Press moulding technology - Direct forming (DF)

The Press moulding technologyalso Direct Forming (DF) Similar to injection moulding, compression moulding is a process for the large-scale production of technical components made from plastics that do not allow thermoplastic processing due to their rheological properties. Similar processes are known from powder metallurgy.

The tools for press moulding technology are significantly cheaper than injection moulding tools, as they are simpler and do not need to be heated. Due to the process, however, only components with relatively simple geometries can be technically produced.

Similar to injection moulding technology, press moulding technology also has a number of restrictions that must be taken into account when designing components.

During design, care should be taken to ensure that directly moulded components have a wall thickness of at least one and no more than 50 millimetres. The component size is limited to a surface area of approx. 2500 mm² for production reasons and round parts can only be manufactured up to a maximum diameter of 300 mm.

Undercuts are generally not possible and sharp edges must be rounded for better demouldability. Angles of up to 30° from the press plane are possible, but larger bevels and chamfers must be flattened by 0.1 to 0.3 mm.

Other factors that depend on the component geometry must also be taken into account, but these must be checked in each individual case. Here, too, it is clear that the special features of the processing technology must be taken into account in the design.