Saturday, March 22, 2014

The Main Types Of Structural Foam Molding

By Gwen Lowe


Since its introduction in the mid 19th century, plastic has been used as a substitute of wood, concrete, fiberglass and metals in many instances. For example, hundreds of kitchenware are made of plastic instead of the traditional metals like iron or aluminum. In fact, there are floors made of plastic as opposed to concrete. It is also not strange to see several plastic chair designs in the market today. So, the question is how do they make some of these chair designs? To answer that, you must understand structural foam molding.

Briefly, this type of molding refers to the use of an inert gas to produce foam. Once the foaming action is started, molten polymer then flows through the mold to form the required shape. It is an injection molding procedure usually carried out in low-pressure environment to produce high-density polyethylene.

The flexibility of this method means that it can use different raw material; be that as it may, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polycarbonate and Polystyrene (PS) are used frequently. In fact, the method is mainly used in the production of Business Machine Housings and Containers Pallets. In addition, the technique produces point of sale Displays and Components.

Prior to examining the advantages of foam molding, it is important that you know the other popular molding methods. Primarily, there are Gas Assist, Injection, Rotational and Blow (that employs both the extrusion and injection techniques in a single procedure) techniques. On the other hand are the Film Insert as well as thermoforming methods. It is important to note that each technique has an advantage over the other depending on the product. However, the foam molding method is the best in low-pressure surroundings.

As expected, the technique has its highs and lows. For instance, many love it because it is cheaper to set up. The fact that you could use low-priced and light molds (e. G. Aluminum) has only served to popularize this technique. In addition, structural foam has lower inner stresses as compare to other methods like Compression. Finally yet importantly, the method can produce some of the largest plastic products.

It is true that the foam method is considerably cheaper to set up than most molding techniques. However, it can never beat Compression molding when it comes to the ease of setting up the process and the amount required to do so. Consequently, the former might not be the outright choice for those running on low budget. On the other hand, it is time consuming as it has slow production rate. When compared to injection techniques that employ high pressure, it turns out to be very slow.

Having known the whole process, including its benefits and applications wonderful, what is even better is to learn how to identify the right provider of such services. Now that fake products are sold to unsuspecting customers, the need to know the qualities to look for is necessary. This need is evident in cases where a manufacturer of plastic ware chooses to lower their production quality while overcharging for same.

Though there are many things to look for in a plastic manufacturer, reviews from satisfied customers is the best place to start. Also, ensure the firm is registered that it operates within the local environmental laws. Finally, shop around online to ensure you only contract companies that charge affordably.




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