"W2FA" - Wasteless Flashless Fully Automatic Molding)

Many factors must be taken into account when deciding what the most effective manufacturing process is for a rubber-molded product. These factors include, but are not limited to:

• The part’s size and geometry
• The elastomer material that the part is made from
• Whether the part included has an overmolded insert
• What the annual volume requirements are for the part
• What the quality expectations are of the part

For certain types of parts, typically up to approx 3" in size, flashless molding is the most desirable process that produces the highest quality of part possible, direct from the mold, with no secondary finishing operations required.

Our W2FA style of flashless mold also minimizes the amount of material waste that is generated, which can have a major impact in part cost when dealing with high end elastomers such fluorocarbon and fluorosilicone materials.

When coupling this process with an insert overmolded design of part, the absolute minimum use of material can be achieved. With the appropriate material handling systems, process refinements and controls, this type of process can be fully automated, thus allowing the most effective use of plant labour resources.

Typically, the most competitive piece part pricing can be achieved with this process, though, compared to traditional molding processes, the tooling costs will likely be comparably higher, which more commonly makes this process suitable for high annual volume requirements.