Custom polyurethane injection molding services for multiple industries, including prototype, low, and high-volume production, are provided with 24/7 drop shipping and supply chain management.
These services utilize a polyurethane injection machine, which employs the Reaction Injection Molding (RIM) process. RIM involves continuously circulating liquid prepolymer components stored іn tanks through multiple-stream mix-heads tо machined aluminum molds іn an endless loop, producing solid, elastomeric, оr foam-filled finished polyurethane parts.
Lightweight
Polyurethane is an extremely lightweight material, offering greater flexibility and durability than most materials. Furthermore, its lower costs make it more cost-effective than alternative fabrication methods – meaning larger products can be created faster while meeting deadlines more easily.
Injection molding is the traditional means of producing urethane, using a machine that injects melted polyurethane directly into hard tooling or molds. Solid pellets of polyurethane are fed into an injecting barrel of an injection machine where they’re heated up by a reciprocating screw and then forced through at high speed into their mold to complete production all at once.
RIM manufacturers use liquid isocyanate and additives to form the urethane mixture that they then press into molds. Some processes, like reinforced reaction injection molding and structural RIM, add glass fiber mats for increased strength while long fiber injection molding (LFI) uses chopped fiberglass strands to strengthen products while maintaining lightweightness.
Durable
Polyurethanes are tough and flexible enough to withstand even the toughest applications. When compared with metal or other plastics, our products are 60-80% lighter with higher tensile strength and impact resistance compared to their counterparts. Even our hardest materials can be tailored with reduced coefficient of friction (COF) for easier movement while still resisting oil, grease, chemicals and radiation exposure.
RIM works by moving liquid polymer components – isocyanate and polyol — from storage tanks through supply lines and metering units, into multi-stream mix-heads on machined aluminum molds for dispensation to multi-stream mix-heads that open at high pressure with high-velocity impingement to provide intensive mixing between these components.
The product produced through RIM curing quickly – typically within minutes – making this process an excellent solution for projects where product size, shape or tooling configuration would render compression molding impractical. RIM processes such as Romeo’s long fiber injection molding (LFI) technology can even reduce cycle times up to 50%!
Flexible
Polyurethane injection machines offer considerable versatility because they allow the creation of products with diverse dimensions. Their constant stream of mixing ensures an even distribution of polyurethane, leading to high-quality products. They may be used for open cast molding – pouring liquid material directly onto an undetermined setting – or compression molding, using scorching heat and intense pressure for production of the final product.
Open cast molding is an economical production method with quick turnaround and low scrap rates, ideal for simple products with limited details that don’t need intricate details. Plasticizers may be added to soften the polymer so it can be more easily formed into tools and molds; furthermore, open cast molding is highly machinable, meaning it can be cut with a saw.
Strong
Injection-molded polyurethane is an impressively strong material. Able to withstand large amounts of compression, injection-molded polyurethane is commonly used for products that must withstand daily wear-and-tear like bowling balls or belts requiring durability. Furthermore, its cushioning properties make injection molded polyurethane an attractive choice for automobile seats and furniture cushions.
Reaction Injection Molding (RIM) involves dispensing liquid prepolymer components–isocyanate and polyol–into feed tanks at controlled temperatures, where they are then dispensed into mixhead devices for intensive mixing with high velocity impingement before flowing into molds for curing.
This process is an ideal choice for producing complex elastomeric parts with thin walls at significantly reduced costs than injection molding. This technique offers insert encapsulation services as well as over and thin wall molding services as well as short production runs all for less money than injection molding would cost.
