Rotational Moulding

For more than 30 years Queens University has been regarded as the world’s leading research facility in Rotational Moulding, with an unrivalled international reputation for high quality fundamental research, coupled with practical relevance. 

A wide and diverse range of projects are carried out in collaboration with local and international companies.  These projects range from short-term problem solving, training and consultancy work, to medium-term development and long term applied and fundamental research. Subject areas include: cycle time optimisation, new process & product development, process control, automation and new material development.

The Centre is equipped with full-scale, state-of-the-art industrial rotational moulding equipment, enabling direct correlation with results obtained with commercial moulders and suppliers, and includes the following:

• Ferry RS 1600 carousel rotational moulding machine;
• Single arm Caccia 1400R shuttle rotational moulding machine.

The rotational moulding laboratory is also equipped with a number of essential ancillary pieces of equipment including:

• Wedco single stage Grinding Mill (max 300kg per hour);
• Caccia high speed Turbomixer (50kg capacity).

Other important items include:

• A range of particle analysis equipment, for determining particle size distribution, particle shape bulk density and dry flow;
• Temperature Monitoring Units including Rotolog, Datapaq and K-Kontrol;
• Selection of test moulds e.g. cubes/spheres/tubes;
• TP Picture ® Powder/Bubble Analysis Equipment.

Injection Moulding

The injection moulding equipment at Queen’s includes:

• Arburg Allrounder 320S 500-350 with Selogica Control Injection Moulding Machine;
• TSM master batch gravimetric mixer;
• Rondol Technology High Force 5 Injection Moulding Machine;
• A selection of test moulds.  

The Centre is also able to simulate polymer processing using proprietary software such as Moldflow. 

A wide and diverse range of projects are carried out in collaboration with local and international companies. These projects range from short-term problem solving and trouble-shooting, training and consultancy work, to medium-term development and long term applied and fundamental research. 

In addition to use of the above the work in the Centre is supported by experienced injection-mould toolmakers in the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Workshop.