Durable Plastic Products: Exploring Structural Foam Strength

Structural foam molding is a manufacturing process that is commonly used to produce large tonnage plastic parts and products. This process produces parts that are durable, yet lighter weight than they would be if they had been created through straight injection molding. In this blog, we will explore the process of structural foam molding and the benefits of structural foam strength.

The Structural Foam Process

The structural foam process involves a few moving parts. First, the chosen polymer is melted and mixed with nitrogen gas and/or a chemical blowing agent. This mixture is then injected into the mold under low pressure. As the polymer touches the walls of the mold, it cools, forming a solid outer layer with a honeycomb inner layer.

What Makes Structural Foam So Strong?

There are many properties of structural foam that contribute to structural foam strength. Let’s explore some of these in-depth:

Solid Outer Layer

During the structural foam molding process, as the polymer mixture is injected into the mold, it cools as it touches the mold walls. This results in a solid, durable outer layer. This layer is extremely durable and hard, increasing the overall strength of the product.

Polymers Used

Polyethylene and HDPE are commonly used polymers in structural foam molding. Both of these polymers have numerous beneficial properties that contribute to structural foam strength:

• High Strength-to-Weight Ratio: Having a high strength-to-weight ratio allows materials to withstand a lot of stress without breaking or deforming while being lightweight and easy to handle. This property gives products the ability to withstand heavy objects, impact, and other stressful conditions while maintaining their integrity.
• High Impact Strength: This is the ability of a material to withstand sudden force and shock without breaking, fracturing, or deforming.
• Chemical Resistance: Plastics that are resistant to chemicals will not break down or lose their properties in the presence of certain chemicals, such as acids, bases, and other solutions.

Each of these properties allows structural foam molded products to exhibit excellent strength in a wide range of conditions and applications.

Finishing Processes

Secondary operations and finishing services can be added to your structural foam products. This may include assembly with hardware, including nuts, fasteners, rods, aluminum extrusions, and more. These additions and services can provide additional strength to your structural foam products.

Port Erie is Your Partner for Strong Structural Foam Molded Products

At Port Erie Plastics, we have over 70 years of experience in structural foam molding and injection molding services. With our structural foam molding services, we are able to create high-quality, large-tonnage, durable products that fit all of your needs. Additionally, we can also create products through straight injection molding should that process better fit your needs.

We also provide various other plastic manufacturing services. To start, our team of skilled plastic engineers will work closely with you to make sure your product follows Design for Manufacturability guidelines and that they will fit the needs of your application. Plus, we also have the capabilities needed to design and produce all of your plastic structural foam and injection molding molds and tooling so we can easily adjust any issues immediately.

Once your products are done with production, we have the space needed to warehouse your products. This saves you time and money on transportation since you won’t have to worry about getting products from our production facilities to another warehouse. We can also assist with your distribution needs if desired as well.

Contact our team today to get started.