LRM’s patented TPF technology is unique, on a global scale.  At the heart, its strengths and benefits are derived from one simple concept….

Put the plastic where it’s needed!

Think about making a waffle.  A waffle iron is a cavity mold just like we use in plastic molding to produce products.  If you pour all of the batter in the center of the waffle iron and close the “mold” with little pressure, the resulting waffle is deformed and/or not filled in around the edges.

However, if you “distribute” the batter evenly around the waffle iron and close, you get a perfectly formed and filled or “feature rich” waffle!

TPF ThermoPlastic Flowforming™ is a technically sophisticated and computer controlled extension of this premise to the automated production of structural, feature rich thermoplastic/composite parts and components on a size scale beyond the economic and technical viability of existing processes.

The basic components of TPF are illustrated in this graphic:

Here’s how it works…

1. Virgin, regrind or recycled thermoplastic and additives are fed into the extruder using a computer controlled recipe blender.  If the product is to be a composite, reinforcement fiber (glass, carbon, Kevlar®, etc.) is added as well.
2. The extruder melts and mixes the material, while pushing (extruding) it through a transfer pipe to the dynamic die under pressure.  TPF uses in-line compounding.
3. One of the trollies with the lower half of the cavity mold moves out of the press and begins to move at a programed speed under the dynamic die to accept the molten plastic.
4. The dynamic die, with 34 electronically driven “gates” which can variably open and close, receives computer signals to deposit large or small amounts of plastic (or none at all in some places of the mold) as the trolly moves the mold beneath.  The geometry or structure of the molded product determines the programming necessary for putting the right amount of plastic in the right place on the mold.  In other words, we “Put the plastic where it’s needed!”
5. When the lower half of the mold is filled, it transports back into the press which closes bringing the top half of the temperature controlled mold down to compress, then cool the product.
6. The trolley on the opposite side of the line exits the press and delivers another mold to the dynamic die for same process.  The products on either side of the line can be totally different, as long as they are of the same material.  The computer is programmed uniquely for each trolley/mold in this back-and-forth production cycle.
7. As the molded product cools on either side of the line, the press opens lifting the top half of the mold and the product is robotically extracted from the line.

Differentiation…What makes TPF ThermoPlastic Flowforming Unique?

Putting the plastic where it’s needed in the mold through computer-driven polymer lay-down using the dynamic die allows for dramatically lower compression pressure in the press than any other molding process.  This creates the platform for TPF’s competitive differentiation, with the following benefits:

• Insert Capability – Components for support or product features can be positioned in the mold and formed around.
• Aluminum Molds – At 25 to 30% of the cost of steel molds, the savings are significant and the mold cost amortization is rapid.
• Large, Feature-rich Molded Products – Ribbing and structure in any direction on very large products beats injection molding, which has a press size and investment limitation.
• Fast Cycle Times – Very high productivity.

In-line compounding and an inherent lack of sensitivity to material composition allows for:

• The production of strong composite structures using long fiber for reinforcement
• Versatility in the material composition of products, offering a wide array of options.

TPF is a Totally Computer Automated Manufacturing Process!