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Green strength is the ability of a product to withstand handling and processing before it is fully cured. It is important in high throughput processes like injection molding and powder metallurgy. A high green strength is desirable to prevent damage to the finished product. The ceramics, thermoplastics, and metal powder molding industries benefit from good green resistance values. Advances in materials and processes have made it possible to produce products with pre-sinter strength, allowing for faster production cycles.
Green Strength is a term used to describe the ability of a molded or cast product to withstand handling, mold ejection, and processing before it is fully cured or hardened. This physical characteristic is a critical criterion in high throughput processes such as injection molding and powder metallurgy. The faster the cast or molded products can be removed or ejected from the mold and handled the higher the turnover in the process becomes. This process must, of course, not damage or alter the finished product, so a high green strength in any product is a desirable feature. Good green resistance values play a vital role in many areas including the ceramics, thermoplastics and metal powder molding industries.
The term “green” is used to describe a finished product that has not yet fully cured or sintered or hardened. While the final form has been established, the full resilience and strength of the deployable product has not yet been achieved. This could take quite a long time to achieve; if the product were to be left in the mold for that period, production levels would suffer. Processing metal powder molded products prior to sintering or final hardening is also a faster and easier process. For these products to be ejected from their molds and handled or finished, an acceptable level of green strength is required to prevent breakage.
Injection molded products are a good example of the importance of acceptable green resistance characteristics in materials. The molds used in injection molding are expensive and it is impractical to make hundreds of molds even for high production products. To maintain good production levels, the molded product must be removed as quickly as possible to allow the next item to be moulded. Most injection molding materials have a fairly long full cure cycle; they must show a fair amount of resilience to be expelled and transported quickly. It is here that the ecological strength of materials is essential for fast turnover.
Powder metallurgy is another industry that benefits from this type of rapid production cycle. This was not possible until recently due to limitations in the materials used; advances in the field, however, have introduced new raw materials and processes that ensure greater green strengths. It is now possible to produce metal powder molded products exhibiting a pre-sinter strength of between 3,500 and 6,000 psi pounds per square inch (psi). This allows these products to be handled or even processed before final hardening. Another powder molding industry that benefits from the high green strength of its materials is the ceramics industry, where fast turnarounds are possible with minimal product losses.
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