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A Look At The Process Of Structural Foam Molding

By Cathy Mercer


Structural foam molding happens a mold process in which lesser pressure injection is used to produce quite large structure parts. Molten plastic materials are mixed with either blowing agents or a high pressure gas and then injected to make it a mold. The injection causes bubbles to be produced in the plastics, resulting in it foaming. The created foam has the characteristics of that particular plastic, with only one difference in that its weight is much less due to a reduced density.

This foam molding process is similar to injection molding by several ways, one of them being that it is a method of processing thermoplastics that utilizes low pressure. HDPE, which is an abbreviation for high density polyethylene, is the most widely used resin in this process. The end products are usually rigid parts having relatively hard structures. Structural foams are usually confused with expanded polystyrene, shortened to EPS, which is wrong. Expanded polystyrene can be associated with foam blocks that are white and disposable, which are used to package and protect electronic appliances.

Low pressure is the major element in structure foam molding. Unlike the case of convectional injection molding that utilizes higher pressures to force materials in the cavity of a mold, this process makes advantage of the configuration of a part. Generally, it creates thick walls sections to play as runners.

The action of foaming enables the molten blend of resin to flow much further, and is supplied by either introducing an inert compressed gas to the mold or a chemical reaction taking place in the resin blend. Additionally, is uses a pressure that is much lower than would be possible in the case of a typical injection mold process.

Molds of structural foam are typically produced inside aluminum, with the plastic foaming causing a swirl finish on the plastic parts finish. The agents of foaming do not expand while under pressure in the injections screws. Foaming occurs as soon as the plastic gets into the cavity of the mold. While the foams plastics fill the cavity of the foam mold, solidification of the parts walls takes place against a cold wall.

A thin layer of plastic becomes solid in the absence of foaming along the molds wall. This layer afterwards forms a structure of a skin over the foamed inter core. The solid and thin wall has support, which is the foamed cellular interior structure. Parts produced in this manner results in cellular structures that are somewhat similar to products of wood.

Once molding has occurred, parts will undergo shrinking to anywhere between 1.5% and 4% original size of the mold. During the first forty eight hours, another 5% shrinking will occur. While the shrinking remains true, it will continue at very small levels for the lifetime of that particular part. The part size, however, is a constant flux since factors such as ambient temperature variations, oils and chemicals influence the plastic. A half inch expansion gap is required in the course of thermal expansion for vinyl siding. This is for accommodating movements as changes in temperature affect the size.

When undergoing structural foam molding, parts of plastic are at higher temperatures when they are injected in molds. Afterwards, they rapidly cool to lower temperatures. This cooling process can change their shape from the original mold foams.




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