Gallery

About Project

Tired of chatter and vibrations ruining your ski experience? Introducing the NEXT Polyurethane Ski Dampener, your secret weapon for a smoother, more controlled ride.

This innovative dampener is designed to minimize vibrations and absorb shocks, allowing you to carve with confidence and maintain better contact with the snow. Crafted from durable, high-grade polyurethane, the NEXT dampener offers a perfect balance of flexibility and resilience, effectively reducing unwanted movement without sacrificing responsiveness.

Its clever design, featuring strategically placed grooves and channels, optimizes energy dissipation and ensures consistent performance in varying snow conditions. The compact and lightweight form factor integrates seamlessly with your ski bindings, adding minimal weight while maximizing dampening efficiency. And, of course, it proudly displays the “NEXT” brand, a mark of quality and performance you can trust.

The Magic of Injection Molding

How is such a precise and functional piece created? The answer lies in the power of injection molding. This advanced manufacturing process allows for the mass production of complex plastic parts with exceptional accuracy and consistency.

Here's how it works: Molten polyurethane is injected under high pressure into a precisely designed mold. This mold, a masterpiece of engineering, contains the negative image of the ski dampener, including all its intricate features – the grooves, channels, mounting points, and even the “NEXT” logo.

Speaking of the logo, it's not simply printed or applied afterward. The “NEXT” brand name is engraved directly into the mold. This means that every dampener produced bears the mark of quality, seamlessly integrated into the product during the molding process. As the polyurethane solidifies within the mold, it takes the shape of the cavity, including the engraved logo, resulting in a clean, durable, and professional finish.

Injection molding makes it possible to create hundreds, even thousands, of identical ski dampeners quickly and cost-effectively, ensuring consistent quality and performance for every skier.

Ready to take your skiing to the next level? Contact FacFox today for all your injection molding needs. From design and prototyping to high-volume production, FacFox offers a comprehensive range of services to bring your product ideas to life. Their expertise in injection molding ensures top-quality results, competitive pricing, and fast turnaround times. Let FacFox help you create innovative products that stand out from the crowd.

Solution

• Step 1: Mold Design and Fabrication. First, a mold, the heart of the injection molding process, was meticulously designed and fabricated. This mold, typically made of hardened steel or aluminum, was precisely machined to create the negative impression of the ski dampener, including all its intricate features, such as the grooves, channels, and mounting points. Crucially, the “NEXT” brand name was engraved into the mold cavity, ensuring its permanent inclusion on each finished product.
• Step 2: Polyurethane Preparation. Next, high-grade polyurethane material, chosen for its durability and flexibility, was prepared. The raw polyurethane was often in the form of granules or liquid components, which were then carefully measured and mixed according to specific formulations.
• Step 3: Injection Molding Process. The prepared polyurethane material was then fed into the injection molding machine. Inside the machine, the material was heated until it reached a molten state, becoming viscous enough to flow easily.
• Step 4: Injection. Under high pressure, the molten polyurethane was injected into the prepared mold cavity. The material was forced into every nook and cranny of the mold, taking the shape of the dampener and capturing the engraved “NEXT” logo.
• Step 4: Cooling and Solidification. Once the mold was filled, the polyurethane was allowed to cool and solidify. This cooling process was carefully controlled to ensure the material solidified evenly and without defects. The time required for cooling varied depending on the material and the thickness of the part.
• Step 5: Ejection. After the polyurethane had solidified, the mold was opened, and the newly formed ski dampener was ejected. Precisely engineered ejector pins or plates were used to release the part from the mold without causing damage.
• Step 6: Post-Processing (if needed). In some cases, minor post-processing steps might have been required. These could include trimming any excess material (flash) from the edges of the part or applying any desired surface finishes.
• Step 7: Quality Control. Finally, each ski dampener was inspected for quality. This involved checking for any defects, ensuring dimensional accuracy, and verifying the proper formation of the “NEXT” logo. Only those dampeners that met the stringent quality standards were approved for packaging and distribution.