Structural foam molding is used when the engineer requires high stiffness.  You can use almost any thermoplastic can be used in structural foam molding but some of the most popular are high density polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, modified PPO, and ABS.  The stuctural foam molding process includes mixing a foaming agent with the polymer melt.  Whatever base resin you use will determine the basic properties of the finished product.

Benefits of implimenting this process include lower weight of the finished product, lower raw material costs, greater stiffness and stability, improved chemical resistance and elimination of corrosion.  Becuase of these benefits structural foam molded products have been chosen to replace wood, concrete, solid plastics and metal in a variety of industries and aplications. 

Another benefit of this process is the manufacturing costs.  The low cavity pressures allow the use of aluminum or medium carbon steel tooling.  These pieces of equipment are much less expensive and convetional injection molding parts.