NPE 2024 (May 6 – 10)

RDAbbott will supply Dow liquid silicone rubber (LSR) to four liquid injection molding (LIM) cells at NPE 2024, the plastics industry’s largest event. Two of these cells will also use pigments from NovationSi, RDAbbott’s manufacturing subsidiary.

This effort demonstrates RDAbbott’s commitment to working with industry-leading supplier partners and providing top-notch technical support. RDAbbott also collaborates with manufacturers of injection molding machines (IMMs), molds, and dosing systems.

Known as The Plastics Show, NPE happens only once every three years. NPE 2024 is slated for May 6 to 10, 2024, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. RDAbbott plans to send five team members to promote its silicone products and technical services.

RDAbbott helped to secure Dow LSRs for the following LIM cells that NPE 2024 attendees will find in West Building Level 2 of the Expo Hall:

These IMMs have partnered with mold and dosing system manufacturers and will produce specific types of LSR parts using Dow SILASTIC™ or XIAMETER™ materials.

The Krauss-Maffei LSR cell will run Dow SILASTIC™ MS-5002 Moldable Silicone using its PX 121-180 SilcoSet to produce automotive adaptive drive beam (ADB) lens optics that each weigh 8.58 grams. Dow has over 10 years of optical silicone experience, including five years in the production of ADB systems. SILASTIC™ MS-5002 is a two-part, one-to-one mixing ratio moldable optical silicone that offers high-volume processing capabilities for long-term performing solutions of ADB lighting designs.

This cell will use an ACH Solution four-cavity mold and an ACH MAXIMIX 2G dosing system. ACH Solution combines toolmaking with innovative dosing technologies, such as the ACH MAXIMIX 2G, which provide pulsation-free conveying for predictive pumping.

The Sodick by Plustech cell will run Dow XIAMETER™ RBL-2004-50 LSR with a NovationSi NovaSperse® pigment to produce orange-colored connector seals.

XIAMETER™ RBL-2004-50 is a two-part LSR with high tear strength and low compression set.
NovaSperse® color and additive dispersions are highly concentrated and provide batch-to-batch consistency.

This cell will use an eight-cavity master unit die (MUD) mold from NEXUS Molds and a SERVOMIX X20 dosing system from NEXUS Elastomer Systems. NEXUS MUD molds come in four standard sizes. The SERVOMIX X20 is designed for smaller-scale dosing applications.

The 55-ton, all-electric Milacron Roboshot cell (Booth W1601) will run Dow SILASTIC™ RBL-9200-50 LSR and NovationSi NovaSperse® pigments to produce colored umbrella valves. SILASTIC™ RBL-9200-50 has a unique rheology for improved flow.

The mold for this cell is a four-cavity mold from M.R. Mold & Engineering with a valve-gated cold runner system that keeps the LSR cool until it’s injected. The SERVOMIX X20 dosing system provides a continuous material flow and precise mixing ratio.

The Nissei America cell will also run Dow SILASTIC™ RBL-9200-50 LSR, but to produce a battery divider for electric vehicles. Among its many advantages, this Dow material has high transparency, cures quickly, and is UL recognized. (Follow this link to learn more about Dow’s E-Mobility solutions designed to improve energy efficiency, durability, and safety.)

The mold for this cell features a single cavity and is made by Fine Masters. Top 7000 Pro, the featured dosing system from ELMET Elastomere, is powerful, versatile, cost-effective, and energy efficient.

In addition to supplying LSR to the above-mentioned cells, RDAbbott’s Central Research team, led by Rick Ziebell, prepared multi-point LSR characterization data compatible with Moldex3D’s computer-aided engineering (CAE) software.

RDAbbott’s material characterization testing analyzed the viscoelastic and chemorheological behaviors of Dow’s SILASTIC™ RBL-9200-50 LSR using 2% NovaSperse® red pigment from NovationSi. Moldex3D’s technical team, led by Cristoph Hinse, then uploaded this comprehensive data to its virtual molding software to produce detailed flow predictions and cavity fill simulations for injection molding the umbrella valve mold designed by M.R. Mold & Engineering with complex geometries.

Conference attendees can see this four-cavity mold produced in real-time in Milacron’s Roboshot cell in Booth W1601 in the West Hall throughout NPE 2024. Attendees can also visit Booth S15019 in the South Hall to experience Moldex3D’s world-leading simulations first-hand. Moldex3D’s expertise in material optimization, tooling design, process simulation, and waste reduction empowers manufacturers to embrace eco-friendly practices without compromising efficiency or quality.