Woodland Blog
What Materials are Thermosets?
Thermoset Plastics are a niche grade of molding material compared to common engineered thermoplastics such as PA66 (nylons), ABS, Polypropylene. While thermosets are much less known, they have actually been around much longer. The first plastic material created, bakelite, created by Leo Baekeland in 1907 was a type of thermoset composite. Despite use dating back […]
Gate Types in Thermoset Injection Molding
In an injection molding process, material flows from the molding machine into the mold cavity with a sprue or runner channel system. The area where the runner meets the molded part is called the gate. In thermoset injection molding, mold designers and processors have various gate options at their disposal to mold acceptable parts with […]
Inserts in Thermoset Molding
Molded thermoset composites provide end products and assemblies with excellent material performance in dimensional stability, heat resistance, and electrical properties. With it’s dimensional stability and stiffness to molded parts, manufacturers generally utilize inserts as fastening mechanisms to mate multiple parts in an assembly. Whereas thermoplastics can be designed with locking mechanisms and snap fits, thermosets […]
Using Molded Thermosets for Outdoor Applications
As a performance-based material, thermoset molded parts are resistant to heat up to 400-500F, corrosion, and chemicals. These properties lend thermosets to be used in a variety of end markets. One market using thermosets is outdoor applications. Components and products that live, or are used, in the outdoors must stand up to aggressive weather elements […]
Deflashing Thermosets
One of the main differences between molding thermosets and thermoplastics is that thermoset molded parts must be deflashed after they are formed, whereas thermoplastics are molded without flash. Flash is excess material from the material needed to form a full part. In order to mold a full part, thermosets must be molded with flash, otherwise […]
Using Molded Thermosets in Automotive
As a performance-based material, thermosets offer molded components with corrosion resistance, chemical resistance, and durability within high heat and operating temperatures. This durability allows thermosets to be used in applications exposed to tough environments where thermoplastic components could degrade or compromise the safety and performance of a product assembly. Industries such as the automotive, electrical, […]
Thermoset Molding for Corrosive Environments
A big difference between molded thermoplastic (nylon, ABS, polypropylene, etc.) parts and thermoset (BMC, phenolic) parts is the performance properties the molding material provides a part with. Whereas thermoplastics can be remelted and remolded, a molded thermoset part cannot be remelted and re-molded a second time. This is due to the chemistry composition thermosets exude. […]
Injection Molding with Thermosets
With history dating back to the original Bakelite plastic in the 1900s, thermoset plastics have been molded into parts and components for many decades. While thermosets have historically been formed with a compression molding process, thermoset production has evolved as new molding technologies have been discovered and advanced over the years. Currently, thermoset materials can […]
Why Flash is Required in Thermoset Molding
One major difference between thermoset molding and thermoplastic molding is the appearance of parts coming out of the press. While both thermoset and thermoplastic materials may be formed using similar molding processes (injection, compression, or insert molded), thermoset molded parts must be molded with excess flash, or plastic material, around the parts in order to […]
Manufacturing ERP Software for Real-Time Production Data
What is a manufacturing ERP system? Manufacturing ERP is a business management software system that streamlines manufacturing operations and data to provide a real-time view of its core business processes. While manufacturers can tailor their own ERP applications to relevant avenues of their manufacturing operations, some common applications included in a manufacturing ERP system may […]
