A NOVEL 3D PRINTED COOLING INSERT FOR EXTRUSION DIES

An accurate control and monitor of the temperatures developed during the extrusion process is a key factor for the process success in order to produce sound profiles and extend the die life. To this aim, conformal channels can be used to achieve a targeted process cooling by means of liquid nitrogen and the additive manufacturing technologies offered the best solution for a free form design with almost no geometrical constraints. In this work, a multi die concept for hot aluminum extrusion process is proposed in which the insert with forming zones and cooling channels was manufactured by means of the slm technology while the external insert support by conventional methods. This solution allowed obtaining a free-form cooling channel with the aim to get an optimized and targeted cooling nearby the bearing zones, where the highest temperatures are reached. Inserts were slm printed and complex Finite Element simulations of the extrusion process with nitrogen cooling performed in order to predict the thermal field of the inserts.