The present application describes a system for curing moldable material. The system comprises an energy source, a mold, and/or other components. The mold comprises internal mold surfaces forming a mold cavity. The mold is formed from one or more materials configured to absorb electromagnetic radiation emitted by the energy source. The mold has a hot zone and a cold zone. The hot zone and the cold zone have the one or more materials thereof comprising at least one different physical characteristic so that the hot zone and the cold zone absorb the electromagnetic radiation at different rates and/or in different amounts. The hot zone absorbs more electromagnetic radiation than, and/or electromagnetic radiation faster than, the cold zone.

Apparatus for injection molding of plastic materials comprising a mold including at least one plate, a hot runner distributor of the fluid plastic material, at least one injector and an actuator for controlling the opening and the closing of the injector, supported by the distributor and whose cooling is carried out by means of thermal exchange contact with the plate. Provided for the cooling of the jack actuator provided for is at least one cover made of thermally conductive material at least partly surrounding the actuator in an axially slidable manner and it is maintained in thermal exchange contact with the plate by means of a magnetic or an electro-magnetic force.

Systems and methods are provided for enhancement of vacuum bagging processes for a composite part. One system includes dispensers configured to dispense materials onto a forming tool for a composite part, and a controller. The controller is able to identify a selected location for placing the composite part on the tool, to direct the dispensers to apply a mold release agent onto the tool based on the selected location, to apply a sealant onto the tool proximate to the selected location, to lay up a ply of constituent material for the composite part atop the mold release agent at the selected location, to apply a pressure pad material atop the constituent material, to apply a breather material atop the pressure pad, and to apply vacuum bag material atop the ply proximate to the selected location to cover the ply as well as the sealant.

Cauls and methods of using the same are provided. The caul includes a reinforcement material having one or more elastic fibers and a polymer having one or more shape memory polymers. The caul is operable to transition from a rigid state to an elastomeric state and from an elastomeric state to a rigid state in response to stimuli. Methods of using cauls to produce composite articles involve positioning one or more fiber layers between a caul and a cure mold surface when the caul is in a rigid state. The fiber layers, caul, and cure mold surface may be covered with a sealed barrier and a pressure gradient may be applied. Before, after, or before and after performing the vacuum the fiber layers may be impregnated with resin. The fiber layers may be cured, which may provide a stimulus to transition the caul from a rigid to an elastomeric state.

Disclosed herein is a die for forming a part. The die comprises a base, comprising a heat-platen interface surface and a part interface surface, and wherein the heat-platen interface surface and the part interface surface are separated by a thickness of the base. The die also comprises inserts, embedded within and circumferentially closed by the base, spaced apart from each other, and extending in a first direction from the heat-platen interface surface toward the part interface surface. The base is made of a first material having a first thermal conductivity. The inserts are made of a second material having a second thermal conductivity. The first thermal conductivity is different than the second thermal conductivity.

A pressure head is provided facing a magnetic field coil via the composite material. The magnetic field coil is provided on one side of the composite material, and the pressure head is provided on another side of the composite material. The pressure head includes a pressure head body and a high thermal conductive material layer. The pressure head body is formed of a material transparent to a magnetic field applied by the magnetic field coil. The high thermal conductive material layer is provided on a side of the pressure head body facing the composite material, is transparent to the magnetic field applied by the magnetic field coil, and is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the composite material

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for designing and manufacturing conformal cooling molds with lattice structures include, in one aspect, a method including: obtaining temperature and pressure data for a 3D model of a conformal cooling mold from computer simulation of injection molding; replacing a volume of the 3D model with a lattice structure to reduce the mass of the mold; adjusting a number of lattice unit cells for the lattice structure in accordance with the temperature data to increase heat conduction from hotter areas of the mold; adjusting thickness(es) of beams forming the lattice structure in accordance with the pressure data to prevent structural failure of the mold; and providing an updated version of the 3D model of the conformal cooling mold that incorporates the lattice structure after adjustment of the number of lattice unit cells and the thickness(es) of beams forming the lattice structure.

An injection mold includes two mold halves, each of the mold halves including a mold cavity coupled with a plastic material inlet to make a plastic part within the mold cavity, a solid metal material housing the mold cavity, a conformal cooling channel positioned around the solid metal material, a plurality of mesh-containing cavities containing metallic mesh material and positioned around the solid metal material, wherein the metallic mesh material of any of the plurality of mesh-containing cavities is of a constant size.

A reusable mold for injection molding and molding method includes a reusable mold member, a mold cavity defined in the mold member, and at least one heat sink recess defined in the mold member for accommodating a heat sink material. The mold member is mounted on a liquid cooled mold platen. Heat is rapidly removed from the mold cavity when the mold member is used to injection mold a molded part through the heat sink material and through an interface between the heat sink material and the liquid-cooled mold platen. The reusable mold injection molds a molded part and rapidly removes heat from the mold cavity via the heat sink material accommodated in the at least one heat sink recess and through the liquid-cooled platen.

A method of fabricating a mold includes 3D printing a first shell using a first material, the first shell having a first interior surface and a first exterior surface, and 3D printing a second shell using a second material different from the first material, the second shell having a second interior surface and a second exterior surface wherein the second interior surface generally conforms to the first exterior surface. The first material may be thermally conductive and the second material may be thermally insulative, and the first and/or second shell may include at least one thermal regulation element formed therein.