Finishing performance of cooling channel with face protuberance inside the molding die

This study describes a finishing performance of cooling channel with a face protuberance inside a molding die with free abrasive grains. A fluid flow in the cooling channel is calculatedly simulated, and the effect of internal face protuberance which is spirally arranged on the finishing performance is experimentally investigated. The molding die used in the experiment is fabricated with layered manufacturing equipment. The internal face of cooling channel is finished by the fluid flow with free abrasive grains which are passed through the cooling channel. The results showed that the fluid flow with the face protuberance is flowing spirally according to the face protuberance on the internal face, and the velocity distribution inside the molding die was quite small. The internal face roughness in the cooling channel was improved significantly up to the early finishing time by the removal of unstable powder, such as the stain, the partially molten powder and the adhered powder. The application of the face protuberance on the internal face was quite effective for the improvement of the alloyed face in the cooling channel. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.