Gas-Assisted Injection Molding (GAIM): Influence of gas channel geometries on part performance

In this paper, gas-assisted injection molded polystyrene parts were investigated via bending tests. The parts were designed with the same cross-sectional area but with different gas channel geometries. It was found that gas channel design significantly affects the mechanical properties of the GAIM parts. Part stiffness and maximum bending load showed a strong relationship with the moment of area and the section modulus of the parts, respectively. It was observed that GAIM parts possessed higher stiffness-to-weight ratios than their solid counterparts. Mechanical performance of the GAIM parts can also be improved by increasing the rib thickness.