Engel is improving the cost effectiveness of structural foam molding with its new e-foam XL gas supply units that support multiple production cells.

A Defra spokesperson said the firm's expansion would "positively impact the supply chain by keeping costs to local food production and transport down, which also reduces fuel consumption".

Henry Pringle, chief operating officer of Constellation Cold Logistics, HSH's parent company, said the organisation was “crying out for this new capacity and funding”.

A seafood cold storage firm has been awarded £5m of government cash to expand its business as part of a national scheme to boost the UK's fishing industry.

Among other things, a new tool technology is responsible for this leap in development. Ceramic coatings in the cavities prevent the otherwise typical foam streaks, weld lines, tiger stripes, or gloss differences from appearing on the surface of the foam molded part. Additionally, different surface structures can be created directly in the injection mold via the cavity coating.

Meanwhile, Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said: "It's great news for the region and great news for the fisheries sector. It's one of those core industries that everybody loves to see flourish.

Structural foam molding is more popular than ever. It saves raw material, energy, and weight, supporting the objective of producing and using plastic parts in a more sustainable way. At K 2022, Engel (hall 15, booth C58) is presenting a new technology for plastics processors who produce parts in parallel on several production cells using the structural foam molding process.

HSH Cold Stores Limited in Grimsby, which stores and transports frozen and chilled fish food products, said it wanted to expand and modernise its current facility to a 32,700-pallet space as part of a £33m project.

Defra said there was "a lack of major cold storage expansion in the area", with some seafood processors in Grimsby having to rely on cold storage facilities in Peterborough and elsewhere in the Midlands.

Whereas each injection molding machine previously required its own gas supply, Engel now offers the e-foam XL multi, a central unit for supplying several injection molding machines with highly compressed nitrogen for structural foam molding. Only the plasticizing and control technology remain decentralized on the individual machines. This new solution sees Engel significantly reduce the capital outlay for structural foam molding and makes a major contribution to reducing unit costs. The new modular Engel e-foam XL multi systems, based on Trexel's MuCell technology, are offered exclusively by Engel.

Together with Tier 1 supplier Faurecia, Engel is demonstrating the potential of structural foam molding technology at its K booth. Sample parts with a sophisticated surface structure are being produced on an Engel duo 1000 injection molding machine. The new MicroJect Advanced process developed by Faurecia Interiors (Hagenbach, Germany) and Eschmann Textures International (Gummersbach, Germany) is being used in this application. The process makes it possible to produce lightweight, visible components with a high-quality Class A surface using only structural foam molding.

In general, structural foam molding requires less energy and raw material, and uses lower clamping forces, than conventional injection molding. The dissolved blowing agent improves flowability of the molten plastic. In addition, the foam molding pressure, which is independent of the location, enables molding of thicker ribs. These effects can be used to reduce wall thickness, which has a positive effect on the required cooling time and, in turn, on the cycle time.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said its cash injection came from a £20m fund to help the UK fishing industry and would create more than 60 new jobs in the town.

HSH Cold Stores said the money would help secure Grimsby's position for "fish and seafood trading and processing within the UK" and prevent the sector from moving overseas.

In addition, new materials developed by Faurecia Interiors for structural foam molding contribute to the surface quality. An IniCycle talc-filled polypropylene grade with 30% recycled material content will be processed during the K show. IniCycle is suitable for all physical and chemical foam molding processes.

"That's only going to be able to continue if we’ve got facilities like this. Without these kind of facilities, unfortunately that kind of trade will move to the continent."

"We all love fish and chips and I think building on facilities like this brings new jobs, it brings levelling up to communities and it secures the future."

Further, the combination of new system technology by Engel and MicroJect Advanced leverages unprecedented efficiency and sustainability potential in structural foam molding, according to Engel. Structural foam molded parts no longer need to be painted, and there is no need for additional energy-intensive process technology, such as intermittent mold heating, for parts in customer-facing applications.