TRIM Ultra-thin wall Packaging first commercial application was announced last week by StackTeck at the IMLCON 2014 conference held in Phoenix.
It has been demonstrated that conventional lightweight parts, with L/T (ratio of length to average thickness) up to 300, can be made thinner —with additional lightweighting of over 40% by weight— through the use of StackTeck’s proprietary TRIM (Thin Recess Injection Molding) Ultra-thin wall packaging technology.
In the presentation, Jordan Robertson (General Manager Business Development & Marketing) thanked SriThai Superware for giving their permission to show the part and the design of a 64 Oz. round pail. According to Robertson, “SriThai Superware challenged us to find a way to reduce the weight of an award winning part that was already at the limit of conventional thinwall packaging. By pushing the TRIM part design to the limit, covering approximately 90% of the part with ultra-thin panels, a weight savings of 41% was achieved. Most of the surface of this part has a wall thickness that corresponds to an L/T ratio of 550.” The part was previously an IMDA 2009 Award Winner for Best Product Family.
The application of TRIM was adapted to an existing production mold, by replacing core components only. According to StackTeck’s Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, Henry Rozema: “One of the powerful aspects of the TRIM technology is the ability to take the mold out of a press, swap out the core components, and then start making dramatically lighter parts in the same press as before. The ribs inside the container enable the part to fill just as easily as the original part did, in this case including a bale lug feature on the side of the rim where the bucket handle is attached. Our customer has been able to realize dramatic cost savings, with only a small investment in replacement parts. We can now reach part weights at or below thermoformed parts, while continuing to offer special injection molded part features, such as tamper –resistant break tabs that add value to the package.”
