Rotational Molding: 1 History 2 Equipment and Tooling
Rotational Molding: 1 History 2 Equipment and Tooling
Rotational Molding: 1 History 2 Equipment and Tooling
1
2 2 EQUIPMENT AND TOOLING
the plastic inside each mold.[3] long narrow parts. Some are of the clamshell type, thus
Molds (or tooling) are either fabricated from welded sheet one arm, but there are also shuttle-type Rock & Roll ma-
steel or cast. The fabrication method is often driven by chines, with two arms. Each arm rotates or rolls the mold
part size and complexity; most intricate parts are likely 360 degrees in one direction and at the same time tips
made out of cast tooling. Molds are typically manufac- and rocks the mold 45 degrees above or below horizon-
tured from stainless steel or aluminum. Aluminum molds tal in the other direction. Newer machines use forced hot
are usually much thicker than an equivalent steel mold, as air to heat the mold. These machines are best for large
it is a softer metal. This thickness does not aect cycle parts that have large length-to-width ratio. Because of
the smaller heating chambers, there is a saving in heating
times signicantly since aluminums thermal conductiv-
ity is many times greater than steel. Due to the need to costs compared to bi-axial machines.[4]
develop a model prior to casting, cast molds tend to have
additional costs associated with the manufacturing of the 2.2.2 Clamshell machine
tooling, whereas fabricated steel or aluminum molds, par-
ticularly when used for less complex parts, are less expen- This is a single arm rotational molding machine. The arm
sive. However, some molds contain both aluminum and is usually supported by other arms on both ends. The
steel. This allows for variable thicknesses in the walls clamshell machine heats and cools the mold in the same
of the product. While this process is not as precise as chamber. It takes up less space than equivalent shuttle and
injection molding, it does provide the designer with more swing arm rotational molders. It is low in cost compared
options. The aluminum addition to the steel provides to the size of products made. It is available in smaller
more heat capacity, causing the melt-ow to stay in a uid scales for schools interested in prototyping and for high
state for a longer period. quality models. More than one mold can be attached to
the single arm.[5]
2.1 Standard setup and equipment for ro-
tational molding 2.2.3 Vertical or up & over rotational machine
Normally all rotation molding systems have a number of The loading and unloading area is at the front of the ma-
parts including molds, oven, cooling chamber and mold chine between the heating and cooling areas. These ma-
spindles. The molds are used to create the part, and are chines vary in size between small to medium compared
typically made of aluminium. The quality and nish of to other rotational machines. Vertical rotational molding
the product is directly related to the quality of the mold machines are energy ecient due to their compact heat-
being used. The oven is used to heat the part while also ing and cooling chambers. These machines have the same
rotating the part to form the part desired. The cooling (or similar) capabilities as the horizontal carousel multi-
chamber is where the part is placed until it cools, and the arm machines, but take up a much less space.[6]
spindles are mounted to rotate and provide a uniform coat
of plastic inside each mold.
2.2.4 Shuttle machine
2.2 Rotational molding Machines Most shuttle machines have two arms that moves the
molds back and forth between the heating chamber and
2.2.1 Rock and roll machine cooling station. The arms are independent of each other
and they turn the molds bi-axially. In some cases, the
shuttle machine has only one arm. This machine moves
the mold in a linear direction in and out of heating and
cooling chambers. It is low in cost for the size of product
produced and the footprint is kept to a minimum com-
pared to other types of machines. It is also available in
smaller scale for schools and prototyping.[5]
are very useful for companies that have long cooling cy-
cles or require a lot of time to demold parts, compared
to the cook time. It is a lot easier to schedule mainte-
nance work or try to run a new mold without interrupting
production on the other arms of the machine.
3 Production process
Molded Part
Mold
Polyester
7.2 Designing for rotational molding
Polystyrene
Another consideration is in the draft angles. These are re-
Polyurethane quired to remove the piece from the mold. On the outside
walls, a draft angle of 1 may work (assuming no rough
Silicone
surface or holes). On inside walls, such as the inside of a
Various foods (especially chocolate) boat hull, a draft angle of 5 may be required.[14] This is
due to shrinkage and possible part warping.
