Structural Foam Molding

Structural foam molding combines strength, precision, and material efficiency to produce large, lightweight plastic components with exceptional structural performance.

LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURAL FOAM COMPONENTS

At Innova Engineered Plastics, our structural foam molding process delivers high-strength, lightweight, and cost-efficient plastic components for a wide range of industries. Structural foam molding is ideal for creating large, rigid components that need to stay lightweight, making it a preferred solution for manufacturers across industries such as aircraft interiors, automotive, medical devices applications, industrial equipment and electrical enclosures. This molding process is suited for production volumes ranging from 500 to 50,000 pieces/year.

Structural foam molding is a specialized form of low-pressure injection molding that incorporates a foaming agent or inert gas into the molten polymer before injection into the mold cavity. This results in a component that is strong, dimensionally stable, and significantly lighter compared to traditional injection molded components. The low-pressure processing allows manufacturers to reduce costs by using aluminum tooling and confidently scale production without sacrificing performance or part quality or structural integrity.

Check out our case studies for more information

Structural Foam Enclosure Sample
Structural Foam Enclosure

ADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURAL FOAM MOLDING

Structural foam molding enables the production of large, rigid components that maintain a lightweight structure, making it an optimal manufacturing solution across many industries.

  • Strength to Weight Performance: structural foam’s cellular honeycomb-like composition produces finished parts that have a high stiffness-to-weight ratio, enabling a reduction in the product’s overall weight, often by 10–20% or more
  • Cost-Effectiveness: ability to use aluminum tooling drives significant cost efficiencies
  • Minimal Stress and Warp: the low-pressure molding minimizes internal stress on the components, resulting in improved dimensional stability and reduced warping
  • Design Flexibility: supports large part sizes, intricate geometries and integrated features such as ribs, bosses or structures
  • Customization: plastic structural foam components can be easily customized to incorporate branding elements using painting, silk screening or pad printing

Is structural foam molding the right fit for your project?
Explore key process options, cost considerations, and part attributes to make an informed decision. Our experts are here to guide you every step of the way—contact us today for personalized support.

size capabilities

With low pressure presses ranging from 1000-5000 psi, we are equipped to produce components of various sizes. Whether you require intricate designs or large-scale production, we can accommodate your needs with precision and efficiency. Our expertise also allows us to achieve a wide range of part wall thicknesses, ensuring optimal performance for your applications.

  • Can manufacture components up to to 1.8m (70″) x 1.2m (47″) x 1m (40″)
  • Part wall thickness from .23” to .25” (6 mm)
Innova Structural Foam Enclosure
Structural Foam Process

materials of construction

If you need assistance, we can help with material selection from our comprehensive list of typical engineering plastics below. If you would like to request custom or additional materials, we are happy to discuss those options with you.

  • ABS
  • HDPE
  • PBT (e.g., Valox)
  • Polycarbonate
  • Polyphenylene Oxide (PPO/Noryl)
  • Polypropylene (PP)
  • Polystyrene (HIPS)
  • Nylon

See how our expert team and precise structural foam molding capabilities can take your project to new heights. Learn more about how we can help with every step of the manufacturing process when you partner with Innova Engineered Plastics today. Contact our team to ask questions or get started bringing your design to life.