Optimization Study of Heating Structure Based on the Temperature Uniformity of Mold Cavity

Rapid heat cycle molding (RHCM) technology is a new plastic molding technology that has emerged in recent years. Among the rapid heating technologies involved, the electric heating is the most widely used. In this study, we employ numerical simulation techniques to investigate the impact of heating structure for the temperature uniformity on mold cavity, focusing on electric heating rod configurations. Furthermore, we conduct simulation-based optimization analyses using various parameters related to the installation positions of the heating rods, considering a wide range of operational conditions. Our results demonstrate that the introduction of heating power adversely affects the temperature uniformity on the cavity surface. The uniformity value, denoted as UT, initially decreases and subsequently increases with increasing transverse distance (L) between heating rods. Moreover, UT exhibits a noticeable decline with the rise in the longitudinal depth (h) of the heating rods, followed by a slight increase. Notably, through optimization procedures, we achieve a significant improvement about 41% for temperature uniformity of the cavity. This comprehensive investigation offers valuable guidance and theoretical support for the optimized design of mold heating structures.