Optimised 3D Mold Surface Texture

NineSigma, representing a global metal engineering company invites responses from experts, SMEs or organisations for technologies or materials to provide an Open 3D Surface Structure for a (coated) Copper Mold.

Copper molds (with Nickel coating) are utilized in the steel and nonferrous industry to extract heat from metallic melts and accelerate the solidification process.

The open distributed mold surface structure controls cooling and homogenizes the solidification of the cooled metal. The thermal stresses in the mold are reduced. Thus the lifetime of the mold will be increased. 

Currently, coating processes or impressed rolling can provide either an irregular roughness or regular distributed isolated peaks but not the desired combination, irregular distribution of isolated peaks.

The client is keen to hear from SMEs, large corporations with expertise / knowledge who are looking for a joint development, licensing or other B2B type relationships.

The ideal technology will meet the following criteria

• Enable a 3D open surface structure with:
  • Adjustable surface roughness 60 – 150µm.
  • Adjustable surface peaks density 0.5 – 5 /mm

• Stable up to 800°C
• High thermal shock resistance
• High abrasion resistance at elevated temperatures.

The open surface structure should be characterized by having isolated peaks and should enable the valleys between the peaks to be interconnected and randomly distributed as shown in the following example: