In the field of manufacturing parts made of a plastic material, it is known to use a plastic material which contains a solubilized gas in order to limit the amount of injected plastic material and the weight of the obtained part. Thus, during molding, the material is intended to undergo a foaming phase.
This method is known for implementing light parts.
However, the gain in weight may be considerably increased.
There are several systems for managing the final thickness of the part; however, these systems integrate complex mold opening kinematics.
In addition, an inherent limitation to the method of plastic injection with foaming is the management of undercut portions of the parts.
Indeed, due to the partial opening of the mold allowing foaming of the plastic material, the commonly-used molds do not allow making undercut areas.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds