Everything You Need To Know To Find The Best structural foam molding

Keeping up with all of the different injection molding processes that are around can be a challenge. All have distinct features, but you might have a hard time determining exactly which one is right for your products. If you need to manufacture more durable structural components, you might consider structural foam molding, a process that was developed to offer several benefits over other kinds of injection molding for particular applications.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website WIT MOLD.

Below, you'll find some of the most frequently asked questions we get here at KASO to help you learn a little bit more about structural foam molding so that you can determine whether it's best for your needs.

• What is structural foam molding? Structural foam molding is a process that's most often used to produce large structural components. Structural foam molding tends to produce much thicker walls than other injection molded components; as a result, structural foam molded components have a rigid, durable surface. During structural foam molding, an inert gas, typically nitrogen, is mixed with the plastic material before it's injected into the mold. As the material is injected into the mold, the gas expands and the plastic hardens when it comes into contact with the cold mold cavity. This process makes it possible for durable products to be made with a lower level of pressure than is generally necessary using other injection molding processes.
• What are the advantages of structural foam molding? One of the primary advantages of structural foam molding is that it is often less expensive than other injection molding processes. This is because structural foam molding uses aluminum molds, which are less expensive than traditional steel injection molds. This makes it possible for manufacturers with low-volume needs to get started with structural foam molding at a relatively low cost.
• Are there disadvantages to structural foam molding? No injection molding process is perfect, and structural foam molding does have a few disadvantages. The process itself takes longer which means that you will have to invest more time into producing structural foam molded components. It's important to consider how this extra production time will affect your overall performance and productivity before choosing structural foam molding.

GOT MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT STRUCTURAL FOAM MOLDING?

Although it is similar to standard high-pressure injection molding, structural foam molding is unique and offers designers and manufacturers distinct advantages. The most notable is the size and scale of the molded parts that can be produced with structural foam. Single parts, up to 72'x72'x24' and larger are achievable.

Another basic difference is structural foam molding uses low pressure molding instead of high pressure.  Also, the finished molded material has a cellular 'foam' core with a smooth solid outer surface that is extremely durable, rigid and impervious to weather.

Other benefits of structural foam include:

• The density reduction of the cellular 'foam' core makes parts that are 10% to 15% lighter in weight compared to ordinary injection molded plastic.
• Large sized and complex parts can be molded without sink marks.
• High strength-to-weight ratio compared to other materials and production methods.
• Large platen presses that can hold multiple tools and mold multiple parts simultaneously.
• Low pressure molding allows for the use of aluminum molds which reduce costs
• Recycled post consumer plastics can be used for many products.
• Plus many more benefits that can improve product design, production and costs.

With all the advantages it offers, structural foam molding is definitely worth considering for many products. This is the reason we've created the Structural Foam Molding Design Guide.

The free guide provides and overview of this versatile manufacturing process, its strengths and uses.

Specifications and illustrations throughout.

Some of what you will find in the guide includes:

Multi-Nozzle Molding Overview

The platens on these large presses have many inlets where multiple injection nozzles can be used during molding. The guide explains this technology and the opportunities it delivers.

Gas-Assist Molding Overview

This process introduces inert gas during the molding cycle to assist the material flow. This improves the cosmetic finish of the large-sized molded parts. The basic principles of gas assist and how it can be applied to your designs are covered in the guide.

Design Considerations, Tips and Specs

The bulk of the design guide is filled with specifications, best practices and other useful information to keep in mind or refer to when planning and designing for structural foam molding.

Here is the Table of Contents from the guide:

Process Overview

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• What is structural foam?
• Advantages of structural foam
• Single-nozzle molding
• Multi-nozzle molding
• Gas-assist molding

Applications

Industries and products using structural foam

Materials

Plastic materials compared

Design Considerations

• Wall Thickness
• Material Flow
• Transition Sections
• Radii and Filets
• Tolerances & Warpage Control
• Draft Angles
• Bosses
• Ribs
• Design Tips

Assembly

• Self-Tapping Fasteners
• Press-In Inserts
• Snap-Fits

Secondary Operations

• Decorating
• Warehousing & Distribution
• Painting

Structural foam molding is just one of the full range of North American made custom molding services that Miles Products supplies its customers.

We hope this design guide will help you discover the benefits that structural foam molding can bring to your products. And, we believe you'll find the information it contains beneficial when working on your next project.