For the ultimate in microcellular foaming capability and flexibility, MuCell® has been in commercial production for 20 years enabling lighter and more dimensionally stable injection molded parts. The latest evolution of MuCell® features a smart, simple user interface with highly accurate dosing capability.

5-percent-circle-icon

5% – 40%

Part Weight Reduction

up-arrow-icon

Up to 40%

Faster Cycles

down-arrow-icon

Reduce

Warp and Sink

1/2-circle icon

25% – 50%

Lower Clamp Force

funnel-icon

Thinner Walls

Part Design Freedom

3/4-circle-icon

5% – 30%

Energy Savings

Break the Old Rules

The inherent inefficiency of conventional injection molding is the reliance on the screw to pack the cavity as the plastic solidifies and shrinks. The conventional use of the pack & hold phase imposes part design and processing limitations that the industry has accepted since its inception.

Break the Old Rules

The inherent inefficiency of conventional injection molding is the reliance on the screw to pack the cavity as the plastic solidifies and shrinks. The conventional use of the pack & hold phase imposes part design and processing limitations that the industry has accepted since its inception.

Unlock New Possibilities

MuCell® technology relies on cell growth to uniformly pack the entire cavity. Localized packing force from within the cavity unlocks processing and design freedom otherwise unobtainable through conventional holding pressure.

Unlock New Possibilities

MuCell® technology relies on cell growth to uniformly pack the entire cavity. Localized packing force from within the cavity unlocks processing and design freedom otherwise unobtainable through conventional holding pressure.

Conventional Limitations

High Molded-in Stress

Prone to Warp & Sink

High Clamp Force

Flow Length to Wall Limitation

Fill Thick to Thin

Conventional Cycle Time

Solid Density

Conventional Design & Weight

Normal Energy Consumption

MuCell® Advantages

Low Molded-in Stress

Reduced Warp & Sink

Reduced Clamp Force

Expanded Flow Length to Wall

Ability to Fill Thin to Thick

Reduced Cycle Time

Lower Density

Reduced Weight through Design Freedom

Energy Savings

Differences in Wall Thickness

Filling from “thin to thick”

Recommended injection
with MuCell®

Injection in solid
(with MuCell® still possible)

Wall to rib ratio 1:1 possible

Conventional Design

MuCell® Design

“A part molded with the MuCell® process has a solid skin layer and microcellular foamed core which is a closed cell structure. The cell growth is more effective at packing the part than the solid pack phase which allows for increased rib to nominal wall thickness without sink marks. In most cases, it is possible to produce a sink free part with a rib thickness equal to the nominal wall thickness.”

Typical Cycle Time Reduction with MuCell®

Solid Molding

Total 30 seconds

3s 4s 17s 6s

MuCell®

Total 22 seconds

1.5s 0.5s 14s 6s

MuCell® Benefits

Reduced cost icon

Reduced Costs

• Reduced resin consumption

• Faster molding cycle time

• Increased yields

• Smaller molding machine

• Use of lower cost filled polyolefin material

Design icon

Design Freedom

• Thin to thick wall flow

• 1:1 wall thickness rib structure

• Material where needed for function versus flow

• Improved dimensional stability

• Less warpage

Sustainability icon

Sustainability

• Reduced petrolium based material consumption

• Reduced molding machine energy consumption

• Ability to re-grind/re-use molded parts

• Reduced carbon footprint versus solid molding

clock-icon

Faster to Market

• Fewer tooling iterations

• Predictable molded part geometry

• Ability to mold large part piece

The MuCell® Process

MuCell® is the complete process solution providing lighter and more accurate plastic parts at lower production costs.

Four Technology Steps

tech-step-1-icon

During plasticization, precisely metered amounts of supercritical fluid (SCF), typically Nitrogen or CO2, are introduced into the polymer through injectors mounted on the plasticizing barrel.

tech-step-2-icon

Homogeneous mixing and dispersing of the supercritical fluid into the polymer through the specially designed mixing section of the plasticizing barrel creates a single phase solution of SCF and molten polymer.

tech-step-3-icon

Injection of polymer into mold cavities. Cells start to nucleate once exposed to lower pressure in the mold cavity. Molecular dispersion of SCF provides for a homogeneous closed cell structure with a solid skin layer.

tech-step-4-icon

Low pressure filling of mold cavities. Pack & hold phase is replaced 
by controlled cell growth, which ceases once the mold cavity is filled. Cell growth results in a uniform pack pressure throughout the mold cavity.

The MuCell® process involves the highly controlled use of gas in its supercritical state to create microcellular voids in thin-wall parts. The voids are created as a result of homogeneous nucleation that occurs when a single-phase solution of polymer and gas passes through the injection gate into the mold.

The MuCell® Process generally offers a 50-75% improvement in key quality measures, such as flatness, roundness, and warpage, also eliminating all sink marks. These improvements result from the fact that relatively uniform stress patterns are created in the molded part rather than non-uniform stress characteristic of conventional molding.

The quality advantages of the MuCell® Process are complemented by certain direct economic advantages, including the ability to produce 20-33% more parts per hour on a given molded machine, and the ability to mold parts on lower tonnage machines as a result of the viscosity reduction and the elimination of the packing requirement that accompanies the use of supercritical gas.

For additional information refer to the MuCell® Process Guide which explain all aspects of the process from set-up to optimizing results.

MuCell® Brochure

Implementing MuCell®

MuCell® is a one-time equipment purchase with no license fee.

The technology can be integrated into new injection molding machines by Trexel’s OEM partners or retrofitted into existing injection molding machines by Trexel’s field engineers.

Implementing MuCell®

MuCell® is a one-time equipment purchase with no license fee.

The technology can be integrated into new injection molding machines by Trexel’s OEM partners or retrofitted into existing injection molding machines by Trexel’s field engineers.

Download MuCell® Product Sheets

T-Series SCF Delivery System

Download

B-Series SCF Delivery System

Download

P-300 SCF Delivery System

Download