Reaction injection moulding
Reaction injection moulding, or RIM for short, is like playing with play-doh but on a much bigger scale. Just like with play-doh, you mix two different things together to make a new thing.
But instead of play-doh, RIM uses two liquids. These liquids are a bit like chemicals that like each other a lot and want to stick together. When you mix them together, they start to react and become thick and gooey like a honey or syrup.
Now imagine you have a big mould or container that has the shape of the thing you want to make - like a toy car or a phone case. You pour the thick gooey liquid into the mould and wait for it to dry and harden.
But the exciting thing about RIM is that as the liquid dries, it gets really hot and starts to expand. It's like when you put a cake in the oven and it rises. This expansion means that the RIM fills even the tiniest parts of the mould, giving the final thing a very smooth and precise shape.
Once the RIM is completely hardened, you can take it out of the mould and voila! You have a brand new toy car or phone case. The best part is that because RIM is so precise, you don't need to do much extra shaping or cutting - it comes out the way you want it to!
But instead of play-doh, RIM uses two liquids. These liquids are a bit like chemicals that like each other a lot and want to stick together. When you mix them together, they start to react and become thick and gooey like a honey or syrup.
Now imagine you have a big mould or container that has the shape of the thing you want to make - like a toy car or a phone case. You pour the thick gooey liquid into the mould and wait for it to dry and harden.
But the exciting thing about RIM is that as the liquid dries, it gets really hot and starts to expand. It's like when you put a cake in the oven and it rises. This expansion means that the RIM fills even the tiniest parts of the mould, giving the final thing a very smooth and precise shape.
Once the RIM is completely hardened, you can take it out of the mould and voila! You have a brand new toy car or phone case. The best part is that because RIM is so precise, you don't need to do much extra shaping or cutting - it comes out the way you want it to!