Big Plastic Parts
Big Plastic Parts
While conventional injection molding and micro molding are huge portions of the plastics industry, where does one look for larger-than-normal parts, those converted from castings to plastic, wall panels, pallets & dunnage, and playground, industrial and MRO parts?
The Other End of the Spectrum
Today, tractor cabs are being injection molded, playground slides are rotationally molded and interior panels of buses and aircraft are being pressure molded. Can these approaches improve your processes while reducing your costs? A quick check of the web shows Thermoformed parts up to 6’ x 10’ and injection molding generating finished parts at 500 lb+!
A few examples of shops capable of creating Big Plastic Parts:
- DeKalb Plastics - A Butler, Indiana producer of low pressure structural foam molded products, DeKalb stresses low mold cavity pressure, reduced part weight and high stiffness to weight ratio, with a shot size up to 150 Lbs
- EnviroTech Molded Products, Inc. of Salt Lake City, UT has developed a method for bulk injection molding large piece weight, thick parts. Maximum capacities hit 530 lb. and 5” thick
- General Plastics of Milwaukee, WI specializes in thermoforming or pressure forming. Features include the capability of making reproducible, volumetric parts as large as large as 5’ x 10’ x 4.5’
- Exothermic - Reaction Injection Molding is superior when creating large parts because of two unique characteristics: the low viscosity of the component chemicals and the innate strength of polyurethane. This allows a part to act as both a structural and an aesthetic component. Parts up to 10’ long & 56 Lbs
How Do You Look Into These Options?
Contact the staff at Todd & Associates, Inc to explore the capabilities of these companies in your process
Alternative processes may save tooling cost, part weight and yields
Replacement of parts formerly produced in ferrous and non-ferrous materials may yield additional abrasion, chemical resistance and enhanced inertness characteristics