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ENGEL MUCELL® MICROCELLULAR INJECTION MOLDING

Engel introduces a breakthrough molding process with opportunities and

capabilities not possible with other molding processes. MuCell offers new
possibilities for innovative product design, optimized processing and reduced part
costs.

Mucell technology enables molders to reduce raw material consumption, while

producing strong, lightweight products. In addition, the Mucell process allows you
to foam materials that cannot be foamed successfully with conventional foaming
technologies.

Industries such as automotive, medical devices, consumer goods, electronics, food

services, and industrial and consumer structural parts are currently benefitting
from MuCell's remarkable advances in microcellular injection molding.

MuCell technology is currently available under worldwide license on new Engel

machines. As the first injection molding machine and system manufacturer to
license MuCell, we have the the industry's most extensive background working with this technology.

The innovative MuCell microcellular foam process was developed by Trexel, the world leader in microcellular foam
technology. Using commercial injection molding equipment in their production-scale test laboratory, Trexel has
proven the MuCell process successful on numerous injection molding applications.

The MuCell option can be ordered with a new injection molding machine purchased from Engel world-wide.

MuCell technology offers molders a host of dramatic benefits:

Benefits
• Significant weight savings (up to 50%) • Reduction of 30-50% in clamp tonnage
• Reduction of material viscosity • Reduction or elimination of hold time
• Significant reduction in process temperature • Reduction in overall cycle time
(up to 78°C, 140°F)
• Reduction of 30-50% in hydraulic injection pressure • Eliminates sink marks in the end product
Results may vary depending on the application.
The MuCell® Process
The MuCell microcellular foam process uses supercritical fluids (SCFs) from atmospheric gases to create evenly
distributed, uniformly sized microscopic cells throughout the polymer. The MuCell process works without chemical
blowing agents (CBAs), hydrocarbon-based physical blowing agents, nucleating agents, or reactive components.
MuCell can handle a wider range of melt indexes than conventional foaming processes.

The MuCell process has been implemented successfully with a broad range of injection molded thermoplastic polymers –
including acetal, liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs), polyamide, PA6 and PA6/6, polycarbonate (PC), polycarbonate
/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS), polyethylene (PE), polytherimides (PEIs), polypropylene (PP), high-temperature
sulfones -- as well as TPEs such as Santoprene, Kraton, Dynaflex, and TPUs such as Elastollan.

Four Basic Steps

1. Gas Dissolution. A supercritical fluid (SCF) from an atomospheric gas (CO2 or N2) is injected directly into the polymer through
injectors installed in the barrel to form a single-phase solution. The SCF delivery system's screw and injectors are designed specifically
to facilitate the rapid dissolution of the SCF in the polymer.

2. Nucleation. A large number of nucleation sites (orders of magnitude greater than with conventional foaming processes) are formed
throughout the polymer during the molding process. A substantial and rapid pressure drop is necessary to create the large number of
uniform sites.

3. Cell Growth. Cell growth is controlled by processing conditions. Precise control of pressure and temperature is achieved through
specifically designed Engel machine control hardware and software.

4. Shaping. After injection into the mold, part shape is controlled by the mold design. Although mold modifications are not required, in
some cases modifications will optimize the benefits of MuCell.
® MuCell is a registered trademark of Trexel, Inc. ® MuCell is a registered trademark of Trexcel.

Value-Added Features
A MuCell®-equipped Engel gives you all the benefits of the microcellular foam process along with the unbeatable
competitive advantages of an Engel injection molding machine.

The processing software -- running on our powerful 32-bit RISC-based machine controller -- has been specifically
modified to optimize control of the MuCell process. In addition, a MuCell-equipped Engel can run in both solid and
MuCell modes of operation.

Engel Tiebarless Molding with MuCell®

Engel-designed MuCell
control package

MuCell-designed
plasticizing assembly
Air-cooled heater bands
Supercritical fluid (SCF)
control valves
 Supercritical fluid (SCF)
dispensing unit

Engel Tiebarless injection molding offers even greater advantages when combined with MuCell technology. The
MuCell process makes it possible to operate at lower clamp tonnages because it dramatically lowers injection
pressures compared to conventional molding. The unique Engel Tiebarless gives you greater usable platen surface,
letting you run a physically larger mold in a smaller tonnage machine -- an added benefit for microcellular foam
injection molding.

