Reaction injection molding is a process where the material used requires curing while still in the mold. It offers advantages like filling small spaces and thin areas, but it is time-consuming and expensive. The standard process produces more parts at once and uses cheaper materials.
Reaction injection molding is a manufacturing process of machine parts and product components. The reaction molding process differs from regular injection molding in one important respect: The material used in the molding process requires a curing step while the material is still in the mold. The molding material used in a reaction injection molding process offers specific advantages over the materials used in normal molding. On the other hand, reaction injection molding requires more time and expensive molding materials.
Injection molding is a common manufacturing process. In most cases, a liquid agent is placed in a holding tank, where it is heated and mixed. The agent is then forced into a prefabricated cavity called a mold, where it cools and hardens. The mold is made using a separate manufacturing process and is often removable, allowing one injection molding machine to make multiple items. The cured object is removed and placed in an area where it cures and hardens further.
In a reaction injection molding machine, there is an additional step after the agent is injected into the machine. During this stage, the agent cures while still inside the mold. There are various ways to do this, but a common method is through a secondary chemical reagent that is injected with the agent. Other methods include heat or different forms of radiation.
The curing stage separates reaction injection molding from the normal process and gives it a specific set of advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage lies in the injected agent itself. The agents used for a reaction injection molding process are thinner and have a lower viscosity than the agents used in a standard process. This allows the agent to fill small spaces and thin areas.
The in-mold curing process improves this basic characteristic. When the part comes off the machine, it is already cured and almost in its final shape. This means that small areas and thin spaces have even less chance of breaking. Consequently, a reactive process is useful when the mold contains very fine sections.
There are two major disadvantages of reaction injection molding; time and money. Since the material has to cure in the forming machine, this means fewer parts are produced at any given time. A standard machine can complete several molds and cure them all at once. Additionally, the agents used in the process are very specialized – they are typically more expensive than the materials used in a typical molding process.
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