Reduce cooling time – based on the actual condition of the part.

THE RESULT

Less cooling time. Shorter cycle time.

In the documented industrial application, cooling time was significantly reduced by determining the demolding point based on the actual condition of the part. This also resulted in a shorter overall cycle time.

Cycle Time Reduction

15,2 %

The measurements provide a basis for evaluating existing safety margins in cooling time and fine-tuning the process – instead of determining the demolding point solely by a fixed time setting.

THE CHALLENGE

Cooling times are often set with safety margins.

In many injection molding processes, the cooling time is determined during the sample production phase and is rarely changed afterward. To ensure reliable demolding, additional time buffers are often factored into the schedule.

It is difficult to determine whether these allowances are actually necessary based on standard machine data. As a result, the cooling time is often shortened through trial and error — with the risk of component warping, quality issues, or scrap.

The key question: When is the part actually ready to be removed from the mold?

THE SOLUTION

Making it possible to measure the correct time to eject the part from the mold.

Ultrasonic technology allows the shrinkage and delamination behavior of a plastic part to be monitored directly in the mold. The sensors are integrated behind the mold surface and detect changes during cooling — without direct contact with the molten plastic.

As soon as the part separates from the mold wall due to shrinkage, the ultrasonic signal changes. This point in time can be precisely detected and used as the basis for determining an appropriate cooling time .

As a result, the cooling time will no longer be evaluated solely on the basis of a fixed time limit, but rather on the basis of an actually measured process event.

FROM PRACTICE

From the ultrasound signal to optimized cooling time.

In the injection molding process under investigation, ultrasonic measurement was used to determine when the part detaches from the mold wall during cooling.

The measurement results showed that the originally set cooling time was significantly longer than this time. Based on this, the cooling time was specifically adjusted, reducing the total cycle time from 103.8 to 88 seconds.

This real-world example demonstrates how additional information about the condition of components can help verify existing safety margins and reveal untapped potential in the production process.

Discover how fixed cooling times in production were replaced by condition-based cooling.

Download the Smart Plastify use case, including measurement data, setup, and results: The cycle time was reduced from 103.8 s to 88 s.