Barrette Structural Foam
What differentiates Barrette?
Structural foam has a high strength-to-weight ratio compared to alternative manufacturing methods for large part molding. At Barrette, we’ve taken the process even further – we’ve customized our machines to improve part quality, processing accuracy and cycle time. What does this mean for you? High-quality finished products delivered to you on time and on budget.
How structural foam differs from traditional high pressure injection:
- Barrette is equipped with all Uniloy Milacron brand structural foam molding machines
- Wide variety of resin types available
- Low injection pressures allow for all aluminum mold construction; much better cooling than steel and lower cost machining
- Larger shot capabilities than typical high pressure machines
- Large platen sizes
- Utilization of both CFA and Nitrogen Gas
- All machines employ multi-nozzle system – injection points into mold every 6″
- Multi-nozzle system operates as an external hot runner system at a fraction of the cost of an integrated hot runner system
Structural foam injection molding incorporates either a chemical foaming agent and/or pressurized nitrogen gas directly into the melt to complete the packing phase of the molding cycle. CFA additives are added at a low percentage in the blend. Nitrogen may alternately or additionally be injected directly into the extruder barrel to aid in the foaming process. 5-20% density reduction is common based on the material type and desired part stiffness.
At Barrette, we utilize an external nozzle system tailored specifically for your mold. Our nozzle set-ups allow for strategically placed injection points at critical locations in your custom molded part’s geometry. This multi-nozzle ability greatly reduces injection pressures needed to fill the cavity and reduces the internal part stresses associated with high cavity pressures and long flow lengths. Structural foam’s multi-nozzle set-ups are the perfect answer to filing a part with a large projected area, tricky geometry or a high volume of plastic.
With lower injection pressures, we are able to utilize aluminum versus steel in mold construction. Due to the improved thermal conductivity of aluminum over steel we are able to cool parts more rapidly and thus reduce cycle time. This reduction yields a cost savings over traditional molding methods and materials for the customer.
