Feasibility of an Innovative Structural Foam Injection Moulding Technology using Super-Heated Water as the Foaming Agent – Foamtech

FoamTech Systems Ltd是TRC集团公司的一部分，该集团公司利用科学、工程、创意和人工智能开发创新的技术解决方案，以解决“现实世界”的工业、农业和食品问题。近4年来，FTS一直致力于用更无害的物质取代危险发泡剂的技术。我们已经尝试了几种方法，以不同的方式和形式将各种物质引入熔融的聚合物中。本提案中描述的泡沫技术工艺显示出最有希望的前景，我们现在能够进一步探索该工艺的可行性，以期将其发展成市场就绪的技术。结构热塑性泡沫塑料成型的零件比固体塑料轻得多，强度与重量比高。汽车行业是结构性泡沫增长的主要驱动力，因为终身节能和二氧化碳节约推动了对轻质部件的需求。因此，对泡沫塑料的需求越来越大，但也需要良好的表面光洁度。在S-O-A中，发泡部件是通过使用化学发泡剂或气体(氢氟碳化物、丁烷、氮气或二氧化碳)的注射成型形式生产的。这些发泡工艺由于工艺压力低、发泡剂吸热和零件表面形成气泡而无法获得良好的表面光洁度，通常具有特征的漩涡图案，阻碍了该技术用于高质量的表面光洁度零件。发泡技术是一种创新的新工艺，用于制造高质量的表面光洁度发泡零件。我们的创新工艺将一种新物质引入熔融聚合物中，通过控制膨胀进入气体来创建泡沫结构。与固体部件相比，泡沫塑料可节省50%的重量(聚合物较少)、20%以上的周期时间(较少散热)和30%以上的节能(较少的热量投入)。泡沫科技的目标是通过非发泡的外壳提供比S-O-A更好的表面处理，因此这将至关重要地满足汽车行业的需求。预计它将提供比其他开发项目更好的泡沫分布。这项技术将使英国的注塑商不再需要昂贵的、对环境有害的发泡剂，如氢氟碳化物、二氧化碳、氮气和危险丁烷，从而降低泡沫塑料零件的成本，并将对环境的影响降至最低。这些优势将使英国的铸造商在后COVID经济中更具竞争力。

FoamTech Systems Ltd is part of The TRC group of companies which develops innovative technological solutions to 'real world' Industrial, Agriculture and Food problems using science, engineering, creativity and AI to develop these solutions. FTS has been working on the technology to replace hazardous foaming agents with a more benign substance for almost 4 years. We have tried several methods for introducing a variety of substances into the molten polymer in various ways and forms. The Foamtech process described in this proposal has shown the most promise, and we are now in a position to explore the feasibility of the process further with the view to developing it into a market ready technology. Structural thermoplastic foam-moulded parts are much lighter, with high strength-to-weight ratio than solid plastic. The automotive sector is the main driver to structural foam growth as lifetime energy & CO2 savings drive the need for lightweight components. So, there is growing demand for foam mouldings, but there is a need for good surface finish. In S-O-A, foamed parts are produced by a form of injection moulding using a chemical blowing agent or gas (HFCs, Butane, N2 or CO2). These foaming processes fail to achieve good surface finish due to low process pressure, heat absorption by blowing agent and bubbles forming at part surface, often with a characteristic swirl pattern preventing use of this technology for good quality surface finish parts. Foamtech is an innovative new process to make good quality surface finish foamed parts. Our innovative process introduces a novel substance into molten polymer to create the foamed structure by controlled expansion into a gas. Foamtech offers 50% weight saving (less polymer), 20%+ cycle time reduction (less heat to remove) & 30%+ energy savings (less heat put in) over solid parts. Foamtech aims to provide generally better finish than the S-O-A by virtue of the un-foamed skin, so this crucially would meet automotive sector needs. It is expected to offer better bubble distribution than is seen in other developments. This technology will enable UK moulders to reduce the cost of foam-moulded parts and minimize environmental impact by eliminating need for expensive, environmentally harmful blowing agents such as HFCs, CO2, N2 and hazardous Butane. These advantages will enable UK moulders to be more competitive in a post-COVID economy.