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Plastic Moulding Processes - Rubber Moulding, Compression Moulding, Elastomer Moulding
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Compression moulding is commonly used for rubber moulding and elastomer products. Rubber moulding works by first placing the material in an open, heated mould cavity. The mould is closed with a top force or plug member, pressure is applied to force the material into contact with all mould areas, and heat and pressure are maintained until the moulding material has cured. The process employs thermosetting resins in a partially cured stage, either in the form of granules, putty-like masses, or preforms. Compression moulding is a high-volume, high-pressure method suitable for moulding complex, high-strength fibreglass reinforcements. Advanced composite thermoplastics can also be compression moulded with unidirectional tapes, woven fabrics, randomly orientated fibre mat or chopped strand. The advantage of compression moulding is its ability to mould large, fairly intricate parts. Compression moulding produces fewer knit lines and less fibre-length degradation than injection moulding.
Compression moulding is the only plastic moulding process that can mould thermosetting plastics because due to their cross-linked structure, pre-melting or heating as used in other moulding processes would make the product assume the wrong final shape, by 'curing' earlier in the process.
Compression moulding is used for rubber moulding, elastomer moulding and moulding of other thermosetting plastics.
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