There are many benefits to enjoy with rotational molding, but it’s worth noting that this also comes with a few downsides. It’s important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the process so that you can make your decision with confidence.

Before we go into these advantages and disadvantages, let us go through the uses of rotational molding.

Uses of Rotational Molding

Rotational Molding is also called rotomolding, and it’s basically a thermoplastic molding process that is mostly applied for double-walled open and one-piece hollow containers like kayaks, coolers, and tanks. Rotational molding is one of the most cost-effect options, especially for producing plastic materials in volume. It’s an ideal option for start-ups, small businesses, and inventors.

Rotomolding processes are mostly applied for products that need a uniform wall thickness, high-quality finishes and high stability. Different features like spin weld attachments and inserts can be included in the design, especially in foaming and rotomold. The aim of this is to increase stiffness and thermal insulation. Another distinguishing feature of rotomolding processes is that it doesn’t produce any pinch-off seam without a secondary process.

Rotational Molding Process

The process involved in rotational molding is actually a simple one, and it includes the following steps:

1. The mold is first filled with a plastic resin that has already been powdered
2. It is then rotated bi-axially and placed in an oven
3. The rotation continues until the resin melts on the walls of the mold
4. The mold is then left to cool so that the resin can solidify
5. After solidification, the rotation is stopped, and the finished part is removed.

We can now continue with the advantages and disadvantages of rotational molding

Advantages of Rotational Molding

Here are the advantages of the rotational molding process:

• Consistent wall thickness: One of the noticeable benefits of the manufacture process is that it ensures that the walls are distributed evenly, and this is with the aid of rotational motion.
• Low-cost tooling: With the low pressure that is applied, the rotomold process can be done with affordable metals like aluminum.
• High durability: Molding with this method produces the final product as a single piece, and this eliminates other processes like joint fabrication and welding. It’s worth noting that these processes only end up creating weak spots
• High stability: Ideally, the molding material should not be subjected to external pressure and this is to further increase its stability.
• High strength: With rotational molding, it’s easier to create thicker corners on the final product
• Appearance: One of the major advantages of rotational molding is that it creates products on which you can easily include different surface finishes. Examples of these finishes include lettering, symbols, logos, and fine-detail textures.

Disadvantages of Rotational Molding

Here are the disadvantages of the rotational molding process:

• Low repeatability: With this procedure, you’ll need to replace or refurbish the soft metal used in the process after every 3,000 cycles. This is a major cause of quality issues with rotational molding
• High cycle times: Because of the repeated rotation involved in the process, rotational moldling for a single part can last for up to three hours before a single part is completed
• High labor costs: There are no automation and mechanizations to make the process simple yet. Therefore, it usually requires a higher degree of labor intensity, unlike other manufacturing processes.
• High cost of raw materials: The costs of materials are usually high, and this is because of the high thermal stability that is required. Also, additives usually require a lot to include, as well as the cost of grinding resins to fine powder, as we have mentioned earlier.