Woodland Blog

Inserts in Thermoset Molding

Molded thermoset composites provide end products and assemblies with excellent material performance in dimensional stability, heat resistance, and electrical properties. With it’s dimensional stability and stiffness to molded parts, manufacturers generally utilize inserts as fastening mechanisms to mate multiple parts in an assembly. Whereas thermoplastics can be designed with locking mechanisms and snap fits, thermosets […]

Using Molded Thermosets for Outdoor Applications

As a performance-based material, thermoset molded parts are resistant to heat up to 400-500F, corrosion, and chemicals. These properties lend thermosets to be used in a variety of end markets. One market using thermosets is outdoor applications. Components and products that live, or are used, in the outdoors must stand up to aggressive weather elements […]

Deflashing Thermosets

One of the main differences between molding thermosets and thermoplastics is that thermoset molded parts must be deflashed after they are formed, whereas thermoplastics are molded without flash. Flash is excess material from the material needed to form a full part. In order to mold a full part, thermosets must be molded with flash, otherwise […]

Using Molded Thermosets in Automotive

As a performance-based material, thermosets offer molded components with corrosion resistance, chemical resistance, and durability within high heat and operating temperatures. This durability allows thermosets to be used in applications exposed to tough environments where thermoplastic components could degrade or compromise the safety and performance of a product assembly. Industries such as the automotive, electrical, […]

Thermoset Molding for Corrosive Environments

A big difference between molded thermoplastic (nylon, ABS, polypropylene, etc.) parts and thermoset (BMC, phenolic) parts is the performance properties the molding material provides a part with. Whereas thermoplastics can be remelted and remolded, a molded thermoset part cannot be remelted and re-molded a second time. This is due to the chemistry composition thermosets exude. […]

Injection Molding with Thermosets

With history dating back to the original Bakelite plastic in the 1900s, thermoset plastics have been molded into parts and components for many decades. While thermosets have historically been formed with a compression molding process, thermoset production has evolved as new molding technologies have been discovered and advanced over the years. Currently, thermoset materials can […]

Why Flash is Required in Thermoset Molding

One major difference between thermoset molding and thermoplastic molding is the appearance of parts coming out of the press. While both thermoset and thermoplastic materials may be formed using similar molding processes (injection, compression, or insert molded), thermoset molded parts must be molded with excess flash, or plastic material, around the parts in order to […]

Manufacturing ERP Software for Real-Time Production Data

What is a manufacturing ERP system? Manufacturing ERP is a business management software system that streamlines manufacturing operations and data to provide a real-time view of its core business processes. While manufacturers can tailor their own ERP applications to relevant avenues of their manufacturing operations, some common applications included in a manufacturing ERP system may […]

Metal-to-Thermoset Conversion

As engineers and product designers continue to try and maximize efficiency and minimize costs in existing or new product applications, thermosets are an excellent material conversion option for high-performance, price-sensitive applications that are currently manufactured in metallic materials. Whether converting for cost reductions, material performance improvement, or expanding capacity, thermoset composites are allowing engineers to […]

Thermoset Molding with Inserts

By utilizing a molding process, OEMs and manufacturers are able to design parts into complex geometries to meet the needs of the end product. This design flexibility allows part designers to implement more features into a part design, consolidate multiple parts of an assembly, and reduce overall manufacturing costs for a product assembly. Along with […]