Environmentally Friendly Manufacturing for Green Products

Many manufacturing methods can be used to create green products. Most manufacturing processes ironically are resource intensive while creating environmentally friendly products. RIM Tooling uses significantly less resources than other manufacturing processes. Because RIM consumes less resources to create products, it is considered one of the more “Green” manufacturing methods.

RIM Tooling Mold Materials are Recyclable

Materials like steel and aluminum are recyclable. This means that all the material removed in the creation of the mold are not thrown away. The material is collected and recycled.

RIM Plastic Materials are Recyclable

The material trimmed off a RIM plastic part mold does not need to go into a landfill. Scrapped plastic parts along with trim material (RIM does not produce many defective parts due to uniform fills) can be recycled.

Both Polyurethane and Urethane are recyclable. There are many recyclers that collect the material saving it from going into a landfill. The material is then used to create another product by a manufacturer that utilizes recycled material in their products. Often the material is either chopped up or reground for re-purposing into new products.

The RIM Process Has Less Defective Parts

The nature of Polyurethane and Urethane is to be slow and even flowing. A well designed RIM Tool utilizes the flow rate correctly provided the molder has the materials mixed correctly. Our affiliate company creates Mix Heads that ensure an even flow every time. A correctly designed RIM Tool along with even material mixtures result in to specification plastic parts.

RIM Tooling uses Less Mold Material

In many cases inserts can be used to make design changes to the RIM Tool. This means that the majority of the mold block material can be reused and not require the energy consumption an entire new mold would consume.

This is also a good idea to look into if you have multiple projects with similar styles or varied cavitation needs.

Faster Mold Creation

Aluminum, and epoxy RIM Tooling molds often can be built in half the time of other molding processes. Lowered build times use less overall resources from facility energy to machine cutting time. RIM Tooling creates dimensionally stable plastic parts that are molded using less energy to produce due to lower clamp pressure, lower mold temperatures and less scrap over other manufacturing methods.

Reduction of Secondary Processes

Encapsulation and Over Molding inserts put into the RIM Tool before the mold is filled helps eliminate a secondary process like post molding assembly.

Encapsulation is easily done on electronic boards, wires, glass enclosures (VMW specializes in Glass Encapsulation as part of our RIM Tooling capabilities) and other components because of the low pressure and low heat used by the RIM process.

Many times encapsulated threaded inserts can eliminate a great deal of post mold labor by including these components in the RIM molding process thus saving the molder and end consumer cost on the overall product.

Lower Heat and Clamp Pressure

Less heat means that the tool does not take as long to heat up or cool down. Less clamping pressure on the mold / tool means that the machine does not have to work as hard to keep the mold closed therefore reducing overall energy consumption.