Reaction Injection Moulding

Reaction Injection Moulding (RIM) is a special moulding process in plastics processing in which two or more reactive liquids are precisely mixed under high pressure. This mixture is then injected into a mould, where it undergoes a chemical reaction inside the mould tool. Through this reaction, the liquids cure and form a finished plastic component with the desired shape and properties.

What is special about this process is that the chemical reaction takes place directly in the mould tool. This makes it possible to produce complex and detailed components that exhibit high precision and quality. In addition, RIM enables the production of large and thin-walled components that are at the same time light and stable.

Over time, various further developments and special RIM processes have been developed to meet specific requirements. Two important variants are Reinforced Reaction Injection Moulding (RRIM) and Structural Reaction Injection Moulding (SRIM).

In the RRIM process, reinforcing materials such as glass fibres or minerals are added to the reaction mixture. This leads to increased strength and rigidity of the end product, making it particularly suitable for applications where mechanical load-bearing capacity is required.

The SRIM process goes one step further and combines the basic principle of RIM with additional structural elements. Here, prefabricated reinforcing materials such as glass fibre mats or fabrics are placed in the mould before the reactive liquids are injected. This leads to components with outstanding mechanical properties, which are generally used in highly loaded structural components.