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In terms of materials, the company has had success with high- and low- density polyethylene, as well as poly- propylene. The technology utilizes a pre-compounded pellet loaded with a blowing agent and what was described as several other chemicals. The company declined to say whether the blowing agent was of the physical or chemical variety. Biggs noted that there are some "pretty unique" elements to the process itself, in terms of temperatures, injection phase, and cooling, but added that all the work was done on a standard press, with no changes to its primary compo- nents. Elements of the tools' venting and heating/cooling had to be specially devel- oped as well. Today using NautXcell, Biggs says a molder can control the size of the cell structure and its density, making the internal cells very large so a part becomes buoyant, for instance, or creating a denser cell structure to boost component's strength. Furthermore, molders can modify the material and process to alter the density of the solid outer skin to achieve a variety of wear, impact, and anti-ballistic characteristics. In durability testing, the company has shot at and run over its Gale Force Series decoys, supporting its claim to offer "the most durable production decoy on the market." the honeycomb-like solid core." Early testing produced parts that were severely deformed and exhibited a loss of surface detail, according to Biggs. The heads and bodies are molded on two separate machines. The heads have a volume of 49.6 in.3 and a weight of 9 oz, while the bodies have a volume of 291.15 in.3 and a weight of 59.2 oz. If the head and body were molded as solid parts without NautXcell, Biggs says the respective part weights would be 27.12 and 154 oz. The inven- tors see great potential utility in other thick parts, given that the decoy's body measures 9.25 in. wide at its thickest point, with a length of 16 in. QUESTIONS ABOUT FOAM MOLDING? Visit the Materials Zone. "We're looking to partner with some bigger companies that can utilize this technology." At Athena, we know you need to operate your hot runner systems with a surgeon's precision for best results. That's why we engineer products like BEDROS ™ . Compact. Robust. With more functionality than standard medium-sized multizone runnerless controls. You get 8 to 64 zones of control with up to 15 amps/zone, expanded mold storage capabilities, and an easy-to-use fully featured touch screen. Upgrade to Athena. Get the hot runner controls you need for every challenge. Order BEDROS direct from Athena. Act now to SAVE 10%. 1.800.782.6776 • www.athenacontrols.com A higher level of control Move up to a higher level of control N OW P URCHASE O NLINE 28 JUNE 2017 Plastics Technology PTonline.com F O A M M O L D I N G Close -Up On Technolog y