Thursday, March 13, 2014

How Structural Foam Molding Is Done

By Gwen Lowe


Since its introduction in the nineteenth century, plastic has found use in many places and even preference over fiberglass, wood, metal or even concrete. A clear illustration would be the number of plastic utensils we see in homes today compared to iron or aluminum ware. Even the traditional concrete floors are slowly being replaced by plastic. On the other hand, stores are packed with plastic chairs of sleek models. Now, how do they model the plastic seats for example? Well, brief description of structural foam molding process is all it takes to answer the question.

In brief, this is the process where inactive gas is mixed with plastic to produce foam. This is then allowed to flow throughout the mold to produce the desired product. Interestingly, the procedure does not require high pressure or force, but works in an environment with low pressure to give high-density polyethylene.

While the technique can use dozens of materials, Polycarbonate (PC), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polystyrene (PS) are among the most common. Examples of products produced from this method include Point of Sale Display, Components, and Containers Pallets. Other products include Business Machine Housings among others.

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.

Obviously, the technique has its own merits and demerits. On the brighter side, the process is cheaper to run. Many also love the method because it uses cheap and light molds (such as the ones made of aluminum). Additionally, it has very low internal stresses compared to Compression molding. Lastly, the technique allows the production of large 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.

While you are supposed to look for a number of things in a company, it is easier to begin with the testimonials. You then need to verify if the manufacturer is fully registered and follows the environmental legislation in your area. Last but not least, check their rates and only buy from the most affordable firm.




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