Thermoplastic foam injection moulding Efficiency made easy — International Foaming Conference

Related Vendors

Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid (KIMW GmbH)

HASCO Hasenclever GmbH + Co KG

Ramada Acos

Less plastic, faster cycles and more accurate parts? All of these possibilities are offered by thermoplastic foam injection moulding. These and other topics will once again be presented and discussed by leading companies at a conference and exhibition on 5-6 June 2024 at the Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid.

Although it has been known for decades, thermoplastic foam injection moulding (TSG) with its many advantages has not become fully established, but is experiencing a new upswing against the background of resource savings and the required increases in efficiency. It is an advanced manufacturing technology that is used in various industries for different reasons. Weight saving is probably the first buzzword that comes to mind with TSG. But instead of simply meaning “less material”, the idea can be taken further: More parts can be produced with the available material.

Components designed for compact injection moulding can often already be foamed and achieve a certain material/weight saving with virtually unchanged mechanical properties. However, the full potential is only realised when the component and process are designed with foaming in mind: The reduction in melt viscosity associated with foaming enables thinner wall thicknesses, for example. Some plastics also allow the melt and/or mould wall temperature to be reduced. These are factors that have a positive effect on the cycle time.

Another major advantage of foaming is that the gas pressure acts from within the solidifying melt, which means that the additional pressure otherwise required to compensate for volume shrinkage can be dispensed with. This results in further options on the process side that distinguish TSG from compact injection moulding: You have the choice of reducing the clamping force of the machine for the same number of parts (energy saving, less stress on the injection mould) or increasing the number of cavities (increased productivity). If foaming is planned as a production process from the outset, it may even be possible to switch to a smaller machine.

On the component side, there is also a lot to be said for it: if designed correctly, a component can be made thinner, and any ribbing and other mass accumulations do not lead to sink marks or blowholes. The aforementioned inherent gas pressure in the melt and the elimination of holding pressure mean that components shrink more evenly, reducing or even completely eliminating warpage. The result is more precise components in a shorter cycle time.

If very high weight reductions are required, negative moulding can be used. The component is made thinner(er) and before the melt has solidified, the mould is opened in a defined manner. The result is a component with the weight of the thin moulded part but the rigidity of a thicker geometry. Weight reductions in the double-digit percentage range are common with this technology.

Obstacles to the foaming of thermoplastics include visible components. Foamed components typically have a streaky surface. Developments in recent years have shown that this does not have to be the case. There are solutions for attractive matt or even high-gloss surfaces, both on the mould and process side and on the material side.

These and other topics will once again be presented and discussed by leading companies at a specialist conference and exhibition from 5 to 6 June at the Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid. To give newcomers an easy introduction, a pre-conference, where the basics will be taught, will be offered on 4 June 24, before the actual conference. On the following two days, the conference will combine theory and practice with live demonstrations in the technical centre and presentations, offering a variety of opportunities to make and maintain contacts. For the first time, the presentations will be offered in parallel in English to make the event more appealing to international participants.

In recent years, the accompanying trade exhibition has helped to make the Foaming Conference at the Kunststoff-Institut the industry meeting place for thermoplastic foamers. Exhibition spaces are currently still available.

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