Rotational Molding: The Process & Advantages

 Rotational molding is also known as roto-molding. It is a process of manufacturing hollow plastic products in limitless sizes. The process offers the designer exceptional freedom to design the shape. It is a cost-effective method to produce large plastic parts with production volumes of less than 3,000 annually, making it feasible for investors, small businesses, and start-up firms.

Rotational molding is often used for parts that require high-quality finishes and stability. One of the biggest advantages of rotational molding is that it has low levels of residual stresses and inexpensive molds. This process is often used for manufacturing tanks and can also be used for making medical products, toys, etc.

The Process of Rotational Molding:

Step 1: Load powder polyethylene resin into the mold. The pulverized material powder is loaded for the preparation of the mold. It is closed and ensures that no powder escapes.

Step 2: The mold begins to rotate slowly into a double axis.

Step 3:  Once the powder is fully melted, then it moves into the cooling chamber by air or water spray. As the mold cools, the parts solidify.

Stage 4: This is the final stage where the mold is unloaded by revealing the molded part.

The Advantages of Rotational Molding:

• The materials used in rotational molding are long-lasting and flexible.
• During the rotational molding process, no chemicals are released hence making it environmental-friendly.
• Many molding processes have lesser options to choose from but with rotational molding, you can design any form. This makes it ideal to be used in many industries.
• The production process takes a shorter time and has low tooling costs, thus leading to a higher production flexibility.
• It creates thicker corners which reduces the risk of failure in any stress concentration points.

Polycon Gulf is a water tank manufacturer in the GCC with nearly 25 years of industry experience. They have emerged as a pioneer within the industry serving the needs of thousands of customers throughout the region. They offer custom molding, a wide range of water tanks, road barrier, portable restrooms, Illuminated Planters, rotolining and more.

How to prevent the underground tanks from floating?

 A lot of business enterprises are opting for underground rainwater harvesting tanks as it has a lot of environmental benefits. One of the advantages of choosing underground tanks is the water stored in the tank is very cold and prevents the growth of algae. It helps to feed any domestic property and is commonly used to supply water to residential homes for daily use.

Tank flotation can be one of the major issues and can damage the tank as well as other attachments of the tank. To avoid such incidents, one should always follow all the guidelines and procedures when installing an underground tank. For e.g., when we throw a half-filled bottle into the water, it floats because the air within the bottle exerts an upward force. This method is known as buoyancy. The most critical factor in determining buoyant force is tank volume. The greater the capacity of the tank, the greater the volume.  So, the same way when we have large water tanks which contain a large volume of liquid, the force is extremely strong which can cause damage to the tank. These underground water tanks are just not used to store rainwater but also used for drinking.

Whenever you are planning to install an underground tanks, there are two major factors to consider, weather conditions and groundwater pattern. You need to avoid areas that collect water associated with backfill material because it is not a favorable situation while installing an underground water storage tank. This situation should be accounted for while installing underground water tanks because the weather can change at any time. Following elements should be taken care of to avoid underground tanks from floating:

• Always increase the burial depth and amount of pavement above the tank. The extra weight of the backfill and pavement is often enough to keep the tank from floating.

• The burial depth should not exceed the manufacturer’s recommendation as it can damage the tank if filled above the level of backfill surrounding the tank.

• An alternative is to use a hold-down pad which is a cement pad placed underneath the tank.

• Deadman anchors can also be used as they are beams placed along the sides of the tank that provides extra stability and prevents flotation.

• The use of thick paving slabs above the tank can produce additional downward pressure and keep the underground storage tank in place.

Polycon Gulf Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of good-quality water storage tanks in the UAE. They have emerged as a pioneer within the industry, and if you have any requirement  for water storage tanks, reach out to them.