Molding offers a cost-effective way to produce custom parts. Many keypads, for instance, are produced via molding. The material from which a keypad is made is initially heated. After being placed inside of a mold, the material will cool and harden. The newly produced “casting” can then be ejected from the mold cavity. While all molding processes involve the creation of parts out of material, however, some of them use a different method than others.
The Basics of UV Molding
Ultraviolet (UV) molding is a molding process that leverages UV light. Some materials are designed to harden and cure under UV light. Known as UV resins, they are used in UV molding.
There are UV-molded keypads. During production, UV resin is deposited onto the surface of the keypads. When exposed to UV light, the UV resin will harden. UV light triggers a photochemical reaction. The otherwise liquid UV resin will then turn into a solid resin. There are different approaches for UV molding, but they all use UV light to cure UV resin.
Benefits of UV Molding
What are the benefits of UV molding exactly? It doesn’t require as much heat as other molding processes. Some molding processes use heat-cured resin. As the name suggests, heat is used to cure the resin. UV molding, on the other hand, uses UV light. It won’t expose the part or parts being produced to excessive heat, thus making UV molding a popular alternative for delicate parts.
UV molding is fast. It allows manufacturing companies to produce parts more quickly than other molding processes. This is attributed primarily to the fast curing times of UV molding. Since UV molding involves the use of UV light, it promotes faster curing times than other molding processes.
UV molding is highly precise. This molding process excels at capturing intricate details and complex geometries. The end result is a superior level of precision that’s not found in other molding processes.
There’s minimal waste produced with UV molding. Waste consists of excess, leftover material. Mold molding processes will produce at least some waste. UV molding, however, is known for being an efficient molding process that minimizes waste.
In Conclusion
Not all molding processes are the same. UV molding is characterized by the use of UV light. This revolutionary molding process leverages UV light to cure a resin material. As the resin material cures and hardens, a new part is formed.
