks, improve mold design reliability, and support a more stable and efficient product launch.
① Risk Identification at an Early Stage
MAGMA simulation was used to identify potential thermal risks around the critical insert area before the HPDC mold was manufactured.
② Better Thermal Management
The conformal cooling channel design enabled the cooling channels to follow the product geometry more closely, providing improved local heat transfer compared with conventional point cooling.
③ Improved Product Quality Stability
Better thermal control in the critical insert area can help reduce localized thermal hot spots and provide a more stable thermal condition for die casting production.
④ Reduced Mold Modification Risk
By comparing the cooling concepts before mold manufacturing, potential cooling issues could be addressed during the design stage, reducing the risk of additional mold modifications after tryout.
⑤ Potential for Cycle Time Optimization
Although this project focused primarily on insert temperature and thermal hot spot comparison rather than establishing a conformal cooling channels cycle time reduction percentage, the improved heat transfer capability provides a technical foundation for further evaluation of cooling efficiency and potential cycle-time optimization during mass production.
⑥ Potential Contribution to Die Life
Improved and more uniform thermal management can also help control thermal loading on critical die areas. Therefore, the use of conformal cooling channels to extend mold life can be considered as a further application direction, subject to long-term production data and thermal fatigue validation.
10. How Did We Validate the Conformal Cooling Solution?
This project established a complete development loop:
Early Risk Assessment → MAGMA HPDC Simulation → Cooling Concept Comparison → Conformal Cooling Channel Design → Additive Manufacturing of Die Casting Mold Inserts → Die Casting Mold Manufacturing → Actual HPDC Mold Trial → Successful Validation
The project demonstrates that conformal cooling additive manufacturing can be used not only as an alternative insert manufacturing method, but as a practical engineering solution for controlling critical thermal areas in HPDC die casting molds.
11. Conclusion
For the oil pan HPDC project, the critical insert area was identified as a potential thermal risk during the early-stage die casting mold assessment.
Two cooling concepts were compared using MAGMA simulation:
- Concept 1: Conformal cooling 3D printed inserts + conformal cooling channels
- Concept 2: Conventional inserts + conventional point cooling
The simulation results showed that Concept 1 reduced the insert surface temperature by approximately 63.2–83.5°C throughout the filling process.
At the selected A, B, and C measurement locations, the thermal hot spot values were improved by 0.08–0.34 s.
Based on these results, the conformal cooling mold inserts were selected for the final HPDC die casting mold.
The die casting mold was subsequently manufactured successfully and passed the actual die casting trial, validating the feasibility of the proposed cooling solution.
Final Conclusion
The key success of this project was not simply the application of 3D printing, but the use of MAGMA simulation to identify the thermal risk, optimize the conformal cooling channel design before die casting mold manufacturing, and then validate the solution through an actual HPDC mold trial.
The results demonstrate that additive manufacturing conformal cooling channels can provide significantly improved local heat transfer and thermal control compared with conventional point cooling, creating a strong technical foundation for improved die casting quality stability and further optimization of production performance.
Why Choose RAIDYMOLD for Your Next HPDC Project?
At Raidy Mold Manufacturer and Supplier, we believe reliable die casting molds start with the right engineering decisions before mold manufacturing begins.
By combining early risk assessment, MAGMA HPDC simulation, advanced conformal cooling channel design, and additive manufacturing of conformal cooling mold inserts, we help identify potential thermal risks early and develop optimized cooling solutions for critical areas of the die casting mold.
Our approach goes beyond mold manufacturing. From simulation and die design to mold manufacturing, die casting tryout, and production validation, every stage is connected to ensure that the final solution is technically sound, manufacturable, and ready for stable HPDC production.
RAIDYMOLD — From Engineering Analysis to Reliable Die Casting Performance.
Smarter Design. Better Cooling. Reliable HPDC Molds.
