LARGE-PART ENGINEERED BLOW MOLDING: THE STATE OF THE ART.

Activity in materials and machinery development over the past two years has led to commercialization and advanced prototyping of large blow molded structural parts made from engineering resins, such as office furniture, mainframe computer cabinets and panels, backpack frames, and automotive bumpers and spoilers. Parts consolidation, lower molding pressures, smaller machines, less expensive tooling, and shorter tooling lead times are just a few of the reasons why large-part engineered blow molding is evolving from a curiosity to a viable production alternative to injection molding of large parts. In addition, the process permits designing hollow or double-wall parts, molding in inserts, incorporating structural strength by 'tacking' together double-wall surfaces, and exploiting the inherent thermal and physical properties afforded by engineering resins.