Liquid Molding Monthly

The world is suffering a raw material shortage, and its effects will likely continue for the foreseeable future. The plastics industry, in particular, has continued to be impacted by labor shortages, higher demand, and a restored import tax on resins. Plastic resins, the primary material utilized in everything from packaging to automobile parts, have increased […]

Resin coatings are extremely useful in commercial and industrial settings and even in the art world. Resins are commonly used to coat surfaces like concrete floors or countertops, create high-gloss finishes, and make repairs. Two of the most common resins are epoxies and polyurethanes. Generally, epoxies are rigid, while polyurethanes will typically be more elastic. […]

Filters are an essential component to entire industries, manufacturing facilities, processes, and in some cases, the end products themselves. Filters are enabling the tools and devices that are essential to defeating this invisible enemy we are now facing: Covid-19.

Over the past year, the wood and resin craft market has hit its stride. A quick search on Etsy or YouTube yields thousands of results. We’ve fielded numerous calls from artists, furniture makers, and entrepreneurs trying to find a good epoxy to use for casting river tables, wood/resin jewelry, lamps, and various other artistic endeavors. […]

Part 2: Casting the Unicorn In part 1 of this how-to guide, we showed you how we created the silicone mold using Hapsil™ 360. In part 2, we will go through the steps and materials needed to cast a water clear part out of Ultraclear™ 480N-40, using Hapco’s X-80 Molding Chamber and X-Vac™ Chamber. Ultraclear™ […]

In this article, we show you step by step, how to duplicate a complex pattern using Hapco’s high performance materials and equipment.

There are many specialty resins that are formulated for highly-engineered applications, and because of their unique chemistries, they have a thicker viscosity than other products, making them a bit trickier to process. This article offers helpful advice to those who need to process a thicker viscosity resin in order to meet a wider range of requirements for their parts.

Achieving clear, bubble-free parts using clear epoxy or urethane is not impossible, but as anyone with experience will tell you, it’s not without its challenges either. The task can be even more daunting if the part possesses complex detail or undercuts, however with the right combination of materials, equipment, and expertise, attaining water-clear castings without […]

In our previous post, we discussed the application of potting and encapsulating using urethanes and epoxies. When choosing the proper urethane or epoxy for an electrical application, there are some important considerations to keep in mind. In this article, we will discuss those considerations and how they apply to the world of urethanes and epoxies. […]

What is RoHS Compliance? The European Union set forth the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) Directive to establish environmental guidelines and legislation to reduce the presence of six (6) materials deemed hazardous to the environment. To comply, products entering the EU must not have a homogeneous presence of these materials above the following levels by […]

Medical Device Manufacture encompasses a wide range of health care products that are used to diagnose, monitor, or treat a disease or condition that affects humans. Medical technology extends and improves life. It can help alleviate pain, injury, and handicap. The endless improvement of medical technology enhances the quality and effectiveness of care and is […]

Watch as Fred DeSimone discusses the features of Hapco’s vacuum chamber, the X-Vac™.

Enacted in 1989 and amended most recently in 2006, The Toxics Use Reduction Act(TURA) requires Massachusetts companies that use large quantities of specific toxic chemicals to evaluate and plan for pollution prevention opportunities, implement them if practical, and annually measure and report the results. Learn more. TURA Reporting & Fees Each company considered a Large […]

Q. What is the difference between vacuum degassing and pressurizing? A. Vacuum de-gassing expands the air trapped during mixing or pouring, causing the bubbles to grow, rise to the surface, and in most cases, release. After a period of time the amount of trapped air decreases. The material’s viscosity and surface tension will determine how […]

Hapco’s General Manager, Fred DeSimone, discusses the similarities and differences between the RAPIDFIL™ and MINIFIL™ meter-mix dispensing machines.

Polypropylene (Impact, heat and flex) Polypropylene has a tensile strength of 4,500-6,000 psi, an elongation of 1-600% and an izod impact of 2.2-no break at all. For the best simulator of these properties, Hapco would recommend using Hapflex 666 or Hapflex 671. Both products come in slow and fast gel times and are available in […]

Potting consists of immersing the part or assembly in a liquid resin, and then curing it. Although often confused for each other, potting is different from encapsulation in that it retains the shell that is used to contain the thermoset resin while it’s curing. Encapsulation involves building a mold or frame around an object, e.g., […]

“There are so many different static mixers, which one is right for my application?”, is a common question asked by our customers. The answer, as with many aspects to liquid molding, is complicated and should ultimately involve testing by the user within their application; however, there are some basic differences in the static mixer, which […]

In the past, we’ve discussed the importance of temperature control when casting with thermoset resins. In this article, we will focus on the post cure process for molds or parts made with thermoset resins. What is post-curing? Post curing is the process of exposing a part or mold to elevated temperatures to speed up the […]

The world’s first 3D printed gun was successfully fired a few weeks ago and besides sparking numerous debates about gun laws and regulation of this technology, it also introduced 3D printing itself to mainstream America. In this article, I will discuss where this technology started, some of the current trends and the future possibilities for […]

Silicones are commonly used in the liquid molding process to make molds and parts. Understanding the differences between the different types of silicone can be helpful before deciding what to buy for your application.

Clear part with an uncured surface. If I had to come up with a list of the most common issues our customers call us about, along with air bubbles, a sticky surface on their clear castings would be at the top. My first question to them is always: Are you using silicone? In 95% of […]

The liquid molding, or the resin casting process as it is typically referred to, lets designers produce high-quality plastic parts economically in low volumes.  Any shape that can be machined or injection molded can be cast, however, liquid molding becomes most attractive when part geometry poses design restrictions for traditional processes. Varying wall thicknesses, internal […]

A few months back, we discussed the differences between Liquid Molding and Injection Molding and described when each method is appropriate. As a follow up, we thought it would be important to focus on Liquid Molding and to discuss some of the tooling options as well as the advantages and disadvantages to using each. Aluminum […]

Learn an advanced molding technique that can be used for parts or molds. This technique results in a high performance surface coat with a lower cost structural back-up. Products used in this tutorial are the Hapcoat 3721, Haprez 3744/63, Grease-It Wax LT and Grease-It™ Two. If you would like to download a printable version of this tutorial, click here.

This video will teach you how to create a mold with a high performance surface material and a machinable, low cost backup, which in this case is Hapco’s Fill-Its/Haprez combo. The reason for creating a mold like this is to cut down on the thickness of the Hapflex 668, a high performance material, which can be expensive. […]

8:00AM – 10:30AM Use some clay to raise the part from the parting board and orient the part to maximize the flow of material and minimize the amount of air that could get trapped. Build up a mound of clay underneath the part, leaving room for the gate and vent. The angle from the clay […]

“It ain’t rocket science” as they say, however, the resin-casting/liquid molding process does require “the right stuff” in order to ensure positive results. Whether you’re producing one or two prototypes, or manufacturing a low-volume production run of a few hundred, your goal should always be to cast perfect parts and eliminate rejects. One way to […]

Although this topic is pertinent year-round, it is especially relevant at this time when most of the country is being plagued with unusually hot, humid weather that can wreak havoc on the liquid molding process.  Thermoset polyurethane resins, which are by far the most widely used materials for this process, are particularly sensitive to moisture. […]

Outside of its design, precisely how your product or part is molded has the greatest bearing on its cost and capabilities. Great ideas can founder taking the wrong course. So it is prudent to consider your options early in design. How do you know when liquid molding ends and injection molding begins? Thermoplastic and Thermoset […]