Variothermal injection molding is a type of injection molding process that uses a unique heating and cooling process to produce parts with improved mechanical properties and reduced stress. This process involves varying the temperature of the mold cavity during the injection molding process to optimize the crystallization behavior of the polymer.
One of the main benefits of using variothermal injection molding is that it can produce parts with fine microstructures. By carefully controlling the temperature during the molding process, it is possible to promote the formation of smaller, more uniform crystals in the polymer material. This can result in improved mechanical properties such as higher tensile strength, better impact resistance, and increased stiffness.
In addition to improved microstructures, variothermal injection molding can also result in reduced residual stress in the finished part. By gradually cooling the part in the mold, the stresses that can build up in the material during the cooling process are minimized. This can result in parts with improved dimensional stability and reduced warping or distortion.
The performance and capabilities of injection moulding can be improved by applying a vario thermal system. This could lead to a better component quality, usefull for example high aspect-ratio features.
Vario thermal can eliminate weld lines, reduce residual stresses, will improve the feature replication and can help to increase the polymer flow, however it also often results in an increase of the cycle time, which is not ideal for mass production.
