Conventional techniques for fabricating molds with cooling channels typically produce straight-flow channels, resulting in slow and non-uniform cooling efficiency. In contrast, metal additive manufacturing enables the production of molds with conformal cooling channels featuring intricate geometries. Compared to traditional molds, conformal cooling channel molds facilitate rapid and even heat dissipation during operation, leading to faster and more efficient demolding. Moreover, metal 3D printing allows for the integration of venting holes in mold products—a capability beyond the reach of traditional manufacturing methods. The application of metal additive manufacturing technology affords greater design freedom and flexibility in mold development, thereby advancing the trend toward customized and complex mold production. Ultimately, it accelerates the evolution of the mold industry toward rapid manufacturing.

1. The direct printing of molds with conformal cooling channels significantly increases the heat dissipation area during product molding, thereby enhancing cooling efficiency and boosting production efficiency by over 35%.
2. Conformal cooling ensures a uniform temperature distribution across the mold, effectively preventing product defects such as warping, cracking, flash, as well as air bubbles and sand holes.
3. Metal additive manufacturing enables design freedom, reduces manual intervention, and substantially shortens the mold fabrication cycle, ultimately lowering manufacturing costs across multiple stages.

Using metal powder as raw material, the 3D model data is sliced in the Z direction into two-dimensional planar graphics. The two-dimensional planar graphics are sintered and formed on the powder bed by controlling the laser path with a galvanometer, and then the two-dimensional graphics are stacked to form a three-dimensional part.