Linde Plastics Technology Can Cut Costs and Slash Cycle Times

MURRAY HILL and NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J., Feb. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Linde LLC is helping plastic injection molders reduce cycle times, increase production and solve hot spot challenges with advanced carbon dioxide (CO₂) or liquid nitrogen supply and control systems, featured at NPE 2015 in Orlando, Fla., March 23-27, Booth S33188. 

Linde will also promote its solvent-free CRYOCLEAN® Snow cleaning system that can remove many types of residue from parts prior to painting and clean molds with a stream of dry ice particles.  The CO₂ cleaning process can eliminate process steps and reduce floor space requirements currently needed in water cleaning methods.

For makers of PS / XPS foams, Linde will feature an eco-friendly alternative to hydrocarbon blowing agents.

Linde's PLASTINUM™ family of precision metering, cooling, pressure boosting and control systems include:

1. Cost-effective, high-pressure CO₂ system for enhanced Gas-Assist Injection Molding (eGAIM)
2. High-pressure nitrogen boosting system for traditional Gas-Assist Injection Molding (GAIM)
3. Spot cooling system for mold hot spots
4. High-pressure CO₂ metering system for extrusion foaming

Precision cooling and pressurizing systems are important for manufacturing a range of engineered plastics parts for automotive, medical, aerospace, electronics, appliance and MIL-spec applications. Inert gases may cool the polymer products from in- or outside a mold, or just focus on a specific hot spot.

eGAIM Shortens the Cooling Cycle
This new gas assist technology developed by Linde leverages the pressure and cooling attributes of liquid CO₂ to reduce cycle times of hollow-channeled parts such as handles from the inside.  The patented eGAIM system has been shown to reduce cooling cycles by 30 percent or more compared to nitrogen systems.  (Linde also offers liquid nitrogen systems for traditional GAIM processes.)

"The use of CO₂ in gas-assist injection molding is new to the plastics industry, especially in the U.S.," says Jim Stanley, program manager, plastics industry program manager for Linde.  "Our high-pressure injection system helps our customers to rapidly complete the mold fill for faster mold release, better surface characteristics and more repeatable parts quality."

CO₂ Spot Cooling Cuts Mold Cycle Times
The cooling of long, thin cores, fillets, ejectors or difficult to reach parts often leads to problems.  Linde's proprietary CO₂ spot cooling helps achieve more uniform cooling across the part geometry.  As developed by Linde with manufacturers around the world, spot cooling has in some cases cut cycle times by up to 50 percent.

High-tech, cryogenic gas technology provides rapid cooling using inert gases, such as liquid carbon dioxide (CO₂), or nitrogen (N₂), for molding, extruding and foaming applications. Linde can provide turnkey solutions and supply both CO₂ and N₂ through its nationwide distribution network.

XPS/PUR Foaming with CO₂ Cuts Hydrocarbons
High-efficiency CO₂ blowing agents for extruded polystyrene (XPS) and polyurethane (PUR) foaming can reduce or eliminate the need for flammable blowing agents, such as pentane and butane and other ozone-depleting compounds.

The Linde plastics team reviews processing challenges and develops solutions for injection-molding, foaming and plastic part painting and coating, as well as manufacturers and designers of plastics parts.  For more information, visit NPE Booth S33188 (www.lindeplastics.com), or call 800-755-9277.

About Linde LLC in North America
Linde LLC is a member of The Linde Group. In the 2013 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of USD 23.1 bn (EUR 16.655 bn), making it the largest gases and engineering company in the world with approximately 63,500 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, visit www.lindeus.com

SOURCE Linde North America

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http://www.lindeus.com