Polymer Micro Compounding
IM 12 Pro Injection Molder
The Xplore IM 12 micro injection molder is a compact, precise, and versatile solution designed for seamless integration with Xplore twin-screw compounders. It can also function as a stand-alone unit by manually loading powders or granules. Engineered for flash-free operation, it ensures high-quality, shrinkage-free test samples through precise control of holding pressure and time.
Temperature-Controlled Mold Housing
Operating at mold temperatures reaching 300 °C and an 18 kN injection force.
Compressed-Air-Powered Plunger
Provides accurate injection with adjustable holding pressure for optimal quality.
Talk to an Instrumentation Specialist Today!
High-precision System for Rapid Development
The Xplore IM 12 Pro Injection Molder is a compact, high-precision laboratory system designed for rapid material screening and formulation development. Engineered specifically for research environments, the unit fits easily on a standard laboratory bench or inside a fume hood while delivering the accuracy and repeatability required for advanced polymer testing.
With a 12 ml shot volume, the system enables efficient testing using minimal material quantities, an important advantage when working with newly synthesized polymers, specialty additives, or other high-value materials. The IM 12 Pro integrates seamlessly with Xplore Twin‑Screw Micro‑Compounders, creating a streamlined workflow from compounding to injection molding. It can also operate as a standalone injection molder, allowing researchers to process premixed powders, pellets, or granules without the need for upstream compounding.
Xplore IM 12 Pro Injection Molder
Product Features
Advanced Thermal Control for Accurate Material Processing
Precise temperature control is critical in micro-injection molding, as mold temperature directly influences polymer flow, crystallization behavior, and final material morphology. The IM 12 Pro incorporates an advanced temperature-controlled mold housing designed for rapid heating and efficient cooling.
The upgraded heating system enables the mold to reach temperatures from ambient up to 150 °C in less than 10 minutes, allowing rapid setup and minimal downtime between experiments. Integrated water-assisted cooling returns the mold to lower temperatures just as quickly, enabling faster testing cycles and improved experimental throughput.
For applications requiring even broader temperature control, optional liquid-cooled plates can be connected to standard laboratory chillers. This configuration allows mold temperatures to reach sub-ambient levels, enabling researchers to study temperature-dependent material behavior, crystallization kinetics, and morphology development under precisely controlled conditions.
The system’s transfer unit heats rapidly to 150 °C in under 5 minutes and can reach temperatures up to 450 °C, providing the flexibility needed to process a wide range of thermoplastics, elastomers, and advanced polymer formulations.
Precision Injection and Pressure Control
To ensure consistent and repeatable molding results, the IM 12 Pro incorporates a securely locked conical mold design that prevents material flashing during injection. This configuration ensures clean, well-defined specimens and reliable reproducibility across experiments.
Injection is driven by a compressed-air-powered plunger, delivering accurate and stable injection forces while maintaining a simple and robust mechanical design. The system allows precise control of injection parameters, including adjustable holding pressure and timing, which help minimize shrinkage and internal stresses in molded specimens.
Programmable pressure profiles between 1 and 16 bar can be applied during the injection cycle. At maximum pressure, the system delivers an injection force of up to 18 kN, providing sufficient power for consistent mold filling even with higher viscosity materials.
Flexible Material Loading and Multi-Cycle Operation
The injection chamber can be filled directly from a micro-compounder, enabling a continuous workflow from compounding to molding without intermediate material handling. Alternatively, users can manually load powders, granules, or pellets, allowing the system to operate independently when mixing is not required.
Depending on the mold volume, a single material batch can support multiple injection cycles, improving material efficiency during formulation screening and experimental testing.
The IM 12 Pro also supports multi-cavity mold configurations, allowing several test specimens to be produced in a single injection cycle. This capability significantly increases productivity during mechanical testing or material characterization campaigns.
Wide Range of Standard and Custom Mold Options
The system supports a variety of standardized molds designed for laboratory testing and materials research. Available mold options include:
- Certified dog-bone tensile bars for mechanical testing
- Izod impact bars for impact resistance evaluation
- Pharmaceutical tablet molds for drug formulation studies
In addition, custom mold designs can be developed to accommodate specialized specimen geometries or application-specific research requirements.
Xplore IM 12 Pro Injection Molder
Product Knowledgebase
Webinar
Advancing Thermoplastic Composite Research with Modular Small-Scale Processing
Thermoplastic composites are rapidly gaining ground across industries demanding lightweigh…
How Micro-compounders Enable Precise and Repeatable Color Matching in Polymers
Color matching in polymer compounding involves formulating and adjusting pigments, dyes, a…