Explore the Structural Foam Design Guide

The design process for structural foam molding can be complicated, so it is crucial to take every aspect of the product and production process into consideration. From wall thickness to material flow to Design for Manufacturability, our team at Port Erie Plastics has written a structural foam design guide to help you make the process as smooth as possible.

Structural Foam Molded Product Design

To start creating your structural foam molding product, you will need to start with your product design. The design for your product needs to be finished before the structural foam part can be quoted.  Port Erie doesn’t do product design, but we are more than willing to get involved in the process with expert input on manufacturability.

When designing your product for the structural foam molding process, you will need to take a few things into consideration. Your structural foam molding partner will also be able to assist you where needed, but here are some of the main considerations to make:

Wall Thickness

When using the structural foam molding process, it is possible to create products with thicker walls. Prior to starting production, it is important to determine the optimal wall thickness for your product.

The walls of your product need to be thicker than 0.25” because thin walls won’t allow for the necessary chemical reaction that occurs during the structural foam process to create the honeycomb interior. You will also need to consider the wall thickness because it can impact the structural integrity and appearance of your piece — thin walls may reduce the structural strength of your product, but thick walls can cause cosmetic deformities.

Design for Manufacturability (DFM)

The Design for Manufacturability process includes designing and engineering a product to facilitate the manufacturing process. This can help lead to reduced manufacturing costs and faster production so you can get your products on the market faster. At Port Erie, our team of plastic engineers will evaluate your design and address any issues that may negatively impact the manufacturing process or the mold build process.

Materials

You will also need to determine which material is best suited for your product. Commonly, polyethylene is used for many structural foam molded products, however, there are some other options to consider. Some of the properties you should consider include load-bearing, shock absorption, chemical resistance, UV resistance, weather resistance, and temperature resistance.

The material that you choose may impact the design of your product and the mold used to create it. If you come to Port Erie with a material in mind, our engineers will take a look at your design and the application of your product to make sure that it will work. And, if not, they can suggest alternatives.

Designing the Structural Foam Mold

Once your product design is finalized and you’ve chosen the material you are going to use in the production of your product, the designing of your structural foam mold can begin. When doing so, we will take various aspects of your mold into account, but the biggest are draft angles, material flow, and ventilation.

Draft Angles

This design feature is used to help release the part from its mold. Since structural foam molding is a low-pressure process, smaller draft angles can be used compared to standard injection molding. However, if you have a thinner structural foam wall, then you will need to make sure your draft angles are large enough. This is because there will be a higher pressure in the cavity when creating thin-walled parts, making it difficult to release the part from the mold.

Material Flow

Material flow is an important consideration to ensure that the structural foam mold is properly filled. If the material flow is inconsistent, too fast, or too slow, the material will not fill the mold properly and the final product will not be able to function as it was intended to.

Proper Ventilation

Ensuring your mold is designed with ventilation in mind is critical to make sure your product comes out of the mold exactly as you imagined it. Proper ventilation within your structural foam molds will prevent sink marks and warping, while also improving issues with improper part filling.

Want to Learn More About Our Structural Foam Design Guide? Reach Out to Port Erie Today

At Port Erie Plastics, we want to make sure we can help you with your structural foam molding and injection molding projects from beginning to end. Our team of talented plastic engineers will help you make sure your product and molds are designed to be produced efficiently. We will also make sure that your structural foam molds are produced properly and are of the highest quality so that during production, we can ensure that your products come out of the molds exactly as you imagined them.

Contact our team today to learn more about our structural foam molding design capabilities.