Your Name: Your Email: Resin: Estimated Life of Program: Estimated Annual Volume: Estimated Order Quantities (if Low Volume Molding Project): Target Price (Tooling/Piece Part): Message Attach a File ❌ ❌

This alternative has proven to be cost-effective, offers flexibility in its design, produces less scrap material, can be molded into far more complex shapes than metal, and has lighter finished products. In some instances, the reduced weight can be up to 50%.

EPP is a plastic injection molding product that is used across various industries. Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) is a trustworthy and well-tested material used in a wide variety of industrial applications.

Midwest Mold offers a cost-effective solution to challenges caused by parts that require the use of two different plastics. 2 Shot injection molding is a process that molds one part using two different plastic resins. This enabling technology allows you to use two colors of plastics or to integrate both hard and soft plastics into one part without any post-molding assembly.

Thanks to its lightweight, structural, thermal, and acoustic insulation properties, EPP helps to increase performance and reduce the cost of manufacturing equipment in the HVACR sector.

The current global plastic injection molding market is valued at $473.4 Billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.5% between 2020 and 2027. The primary market of these products is the automotive industry, however, plastic injection molding in the HVAC industry is becoming quite popular.

The installation process for the EPP ducts and fittings is very fast and simple and does not require any additional elements as they attach quite easily. In the event that additional slings are needed, this would simply entail the use of standard clamps.

These EPP ducts and fittings are evidently user-friendly. They are very easy to transport and they offer optimal results in terms of the production cost.

The HVAC industry has been increasing the implementation of expanded polypropylene – EPP in their products. The metallic alternatives used in the past would not only be heavier but also required an extra layer of insulation. Some advantages include:

EPP properties are perfect for heat recovery systems because of their high resistance to heat, they are sealed, they act as insulators, and they would not have any issues around rust and mold. Furthermore, the technical parts of EPPs are 100% recyclable.

The materials often used to manufacture exterior and interior injection molded components to serve this industry include polypropylene, polyethylene, and polycarbonate. The products can also be enhanced using hot stamping and color dyes.

By utilizing cutting-edge materials, manufacturers like K&B have been able to produce parts for water heaters, furnaces, air conditioner compressors, electrical covers, blowers, draft inductors, inducers, and a number of other components that regenerate gases and remove heat.

Another advantage is the ability to cut these elements with hand tools. One example provided here by one of our manufacturers is that a 90-degree bend can simply be cut in half to produce two 45-degree bends.

The thermal conductivity of EPPs is at λ = 0.036-0,040 [W/m*k], which is low enough to eliminate the need for thermal bridges. Additionally, the EPP ducts and fittings will be connected by the use of a muff, which would ensure that the elements are tight. Manufacturers produce these with varying lengths and diameters, so that they may be applicable across various products and even industries.

2 shot injection molding reduces the number of machines and molds required to mold two materials together into one part, and it minimizes part handling, all of which can add up to lower costs. In addition to financial benefits, 2 shot molding can provide:

Thermoplastics made for the HVAC industry are able to endure harsh conditions such as the blower assemblies where they would come into contact with hydrochloric acid. In contrast to sheet metal, this plastic is virtually unaffected by acid exposure.

Midwest Mold specializes in the design and build of 2 shot plastic injection molds and has successfully manufactured pre-production and production tooling for structural, water management, crash impact and noise reduction applications.

With 2 shot molding, parts can include a clear window, integrated gaskets, movable segments, water shields, or sound or vibration reduction.

2 shot plastic injection molding enables the use of dissimilar resins to be used in a multi-part assembly. In some instances, a 2 shot mold application may include different colors and also soft and hard materials assembled together in in a single part.  Some of the benefits of 2 shot plastic injection molding include elimination of post-molding assembly, fewer injection molding machines to make a single part and reduced part handling by operators by utilizing a single molding operation.

For questions regarding our quote form, data transfers or our FTP site for large files, please contact our data coordinator midwestmold@midwestmold.com.