Low pressure sensor tech ‘moulds the unmouldable’ – and now in higher volumes
X2F, a US-based supplier of a patented low-pressure injection moulding technology, says its latest development will allow for higher production volumes.
X2F’s technology (extrude-to-fill – hence the name) uses a combination of sensors and electric heat to carefully control the viscosity, and gradually build to optimal fill pressure within the mould. While this may open up opportunities for moulding complex parts (and difficult-to-work-with materials) it may not be as fast as conventional moulding.
Now however, X2F has added a rotary table to its machines, which which reduces cycle times and opens up higher-volume production for its controlled viscosity moulding machine.
X2F claims that the rotary table enables the machines to “reach production volumes of up to four million parts per year, depending on the cycle time”.
The nature of the technology makes it suited to electronic parts and complex medical applications.
“Our technology enables the manufacture of previously impossible-to-mould thermoplastic parts that provide step-change improvements in thermal conductivity, EMI shielding, and high-temperature capability in electronics,” said Michael Slowik, CEO of X2F. “Key applications in electric vehicle batteries, metaverse hardware, and mobile phones are driving customer engagement.”
X2F claims its new moulding technology enables the manufacture of complex product designs using previously “unmouldable” materials from prototyping to production-scale. The controlled viscosity process reduces material degradation and moulded-in stress, the company claims.
The process also allows for the use of greater amounts of filler and additives than is currently possible.
Current applications that use the machines include optics, overmoulded electronics, and highly-filled engineering resins.
For highly-filled resins like polyetheretherketone (PEEK), X2F says the process permits increased glass or carbon fibre loadings, which may improve strength and stiffness by 20%.