23 Feb 2012
Sunset: 5:38 pm
24 Feb 2012
Sunrise: 7:07 am
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The Polymer Plastic
A new hot tub will start life as a small heap of polyethylene plastic granules which will eventually be turned into a fully functional hot tub. Polyethylene granules are used so that the new hot tub will not rot, rust or crack this give it an advantage over traditionally constructed Hot tubs. The polyethylene granules are a chemically complex material which has been carefully produced by chemical engineers to ensure the new hot tub is as strong and resistant to the elements as physically possible. They are both UV and Chemically resistant.
The first stage of the production process for the plastics engineer is to mix the polymer compounds to just the right colour for the new hot tub. This will be a carefully measured process using a number of different compounds as to produce an attractive and uniform finish. Once the mix of the Polyethylene compound is complete a measured amount will be poured into a cast aluminum mold and sealed using clamps around the rim of the mould.
The cast aluminium mold for a hot tub is designed and made by a team of Computer Aided Designers at a cost of over £80,000 to ensure that the inside of the hot tub is ergonomically perfect for the human body. The heavy aluminium mold now loaded with polyethelene granules is mechanically loaded onto a tri axis arm ready to be baked in a 30 cubic metre computer controlled gas flow oven. This process will take around one hour at over 350 degrees centigrade constantly rotating on three axis so that all of the polyethelne will adhere evenly to the inside of the mold.
Unlike injection molding this process ensures there are no weak points within the structure and maintains a constant polyethelne thickness throughout meaning rotationally molded hot tubs are some of the strongest in the industry. Once the cooking process is complete, the mold will be removed from the oven and cooled for a further hour using water and air jets. This cooling process is a vital part of the process to allow the chemical bonds in the polyethelene to bond together before removal from the mold.
Once the hot tub is cooled it is removed from the mold using pneumatic air jets it is carefully inspected by a quality control manager for any imperfections that may have occurred in the rotational molding process. If any irreparable imperfections are found the tubs life will end there and it will be ground down to be remolded again.
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