Another consideration is of structural support ribs. While
5.1 Natural materials solid ribs may be desirable and achievable in injection
molding and other processes, a hollow rib is the best solu-
Recently it has become possible to use natural materials tion in rotational molding.[15] A solid rib may be achieved
in the molding process. Through the use of real sands and through inserting a nished piece in the mold but this adds
stone chip, sandstone composite can be created which is cost.
80% natural non-processed material.
Rotational molding excels at producing hollow parts.
Rotational molding of plaster is used to produce hollow However, care must be taken when this is done. When the
statuettes. depth of the recess is greater than the width there may be
Chocolate is rotationally molded to form hollow treats. problems with even heating and cooling. Additionally,
enough room must be left between the parallel walls to
allow for the melt-ow to properly move throughout the
6 Products mold. Otherwise webbing may occur. A desirable par-
allel wall scenario would have a gap at least three times
the nominal wall thickness, with ve times the nominal
Designers can select the best material for their appli- wall thickness being optimal. Sharp corners for parallel
cation, including materials that meet U.S. Food and walls must also be considered. With angles of less than
Drug Administration (FDA) requirements. Additives for 45 bridging, webbing, and voids may occur.[16]
weather resistance, ame retardation, or static elimina-
tion can be incorporated. Inserts, graphics, threads, han-
dles, minor undercuts, at surfaces without draft angles, 7.3 Material limitations and considera-
or ne surface detail can be part of the design. Designs tions
can also be multi-wall, either hollow or foam lled.
Products that can be manufactured using rotational mold- Another consideration is the melt-ow of materials. Cer-
ing include storage tanks, furniture, road signs and bol- tain materials, such as nylon, will require larger radii than
lards, planters, pet houses, toys, bins and refuse contain- other materials. Additionally, the stiness of the set ma-
ers, doll parts, road cones, footballs, helmets, canoes, terial may be a factor. More structural and strengthen-
rowing boats, kayak hulls and playground slides. The pro- ing measures may be required when a imsy material is
cess is also used to make highly specialised products, in- used.[17]
cluding UN-approved containers for the transportation of
nuclear ssile materials,[9] anti-piracy ship protectors,[10]
seals for inatable oxygen masks[11] and lightweight com- 7.4 Wall thickness
ponents for the aerospace industry.[12]
One benet of rotational molding is the ability to exper-
iment, particularly with wall thicknesses. Cost is entirely
dependent on wall thickness, with thicker walls being
7 Design considerations costlier and more time consuming to produce. While the
wall thickness can be nearly any thickness, designers must
7.1 Product design remember that the thicker the wall, the more material and
time will be required, increasing costs. In some cases, the
There are many considerations for a designer when de- plastics may signicantly degrade due to extended peri-
signing a part. Which factors are most important to a ods at high temperature. Also, dierent materials have
client? For instance, a part may need to be cheap and a dierent thermal conductivity, meaning they require dif-
certain color. However, if another color is cheaper, would ferent times in the heating chamber and cooling chamber.
6 8 PROCESS: ADVANTAGES, LIMITATIONS, AND MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS
Ideally, the part will be tested to use the minimum thick- be swapped quickly or dierent colors can be used with-
ness required for the application. This minimum will then out purging the mold. With other processes, purging may
be established as a nominal thickness.[18] be required to swap colors.