But the advantages of the Engel Tiebarless don't stop there. Tiebarless molding offers quicker, easier mold mounting
and faster, simpler part handling automation. And Engel's evolved tiebarless clamp technology has been proven
around the world in more than 11,000 applications.
Technical Information Continued
Foam products made from thermoplastic polymers have been available commercially for many years. Although these products have
been successful in a number of markets, their expansion within existing markets or into new markets often has been impeded by
certain limiting characteristics of conventional foaming technologies.

The most severe limiting factors in the production and application of conventional thermoplastic foams are the large size of the cells
that characterize these materials and the lack of uniformity of those cells: Large, non-uniform cells decrease mechanical properties
(e.g., strength, toughness, and fatigue), introduce brittleness, and necessitate relatively thick part cross sections to ensure that the
cells are contained within the material. (Thin cross sections are often flawed by breaks and holes.) Conventional foam processes
also can be inconsistent due to the inherent difficulty controlling the levels and release of the blowing agent (such as in the use of
chemical blowing agents, CBAs). In addition, many foam processes use flammable blowing agents, which require regulatory
approvals for their use and release, special handling techniques, and long product-storage times.

Trexel has developed a foaming process for commercial injection molding and extrusion applications that is unaffected by the
factors that limit the use of conventionally foamed thermoplastic polymers. Based on the microcellular thermoplastic foam
technology, which was invented at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Trexel's innovative process uses high cell
nucleation rates within the foaming material to create foams with evenly distributed and uniformly sized microscopic cells
(generally between 5-50 microns in size, depending on the material and application). Foam materials produced by this process
offer improved consistency and homogeneity of cell structures, which can result in products with superior properties compared to
other foaming systems.

The name MuCell® has been registered by Trexel to describe this microcellular process and the materials made by it.

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The Microcellular Foam Technology

Microcellular foam is produced when the cell nucleation rate is both extremely high (orders of magnitude greater than with
conventional foaming processes) and much greater than the diffusion rate of the blowing agent into cells (i.e., cell growth). Under
these conditions, an extremely large number of cells will be created before any cell growth occurs. Consequently, when the blowing
agent diffusion begins to dominate in the foam-creation process, all cell sites will begin to grow at the same time and at
approximately the same rate, resulting in a material characterized by a large number of evenly distributed, uniformly sized,
microscopic cells.

Atmospheric gases, such as carbon dioxide (C02) and nitrogen (N2) - which are both less expensive than other common blowing
agents and unregulated - can be used as physical blowing agents to create this phenomenon. Importantly, the very high nucleation
rates needed to produce microcellular foam can be achieved without the use of nucleation agents, such as talc or chalk.

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High Nucleation Rates: The Theoretical Solution

The requirement for very high nucleation rates and the resultant creation of a large number of nucleation sites necessitate a
fundamental change in the way in which the cells are nucleated. Conventional foaming technologies employ nucleating agents that
typically are added to the material in the form of solid particles. These solid nucleating agents induce heterogeneous (not uniform)
nucleation in the material at a fixed - and relatively small - number of sites. (The actual number of cell sites is directly related to
the quantity of nucleating agents added.) The material produced by this heterogeneous nucleation is characterized by large, non-
uniform cells. (Lack of cell-size uniformity results from the relatively slow rate of nucleation.)

To achieve high nucleation rates (and create a large number of nucleation sites), homogeneous nucleation is preferred. In
homogeneous nucleation, nucleation sites are formed throughout the mass of the polymer at a molecular level. (The rate of
nucleation is dependent upon the concentration of the blowing agent.) The number of sites available for cell growth is several
orders of magnitude greater than in the heterogeneous nucleation of conventional foaming processes because homogeneous
nucleation is not limited by the uneven distribution and low concentration of nucleation agent particles.

