Gas-Assist Injection Molding
Innovative Designs Mean High Quality & Reduced Costs!
Innovative Designs, Lower Material Costs, Shorter Cycle Times and Higher Quality! These are a few of the advantages of Gas-Assist Injection Molding.
Gas-Assist Injection Molding allows the manufacture of intricate parts with simpler tooling. Hollow parts with high-quality surface finishes are possible without the use of complicated cores. Removing material from the center of parts reduces resin costs and shortens cycle times resulting in cost savings for our customers.
Gas-Assist Injection Molding provides uniform pressure throughout a part during the molding process. This minimizes the differential shrink rate which, in turn, minimizes warping. This is especially significant in thin walled parts. All of these factors provide our customers higher quality parts.
Quality Parts
The process of gas-assist injection molding is the injection of nitrogen gas into the melt-stream immediately after injecting the resin. The gas displaces the resin in thick sections of the molded product. The result is a part with a hollow core. Benefits include the following:
- Parts have higher "strength-to-weight" ratios
- Smoother surface appearance
- No sink marks at rib and boss locations
- Part weights decrease by 30% to 40%
- Reduces cycle times
Uniform Packing & Cooling
As the nitrogen is injected into the part, it creates a hollow channel with uniform pressure within the part. Some of the advantages are:
- Reduces stresses
- Uniform shrinkage
- Minimal warp
Expanded Design Options
Design options are enhanced, because gas-assist injection molding designs are not limited by conventional design criteria. Many existing parts can be modified using gas-assist technology without mold modifications. Therefore:
- Intricate parts can be manufactured with simplified tooling.
- Designs with thick ribs and bosses will not have sink marks or surface blemishes.
- Fewer secondary operations are required.
