Gas assist molding is a low pressure process where a nitrogen gas is injected into the plastic part in certain areas to hollow out the part. The nitrogen gas does not mix with the resin, but instead forms continuous channel through the hotter less viscous sections of the melt stream. The gas maintains internal pressure through out the cooling cycle.
Utilizing this gas assist molding process allow the customer to save on material usage, improve cycle time, and also create a more cosmetically appealing part by eliminating sink marks, flow marks surfaces swirls marks surface splay and warp. This allows the designer to create high strength hollowed-out sections, rib patterns or box structures, all designed to increase the stiffness and impact strength of the part.
KEY BENEFITS OF THE GAS ASSIST MOLDING PROCESS
- Design freedom utilizing thick and thin wall sections
- Hollow gas channels function as box sections, which further increases the stiffness to weight ratio.
- Gas hollowed channels allow reduced cooling time and thereby reducing overall cycle time.
- Allows reduced cavity pressure, which allows utilization of lower tonnage, more efficient, molding machines.
- Low warp
- Improved cosmetics
- No sink marks
