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Microcellular Injection Molding (MuCell®)
Microcellular injection molding, known commercially as the MuCell® process, is capable of mass-producing parts with complex geometries and excellent dimensional stability, and is widely used in automotive, electronic/electrical products, construction, outdoor products and many other applications. In this process, supercritical fluid (SCF), usually nitrogen (N2) or carbon dioxide (CO2), is mixed with polymer melt to create a single-phase polymer/gas solution, which is then injected into the mold cavity, and finally bubbles are formed in the product.
The benefits of the technology are lower injection pressures, lower temperatures, shorter cycle times, less energy and less material. Despite all the advantages, the addition of supercritical fluid brings the complexity of flow behavior, material morphology and product surface quality, which hampers the development and broad acceptance of the process.
(a) Melt Front Time: 99% (b)Tonnage Reduction
Moldex3D Solutions and Benefits:
Moldex3D MuCell® employs the fundamental physics of bubble nucleation and growth to model this complex process realistically. It provides manufacturers and design engineers tools to visualize a microcellular injection molding process and gain the insights of the complex filling behavior and foaming mechanism. Moldex3D provides solutions that reveal the mystery of microcellular injection molding and brings design validation, time-to-market optimization and development cost reduction.
Moldex3D Solves Tough Problems
Challenges:
- Bubble number, bubble size distribution are dependent on process conditions and are crucial to the success of MuCell® product development.
- Weld line and air traps are crucial factors for optimizing gate number and locations.
- Part geometry, part wall and rib thickness design rules are different from the conventional injection molding process.
Solutions:
Moldex3D MuCell® provides bubble size and bubble number distributions, predicts filling pattern, weld line and weight reduction from microcellular injection molding process.
Using Moldex3D MuCell® to evaluate the benefits of using microcellular injection molding process such as dimensional stability, energy saving, and then further to provide insight into part design, mold design and optimization of operation conditions.
*MuCell® is a registered trademark of Trexel Inc.