Molded foam products are becoming increasingly widespread in various markets and for many different applications thanks to the many benefits of foam injection molding, particularly when using closed-cell foam. The reason? Molded foam products are exceptionally light, flexible, durable and resistant to water, UV rays and bacteria.
For product development teams looking to take advantage of the tremendous potential of closed-cell foam injection molding, it is important to choose the right foam injection molding manufacturer. Industrial designers need to work with specialized foam molded manufacturers that have proven track records in producing high-volume molded foam products. Opting for an inexperienced, unorganized or cheap EVA foam manufacturer can cause many issues, including: products that don’t correspond to the original design intent or specifications, complicated and inefficient design and production workflows, quality control problems, and costly recalls.
The best Injection Molded foam manufacturers will work closely with clients’ industrial design teams in order to create the right molded foam product for a specific market, customer segment and application. From the very first initial concepts for a molded foam product, the foam product manufacturer will guide industrial designers through certain CAD adjustments, material selection, product assembly and texture development. This tight collaboration means that the tooling and molds for the molded foam products will be perfect from the get-go and before any mass production. Furthermore, by taking into account all of the aforementioned factors upstream during the design process, industrial designer can hand off final the final CAD files to the injection molded foam manufacturer with confidence, knowing that the end result will be a high-quality production run of molded foam products. All on time and within budget!
The team at Foam Creations recently welcomed students from the CÉGEP de Sainte-Foy’s Industrial Design program to discuss how the partnership between industrial designers and foam molded manufacturers plays a critical role in developing quality mold foam products and accelerating a company’s time to market.
During the visit, Foam Creations’ foam experts explained to the future industrial designers the specificities of designing products using closed-cell injection molding processes, including different foam thicknesses, how to properly mold undercuts and the best draft angles for EVA molded foam products.
The group was then presented with the benefits of closed-cell, cross-linked foams, especially for medical equipment, aquatics products, sports protection, spa cushions, and more. Two of the industrial design students even shared their experience as interns at one of Foam Creations’ clients. They agreed that industrial design teams should leverage the expertise of seasoned EVA foam manufacturers to create quality, cost-effective molded foam products.
Have a particular project in mind for a molded foam product? Contact our team today!
Other interesting information about Foam Injection molding :
How to design your product with foam injection molding
Foam Injection molding : the best material for water products
What is it about Spa pillows : Everything
Why XL EXTRALIGHT® foam injection molding beats out other foam processes