Homogeneous nucleation is driven by a large thermodynamic instability. This large thermodynamic instability is achieved by first
dissolving a high concentration of blowing agent into the polymer at a high temperature and under high pressure - creating a
single-phase solution - and then lowering the pressure below the saturation pressure. To reach the desired high rate of
homogeneous nucleation, both the saturation level of dissolved blowing agent and rate at which the instability is achieved also
must be high.
The conditions required for homogeneous nucleation are best illustrated by plotting the solubility of a blowing agent as a function of
pressure in a typical polymer system. In the three-dimensional schematic below, the solubility of CO2 in polypropylene (PP) has
been plotted as a function of pressure and temperature. As shown, the solubility of CO2 increases with increasing pressure (line AB)
and decreases with increasing temperature (line AC). Within the plasticating section of injection molding equipment or within an
extruder (point A), the pressure and temperature are high and the solubility of the CO2 blowing agent is high; at this point, the
polymer is saturated with the CO2 blowing agent. In the die (point B), the pressure drops quickly, and the CO2 blowing agent
becomes supersaturated within the polymer; at this point, the blowing agent will begin to precipitate out in the form of gas,
foaming the polymer. If the drop in blowing agent solubility from A to B is sufficiently large and sufficiently fast, then conditions will
exist for homogeneous nucleation of cells, and a large number of evenly distributed microscopic cells will form and grow uniformly.

Solubility of CO2 in PP as a function of pressure and temperature.

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Adaptation to MuCell® Injection Molding and Extrusion
Three conditions must occur during the injection molding or the extrusion process for the required rapid homogeneous nucleation
to take place:

• A larger amount of blowing agent (CO2 or N2) than in conventional foaming must be completely dissolved within the polymer
- resulting in a single-phase solution - before the pressure is lowered.
• The pressure profile must be maintained throughout the system to keep the blowing agent in solution.
• A high rate of change of solubility must be established (accomplished by different means in extrusion and injection molding).

To promote the thermodynamic instability that drives the MuCell® process, the blowing-agent delivery system must be capable of
transferring the requisite amount of blowing agent at a pressure higher than the pressure in the plasticating section of injection
molding equipment or in the extruder. The creation of a single-phase solution (which is accomplished by a diffusion-controlled
process), depends on the diffusion coefficient, residence time, and temperature, as well as the distance over which the blowing
agent must diffuse. To facilitate the rapid creation of the single-phase solution, Trexel's MuCell process uses a blowing agent
(typically CO2) that is in a supercritical state (i.e., a supercritical fluid, SCF) to speed the process of dissolution. To achieve a
uniform mix and dissolution of the required amounts of the blowing agent, the MuCell process employs unique injection-system and
screw-configuration designs.

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Injection Molding
In the plastication section of the injection molding process, a single-phase solution of blowing agent (typically CO2) and polymer
must be created. (The single-phase solution is formed by applying knowledge about adding and mixing blowing agents in an
extruder to the design of the plasticating portion of the injection molding system.) An SCF metering system is required for this
process as well as Trexel-designed injectors for the barrel portion of the system.

Screw designs that meet MuCell technology design rules are necessary for the complete development of a single-phase solution of
blowing agent and polymer within the plasticating portion of the injection molding system. MuCell-compatible blowing-agent
delivery systems and screws can be designed for both screw and accumulator injection molding machines and standard
reciprocating-screw injection molding machines, as well as structural foam machines.

Adapting injection molding equipment for the MuCell technology requires the integration of the MuCell process with the standard
cyclic function of molding equipment. This integration, usually accomplished through software changes in the molding cycle,
ensures that the correct amount of blowing agent for the polymer is delivered at the standard cycle of the equipment and that the
single-phase, polymer/SCF solution is held at the conditions required to maintain the single-phase solution before it is delivered to
the mold. To expose the single-phase solution to a pressure drop that is sufficiently rapid to cause nucleation, specific molding
conditions must be maintained.

To summarize, to adapt the MuCell process to injection molding requires the following changes or additions:

• An SCF metering system with sufficient capacity to deliver the blowing agent to the screw at the volume and pressure
required for the MuCell process.
• A Trexel-designed screw for creating a single-phase solution of the blowing agent and polymer.
• Software and system modifications to create and maintain the single-phase solution throughout the injection molding cycle.
• MuCell-compatible molding conditions to create the microcellular foam within the molded part.

