Trexel Inc.'s MuCell microcellular foam process is branching into the structural foam equipment market while fishing for new uses in injection molding.
Uniloy Milacron, a Manchester, Mich.-based division of Milacron Inc., has obtained exclusive rights to incorporate the MuCell process into its structural foam equipment.
The process uses tiny bubbles measuring 5-10 microns, enabling component weight to be reduced up to 50 percent and lowering product density, post blow and cycle time, Ed Hunerberg, executive director of structural foam machinery business for Milacron, said by telephone April 12.
Uniloy Milacron is in the process of designing equipment with 400-2,500 tons of clamping force with MuCell capability. Testing of the machinery to show the benefits of the process should yield results by August. Hunerberg expects the machinery to be on the market by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, popularity of MuCell in conjunction with injection molding has soared since its introduction at the K show in Dusseldorf, Germany, last October.
Engel Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH of Schwertberg, Austria, has expanded its initial agreement with Trexel to include North America, said Franz Strohmeyer, vice president of engineering at Engle Canada Inc.
Engel opened a development center in Schwertberg several months ago and will add a center in Guelph, Ontario, in May, he said. The centers will focus on devising new uses for MuCell in injection molding.
Trexel is based in Woburn, Mass.
