Gas Supply Solutions for Foam Injection Molding
PLASTINUM Foam Injection Molding
Best of Both Worlds - with End-to-End Offering
Our PLASTINUM® Foam Injection Molding technology combines the benefits of simple chemical foaming with the efficiency gains of physical foaming. We developed this innovative solution in collaboration with Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid (KIMW).
Depending on your volume requirements, the carbon dioxide (CO2) gas can be supplied from cylinder bundles or a bulk tank.
If bulk supply is preferred, we can provide a PRESUS® C boosting pump, pressurizing the CO2 to the required impregnation pressure. PRESUS C is an energy-efficient pressure-boosting unit ideal for CO2-based molding processes. Our entire gas supply and pressure-boosting package has been engineered to capitalize on the physical properties of CO2 as a foaming agent for stable, predictable outcomes in foam injection molding.
How Does it Work?
The plastic granulate is impregnated with the blowing agent CO2 in a pressure vessel (autoclave) upstream of the injection molding machine. The amount absorbed by the granulate depends on the plastic material, pressure, temperature and impregnation time. The CO2 typically remains in the granulate for a period of more than two hours after it has been loaded and the pressure released. To enable a highly stable and reproducible process, the impregnated granulate is stored in a pressurized buffer tank (which minimizes the desorption of CO2 during storage).
Benefits
- Ease of installation and operation - can be retrofitted to almost all machines regardless of the manufacturer
- Few or no modifications to existing machinery required
- Potential for sizeable density reductions of up to 50% (depending on polymer, wall thickness, geometry, required mechanical properties, mold technology), as a large amount of CO2 can be absorbed
- Significant drop in costs relative to alternative physical foaming solutions
- Increased production flexibility as several injection molding machines can be supplied simultaneously
- Higher return on capital investment as the same machine can be used for foamed and solid parts
Rapid Deployment
Our PLASTINUM Perfoamer system allows you to quickly and easily integrate physical foaming technology into existing injection molding installations.
This ready-to-run kit consists of two main components:
- An autoclave vessel in which the plastic granulate is impregnated with high-pressure carbon dioxide
- A pressurized buffer tank in which the granulate is stored for processing
Equipped with optional conveying systems, it can automatically supply one or more injection molding machines (depending on your throughput).
