Environmentally Friendly Solar Powered Products

RIM (Reaction Injection Molding) Tooling is a natural fit for the increased demand for more environmentally friendly products. RIM is at the forefront of this green energy material resource. All the reasons RIM is a “Green” product. There are numerous products that are currently produced using RIM tooling and production methods that have saved other natural resources from being depleted. The green energy sector is also one of the fasted growing energy markets from a global perspective.

What type of green products can be made with RIM?

EPW has produced many green energy product molds and parts for several companies in the U.S. over the past 2 years. Due to the increasing need to conserve material resources and the drive for more green products, RIM will continue to be on the leading edge of material choices. Current products EPW has produced from RIM Tooling include:

Encapsulated solar panels

Current manufacturing methods (what are they?) have a great deal of post labor associated with the final assembly of solar panel products. EPW has designed and built encapsulation molds for solar panels that allow the actual panel to be encapsulated in RIM which saves post labor and creates an excellent seal around the panel perimeter. Also, wiring modules and other components can be encapsulated during this RIM process to allow for consistency and accurately placed components into the assembly during molding. Might also want to say something about the durability of encapsulation vs post-molding additional labor steps.

Green product roofing tiles

Many states in fire prone areas have passed legislation that forces home owners to remove natural wood shingles from their home due to the ignition characteristics of wood shingle products when even a small ember makes contact. Additives are applied to the RIM formula which makes the roofing tiles even more fire resistant. EPW has designed and produced many molds that manufacture RIM shingles and roofing tiles that look exactly like natural wood. Pigment can be added to the RIM formula to provide for many different color patterns as well. In addition to the colored pigment that is added to the RIM formulation, it also has UV stability to inhibit discoloration of the product.

Windmill blade inserts

Wind energy is a rapidly growing industry. RIM can be used for many facets of the windmill assembly. RIM can reduce weight and add rigidity to components that otherwise would be more costly to produce in alternate materials. What are the alternate materials & why are they more costly.

Residential green product house trim

Consistent with the concerns of natural shingles in fire prone areas, trim pieces, roof caps, shutters and other products that are fire prone can also be made in the RIM process. Additives are applied to the RIM formula to hinder the product from catching on fire. In addition to the colored pigment that is added to the RIM formulation, UV stability additives are also added to inhibit discoloration of the product.

Green energy will continue to rapidly grow with increasing energy consumption. Solar and wind energy are essentially untapped green resources that have the ability to greatly impact and decrease our dependency on coal and fossil fuels. Why not choose a green material to produce green energy product? When weighing other material options vs. RIM it is easy to see why RIM products are winning out on more and more applications today and in the future. Everyday consumers are starting to ask if the green product they are purchasing is produced in an environmentally friendly manufacturing process. When a product is manufactured using the RIM process you can assure them that RIM is a greener process than alternative manufacturing processes.