Porous dies constitute a vital component in the manufacturing process of aluminum profiles, accounting for more than 60% of die usage. However, designing and producing these dies presents a complex task that necessitates precision in various aspects, such as the arrangement of divergent holes, flow rate management, and die strength. Especially in "low-temperature high-speed" production environments, the quality and stability of the dies are crucial.

1. Issues with Traditional Design Approaches

Using the product model 17-BGY4505A-Q22210 as a reference, traditional die designs have encountered challenges like uneven layouts of divergent holes and unbalanced flow rates. These issues have resulted in high pressures, uneven neck positions on the male die, extensive dead zones in bridge areas, and defects such as tearing and twisting in material samples after increasing speeds. These problems not only compromise product quality but also elevate the number of mold trials and production costs.

2. Attempt at Optimized Design II

To address these issues, the design team introduced Optimized Design II, featuring a "cross-shaped bridge" and unidirectional design. This design exhibited benefits such as reduced pressure and faster extrusion speeds during "low-temperature high-speed" processes. However, it also revealed drawbacks like significant elastic deformation and severe wall deviation. Especially when dealing with cantilever section profiles prone to large elastic deformations, the male die's strength in this design was insufficient, leading to elastic deformation and shadows at T-shaped positions. Therefore, the "cross-shaped bridge" design is not recommended for such profiles.

3. Further Refinement in Optimized Design III

To overcome the limitations of Design II, the team made further improvements and introduced Optimized Design III, which involved changing the number of holes from four to five. This change aimed to mitigate large elastic deformations. However, the mold trial results were still unsatisfactory, with issues such as uneven surfaces, neck-in, shadows at T-shaped positions, and severe wall deviation. Analysis revealed that the five-hole design caused high pressures at the extrusion center, unbalanced forces on the die core, and poor male die strength. Therefore, for profiles susceptible to large elastic deformations, the five-hole design is also not advisable.

4. Comprehensive Optimization in Design IV

Building on the lessons learned from previous designs, the team introduced the comprehensively optimized Design IV. This design incorporated several improvements: altering the profile's design placement and discharge direction to minimize elastic deformation during extrusion; adjusting the upper mold thickness for optimized pressure relief in the feed bridge; increasing the number of divergent holes for balanced die core forces; modifying the bridge angle and male die neck position design to enhance extrusion speed; refining the base-blocking design to improve the quality of the decorative surface; and optimizing the sealing strip and working zone designs to reduce neck-in and tearing phenomena. After practical verification, this design successfully passed the mold trial and achieved stable production, effectively resolving many of the previous issues.

Summary of Design Principles for Porous Dies in "Low-Temperature High-Speed" Extrusion

: The strength and stability of the die are fundamental to sustaining "low-temperature high-speed" production. During the design process, it is essential to consider the stress and deformation of the die to ensure its stability during extrusion.

This article presents an in-depth exploration of various cases pertaining to porous die design for aluminum profiles and summarizes refined strategies and methodologies for optimization. Practical experience has demonstrated that by improving design approaches, reinforcing die strength and stability, and paying meticulous attention to detail, the production efficiency and qualification rates of porous dies can be substantially enhanced, resulting in reduced production costs.