You can achieve higher efficiency and reduced cycle time by using carbon dioxide or nitrogen in gas injection moulding, micro-cellular foaming or cooling technologies. These gas technologies developed for injection moulding processes are patented.
Gas Injection Moulding, GIM
In gas injection moulding, GIM, nitrogen is injected under high pressure in the melted polymer in order to create hollow part. GIM offers increased component design flexibility, part weight reduction and cost savings on resign.
Use nitrogen under high pressure in your injection moulding process and you will benefit with improved product quality, part weight reduction, cost savings on resign and reduced cycle time.
Our supply concept covers:
Optimal supply with cylinders or cylinder bundles for tests or at start phase of production
Vacuum insulated tanks for liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide, mainly for full-scale production
Nitrogen generators on site with membrane or PSA plants
Carbon dioxide Spot Cooling
Micro-cellular foaming developed for injection moulding uses carbon dioxide or nitrogen as foaming agents. The product weight is reduced and savings on material are obvious. Besides that the clamping force is lower.
In injection moulding, uniform temperature distribution on the cavity surface is crucial for high quality and short cycle times. Especially the conventional water cooling of long, thin cores or other difficult-to-access areas faces severe problems, such as excessive heat, clogged runners, or unwanted pressure losses. The results are removal problems, surface defects, warpage, and long cooling times.
Temperature control with liquid carbon dioxide efficiently cools the hot spots in the mould, such as very thin parts, small cores or areas with material accumulations, resulting in enormous cooling time reductions and quality improvements. To do so, liquid carbon dioxide flows under high pressure (approx. 60 bar) through small, flexible capillary tubes (outer diameter 1.6 mm) exactly to the point of use where the cooling is required. The carbon dioxide expansion creates a snow and gas mixture with a temperature of -79 °C. After removing heat from the mould, the now gaseous carbon dioxide leaves the cavity through exhaust channels.
Mould cooling with carbon dioxide is used to improve quality and reduce cycle time.
