STUDY ON LATTICE STRUCTURES USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND ITS APPLICATION ON CONFORMAL COOLING CHANNEL FOR HOT STAMPING

Abstract

This study investigates the design, manufacturing, and application of lattice structures produced via additive manufacturing, focusing on their integration into conformal cooling channels for hot stamping dies. Lattice structures, known for their high strength-to-weight ratio, enhanced load distribution, and superior thermal management, present a promising solution for optimizing the performance of hot stamping molds. Additive manufacturing techniques were employed to fabricate the lattice structures with high precision. The mechanical properties of an additively manufactured (AMed) FCCXYZ lattice structure were experimentally investigated across various materials. Lattice structures with relative densities (RD) ranging from 0.11 to 0.36 exhibited different compressive failure modes depending on the RD. A layer-by-layer collapse mode is observed at low relative density (RD), whereas a bulk failure mode is observed at high RD. The study observed a layer-by-layer collapse mode at low relative density (RD) and a bulk failure mode at high RD. These findings will be a valuable reference for designing energy-absorbing components in metal additive manufacturing (AM). The investigation aims to explore the design principles of additively manufactured (AMed) lattice structural conformal cooling channels for hot stamping applications. These structures offer structural stiffness, serve as thermal fins, and facilitate the occurrence of turbulent flow in the channel. To evaluate heat transfer and cooling performance, three different surface area densities with the same relative density were examined. Computational fluid dynamics was employed to analyze the coolant flow within the lattice structures with varying surface area densities. Both experimental and computational findings demonstrate that selecting the appropriate surface density for the lattice structure can enhance cooling performance while upholding a constant relative density. This directly influences the weight reduction and stiffness of the cooling die.