Mold Platen Insulation
Mold Platen Insulation (MPI) from The Gund Company is a high compressive strength, heat-resistant composite insulating material. This insulation serves as a barrier between the mold or dies and the platen to resist heat transfer. Commonly found on injection molding, compression molding, thermoforming, and rubber molding machinery. This type of insulation is ideal for reducing heat loss and allowing for faster mold setup, which leads to cost savings and increases the service life of machinery.
There are several important properties to consider when selecting an insulation material for your application that includes, but is not limited to:
- Thermal Conductivity
- Temperature
- Compression Strength
- Thickness Tolerance
MPI (Mold Platen Insulation) Material Data Sheet
Perhaps the most important value is the thermal conductivity of the material. A low thermal conductivity will result in reduced heat transfer between the mold and the platen. This property leads to faster start-up times and cost reduction through energy savings. Temperature, or maximum service temperature, is when the material can operate without losing or degrading the properties required to sustain its function.
Mica is commonly used for this function, but the lower compressive strength and high flatness differentiation, often makes MPI the better option for platen insulation. Insulation material with low compressive strength can cause mold alignment problems when subject to extremely high pressures. If the pressure exceeds what the material can withstand, the material may also take a compression set; a permanent deformation event after the force is removed.
A tight thickness tolerance or flatness of the material helps keep the temperature of the mold uniform. Tight tolerance parts have the advantage of better mold temperature control. Significant variation in this tolerance can lead to improper mold temperature and ultimately product failure.
The Gund Company can custom fabricate MPI material to the exact specifications and drawings of your mold platen requirements. Our tested material is superior to our competitors in these properties at a more cost-effective price. Contact us today to learn more about mold platen insulation (MPI) and our state-of-the-art fabrication services.
The Gund Company is a vertically integrated manufacturer and fabricator of engineered material solutions. Since 1951, we have listened to our customers and learned about the demanding operating environments of their industries. We are AS9100D Certified and ITAR Compliant. Our custom fabricated parts are manufactured according to ISO 9001:2015 certified quality systems.
We understand the challenges of material selection and the demanding operating environment of your application. Our Application Engineering Team takes a consultative approach to understand your requirements. By relying on our material specialists, our customers gain valuable insight into improving component designs to increase efficiency and functionality while reducing cost. In addition to helping with material selection, we challenge ourselves to optimize production for material yield or fabrication efficiency. As a lean enterprise, we focus on continuous improvement and finding the most cost-effective, efficient solutions for our customers.
Please contact us today if we can help answer material property questions or provide an application-specific quote. Thank you for the opportunity to earn your business.