For conformal cooling to be a long-lasting solution, two main objectives must be met:
The first is to achieve a high flow volume through all cooling channels. If the flow velocity is reduced in one area, the suspended particles begin to clump together and clog a cooling channel. This process can be minimised with a filter, but ultimately no filter can prevent calcination.
The second objective is the ability to perform maintenance and cleaning tasks. If each cooling channel cannot be accessed separately, cleaning fluids must be used. It is important to note that cleaning fluids are also unable to fully restore the original cooling quality, resulting in uneven cooling and quality issues.
The design shown in the image does not meet any of the objectives. The fork in the middle creates two cooling channels with a significant difference in flow rate. Almost 80% of the water flows through the straight section. Furthermore, if the longer channel (blue) becomes blocked, it will be impossible to clean it, and the only way to restore the original cooling quality will be to replace the expensive insert with a new one.
To avoid this, it will be necessary to design channels with the same flow resistance in all their branches and that allow for maintenance. This saves a lot of money, as the original cooling quality can be guaranteed throughout the mould’s service life.
