Specialists In
- Part design & DFM support
- Aluminum tool design & building capabilities
- Secondary, assembly, kitting, warehousing, & drop shipping
- Over 30 presses ranging from 300-ton to 8,000-ton including multi-nozzle
- Part weight capabilities up to 200 pounds
- American Made
Structural Foam Molding is a plastic molding process ideal for production of large complex parts that are rugged, durable and impervious to the elements. They are used in industry, recreational vehicles, commercial truck parts and products, outdoor consumer products and even underground applications.
The process is similar to injection molding in that you have a precision mold mounted in a molding machine. After resin injection, the mold opens up and the part is ejected from the mold cavity.
This is where the similarity to injection molding ends.
Structural foam parts are produced at a much lower pressure than injection molding and inert gas is used to fill the mold cavity instead of machine pressure. The result is a cellular core with solid plastic exterior walls.
If you’re interested in learning more about structural foam molding, check out our in-depth informational site on this low-pressure plastic molding process.
Structural Foam Molding has many advantages
Here are a few of the advantages to structural foam molding!
Larger Parts
Better for larger parts because of the lower pressure used to fill the mold cavity.
Smaller Machines
Lower molding pressure allows use of smaller tonnage molding machines and aluminum molds.
More Stable Design
Lower molding pressures produce less stress and a more stable design geometry.
Better Structured Parts
Cellular core produces lighter weight parts, higher impact strength and better strength to weight ratio.
Benefits of gas assist and structural web molding
Structural Web/Gas Assist molding technology provides different component advantages. The process introduces gas into the melt at specific pressures for smoother surface finishes.
- Thinner walls and hollow parts for large structural components
- Smoother surface finish that rivals high-pressure injection molding
- Consistent surface color and finish – no swirls
- Low pressure molding advantages
- Aluminum molds are less costly than steel
- Maximum part size with minimum clamp tonnage
Benefits of multi nozzle technologies
Our modern structural foam molding machines allow us to mold very large parts or run multiple molds on a single machine at the same time. This capability is driven by our multi-nozzle machine technology allowing us to locate injection nozzles throughout the platen surface.
Let’s Get Started
Press sizes range from 8,000-ton to 375-ton with shot sizes up to 200 pounds for single or multi-part programs.
With a 135,000 sq. ft. state of the art facility on a greenfield site strategically located in the midwest, the structural foam molding manufacturer Miles Products represents is one of America’s best.
We offer the latest technology available for total control of the molding process. Shot-to-shot consistency is monitored by custom controls, built to our exacting specifications.
We can quickly advise you on your product suitability for structural foam molding manufacturing. We also can assist with design, engineering, mold making and material selection to get your project started right.