The MuCell molding technology can be retrofitted easily to installed injection molding and structural foam machines. The MuCell
technology also is available as an option on selected new injection molding machines and structural foam machines from leading
original equipment manufacturers. All MuCell-capable machines - new and retrofitted - are also capable of conventional, non-
foaming operation.

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Extrusion
To make an extrusion system compatible with the MuCell process, an SCF delivery system, Trexel-designed injectors, and
modifications to the extruder screw are required. A die with the appropriate flow configuration also is necessary for implementation
of the MuCell process, both to maintain the pressure required to keep the blowing agent in solution in the extruder and to create
the high rate of change of solubility required for high nucleation rates. (Pressure develops as a viscous fluid is pushed through a
restrictive flow path at a known mass flow rate - i.e., in the MuCell process, pressure develops as the single-phase solution is
pushed through the die). To determine the proper die configuration, data describing the relationship between polymer viscosity, the
melt temperature, and the blowing agent are used to calculate the pressure drop and pressure-drop rate through the die flow path.
Using the pressure and pressure-drop-rate requirements for high nucleation rates, the specific die flow geometry needed to
produce microcellular foamed products can be designed.

To summarize, to adapt the MuCell process to a conventional extrusion system requires the following changes or additions:

• An SCF metering system with sufficient capacity to deliver the blowing agent at the volume and pressure required for the
MuCell process
• An SCF injector and screw designed according to MuCell technology design rules to create a single-phase polymer solution
• An extrusion die with flow paths designed according to MuCell technology design rules to build pressure in the system and
provide the appropriate pressure drop rate

The MuCell technology can be retrofitted easily to installed extrusion equipment. All MuCell-capable extruders - new and retrofitted
- are also capable of conventional, non-foaming operation.

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Summary
Microcellular foams can be made using injection molding or extrusion equipment at commercial production rates with low-cost
modifications. The key to producing microcellular foams is the use of rapid nucleation techniques (which require higher levels of
blowing agents) and control of the pressure and pressure-drop rate in injection nozzles and extruder dies.

The MuCell® microcellular foam process provides many new application possibilities to molders and extruders. In particular,
materials that have been difficult to foam and/or require CBAs with conventional foaming processes can be produced with the
MuCell process because of the precise process control inherent in this breakthrough technology. In addition, the microscopic cell
sizes inherent in MuCell material permit the successful extrusion and molding of very thin parts.

Trexel, the worldwide leader in the development and commercialization of microcellular foam processing technologies for
thermoplastic polymers, licenses the MuCell technology for injection molding and extrusion applications worldwide.
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 MuCell Advantage
The MuCell Microcellular Foam injection molding technology is a complete process and equipment technology which
facilitates extremely high quality and greatly reduces production costs. The MuCell Process involves the controlled use of
gas in its supercritical state to create a foamed part. The MuCell Technology is targeted at precision and engineered plastic
components with maximum wall thicknesses of less than 3mm.

The MuCell Process generally offers a 50-75% improvement in key quality measures, such as flatness, roundness, and
warpage, also eliminating all sink marks. These improvements result from the fact that relatively uniform stress patterns
are created in the molded part rather than non uniform stress characteristic of solid molding.

As a direct result of the uniform stress and shrinkage associated with the MuCell Process (which occurs because the pack
and hold phase of the molding cycle is eliminated), the parts that are produced tend to comply far more closely with the
mold shape and, presumably, the dimensional specifications of the part itself. This means that when using the MuCell
Process, fewer mold iterations are needed to produce a compliant part, saving time and cost.

The quality advantages of the MuCell Process are complemented by certain direct economic advantages, including the
ability to produce 20-33% more parts per hour on a given molded machine, and the ability to mold parts on lower tonnage
machines as a result of the viscosity reduction and the elimination of the packing requirement that accompanies the use of
supercritical gas.

Trexel has recently published a comprehensive MuCell® Process Guide in English, Chinese, Japanese, and German which
explains in step by step detail how to apply the MuCell® process in the manufacture of MuCell® Injection Molded
components. This 25 page processing handbook covers all aspects of the process from set-up to troubleshooting to
optimizing results. It is primarily useful to companies who are manufacturing or are planning to manufacture parts using the
MuCell® Injection Molding Process. Please contact Trexel for a copy of this publication.