Compression molding is a forming process, in which polymeric material is placed directly into a heated metal mold or plates, is softened by the heat and compressed into the shape of the mold, as the press closes. It can be used to produce flat 2D sheets up to 20×20 cm area and thickness 50 μm – 2 cm or any 3D object depending on the shape of the mold. The mold can be heated up to 350 °C and compressed with pressure up to 200 bar.

The required material amount depends in the dimension of the molded object. Materials can either be provided by the customer or can be purchased by SciMatter on behalf of a customer on agreed upon conditions. SciMatter can offer only default flat shapes straight away, while manufacturing of molds for more sophisticated 3D-structures as well as their design has to be considered separately. The materials must be packed in a dry and tightly closed container. Please inform us, if the sample is sensitive to light, moisture or anything else and pack it accordingly. If you don’t know this about your sample, ask us !

The manufactured objects are packed as the materials require and delivered to the customer.

A compression-molding device consists of two heating-cooling plates. The polymer pallets can be directly placed between these plates, which are heated to melt the polymer. After melting, pressure can be applied to compress the molten polymer into the shape of a mold. The simplest shape is a flat film, whose area and thickness are limited with a metal frame. The last step of the process is cooling under pressure to keep the desired form/shape of the object. More sophisticated shapes require more precise considerations for material volume, pressure and temperature profile of the process. In the production of 3D-objects, the molding material is similarly to the flat shapes first placed into an open heated mold cavity. The mold is then closed with a top force and pressure is applied to force the molten material into all mold areas, while heat and pressure are maintained until the molding material has cured.