For the designer, while variable thicknesses are possible, Due to the uniform thicknesses achieved, large stretched
a process called stop rotation is required. This process is sections are nonexistent, which makes large thin panels
limited in that only one side of the mold may be thicker possible (although warping may occur). Also, there is lit-
than the others. After the mold is rotated and all the sur- tle ow of plastic (stretching) but rather a placing of the
faces are suciently coated with the melt-ow, the ro- material within the part. These thin walls also limit cost
tation stops and the melt-ow is allowed to pool at the and production time.
bottom of the mold cavity.[18] Another cost advantage with rotational molding is the
Wall thickness is important for corner radii as well. Large minimal amount of material wasted in production. There
outside radii are preferable to small radii. Large inside are no sprues or runners (as in injection molding), no o-
radii are also preferable to small inside radii. This al- cuts (thermoforming), or pinch o scrap (blow molding).
lows for a more even ow of material and a more even What material is wasted, through scrap or failed part test-
wall thickness. However, an outside corner is generally ing, can usually be recycled.
stronger than an inside corner.[18]
8.2 Limitations
8 Process: advantages, limitations, Rotationally molded parts have to follow some restric-
and material requirements tions that are dierent from other plastic processes. As it
is a low pressure process, sometimes designers face hard
to reach areas in the mold. Good quality powder may
8.1 Advantages help overcome some situations, but usually the design-
ers have to keep in mind that it is not possible to make
Rotational molding oers design advantages over other sharp threads that would be possible with injection mold-
molding processes. With proper design, parts assembled ing. Some products based on polyethylene can be put in
from several pieces can be molded as one part, eliminat- the mold before lling it with the main material. This can
ing high fabrication costs. The process also has inher- help to avoid holes that otherwise would appear in some
ent design strengths, such as consistent wall thickness and areas. This could also be achieved using molds with mov-
strong outside corners that are virtually stress free. For able sections.
additional strength, reinforcing ribs can be designed into
the part. Along with being designed into the part, they Another limitation lies in the molds themselves. Unlike
can be added to the mold. other processes where only the product needs to be cooled
before being removed, with rotational molding the entire
The ability to add prenished pieces to the mold alone is a mold must be cooled. While water cooling processes are
large advantage. Metal threads, internal pipes and struc- possible, there is still a signicant down time of the mold.
tures, and even dierent colored plastics can all be added
Additionally, this increases both nancial and environ-
to the mold prior to the addition of plastic pellets. How- mental costs. Some plastics will degrade with the long
ever, care must be taken to ensure that minimal shrinkage
heating cycles or in the process of turning them into a
while cooling will not damage the part. This shrinking al- powder to be melted.
lows for mild undercuts and negates the need for ejection
mechanisms (in most pieces). The stages of heating and cooling involve transfer of heat
rst from the hot medium to the polymer material and
In some cases rotational molding can be used as a feasible next from it to the cooling environment. In both cases,
alternative to blow molding, this is due to the similarity in the process of heat transfer occurs in an unsteady regime;
product outputs, with products such as plastic bottles and therefore, its kinetics attracts the greatest interest in con-
cylindrical containers, this is only eective on a smaller sidering these steps. In the heating stage, the heat taken
scale as it much more costly to blow mold regarding a from the hot gas is absorbed both by the mold and the
small output, and with fewer resulting products rotational polymer material. The rig for rotational molding usually
molding is much cheaper, due to blow molding relying on has a relatively small wall thickness and is manufactured
economies of scale regarding eciency. from metals with a high thermal conductivity (aluminum,
Another advantage lies in the molds themselves. Since steel). As a rule, the mold transfers much more heat than
they require less tooling, they can be manufactured and plastic can absorb; therefore, the mold temperature must
put into production much more quickly than other mold- vary linearly. The rotational velocity in rotational mold-
ing processes. This is especially true for complex parts, ing is rather low (4 to 20 rpm). As a result, in the rst
which may require large amounts of tooling for other stages of the heating cycle, the charged material remains
molding processes. Rotational molding is also the desired as a powder layer at the bottom of the mold. The most
process for short runs and rush deliveries. The molds can convenient way of changing the cycle is by applying PU
9.1 Bibliography 7
Due to the nature of the process, materials selection must [18] Beall 1998, p. 70.
take into account the following:
12.2 Images
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