Reaction Injection Molding, or RIM, is a manufacturing process that combines two liquid components that create a chemical reaction inside of the mold to form a polyurethane plastic part. The technology for this process was developed by the company Bayer AG in the late 1960s. The RIM process has several benefits over other manufacturing processes: cost benefits, design freedom, appearance, and more. Here is a brief overview of the RIM process and some of its benefits.
Appearance
Using Reaction Injection Molding helps improve the appearance of a part. Especially when developing parts for consumer-facing products, the first impression can make or break the level of confidence that the consumer has in the product. The RIM process used by Rimnetics helps ensure a visually appealing product that will be well-received by the end-user.
Additionally, parts produced with the RIM process can be painted and silk-screened to adhere to the specifications required by the customer’s brand.
Cost Savings
Since injection molded enclosures can be the external, cosmetic portion of the product in addition to the structural component, this eliminates the need to have two separate parts. Creating one part, versus having to manufacture a separate frame component can have significant cost savings.
Additionally, injection molding reduces cost by reducing risk by making it easier to alter designs and create products in about the same amount of time it takes to create a working prototype using other manufacturing processes. The low-pressure equipment is easier to modify and adjust, so changes to the product’s specifications are easier to make and less costly.
Design Flexibility
Another benefit of RIM is the flexibility to create so many different types of products. While some common products are car bumpers and fenders, RIM can be used to create medical equipment enclosures and other products that require the use of insert molding magnets. Insert molding magnets can be injection molded into existing assembly pieces and avoid the need to add an additional step to the manufacturing process.
The design flexibility benefit of RIM not only saves time, but it also plays into what we talked about in the previous paragraph, which is cost savings. When compared against other manufacturing processes, the appearance, design flexibility, cost and time savings and the other benefits of multi-step consolidation make RIM useful for many industries.
