Material selection for injection molds of thick-walled PP-R parts: experimental comparison of conventional 316L steel, CuBe alloy, and selective laser melting with conformal cooling: thermal performance, part quality, and financial viability
This study experimentally demonstrates that for thick-walled PP-R injection molding, conventionally machined CuBe alloy molds outperform selective laser melting (SLM) molds with conformal cooling across all economic metrics, offering superior cycle time reduction and cost savings despite a higher initial investment, while both advanced concepts successfully produce parts meeting functional qualification standards.