In product design, multiple components can each serve a purpose in controlling heat and noise, but there is a point where the end result becomes a complicated assembly that costs too much. Every added component has to be sourced, handled, and installed before the finished product leaves the line. Simplifying the design itself can simplify what happens downstream, too.

Custom molded foam gives design firms and OEMs more options to streamline production while maintaining product performance. By shaping the foam around the product and the job it has to perform, several separate components and functions can be combined into the final design.

In this article, we’ll look at:

• How molded foam can consolidate separate components
• Why a simpler design can reduce work during assembly and improve performance
• How to evaluate costs when molded foam may require a higher upfront investment
• Why considering molded foam earlier gives designers more options

How molded foam simplifies production

Traditional die-cut foam offers significant benefits for acoustic and thermal control, and in many applications it may still be the right choice. But when the overall design starts requiring multiple pieces, fasteners, or separate installation steps, the assembly can become increasingly complicated.

A typical assembly might include:

• Foam for sound absorption or thermal control
• Additional pieces to fill gaps or fit around components
• Brackets or hardware for positioning
• Adhesive, screws, clips, or other fastening methods

One molded part can replace many pieces

Take this example from work we did with a client. We were approached by a medical device manufacturer with a request to reduce the complexity in a respiratory device that used approximately 37 separate assembly items, including die-cut foam, isolators, screws, nuts, washers, clamps, fixtures, and molded plastic parts.

We developed one POLYFORM® molded urethane foam component to replace them.

What consolidation changes on the production floor

Fewer components can change how the product is built.

In the respiratory device application:

• Approximately 37 assembly items became one molded component
• Manufacturing assembly time dropped by more than 40%
• Manufactured material cost decreased by 12%

We saw similar results with a hospital bed mattress inflator project. Its original acoustic treatment used 10 separate die-cut foam pieces. We replaced that setup with a two-piece molded foam insert set that simplified the design and assembly.

The redesign:

• Reduced inventory from 13 parts to four
• Cut installation time by 40%
• Simplified how the acoustic treatment was installed around the blower

Consolidation can reduce the picking, positioning, fastening, and handling required during production. In some applications, molded geometry can also reduce the need for separate adhesives or fastening hardware by helping the component fit and stay in place as part of the assembly.

A simpler assembly can also reduce production costs

A molded component could require a higher upfront tooling investment than other approaches, but the initial cost does not reveal the whole financial picture. A better comparison looks at what it takes to build the complete assembly, including part costs, inventory management, and assembly labor.

In the respiratory device application, the molded component replaced the foam pieces, but it also eliminated hardware, plastic parts, isolators, and other separate components. Along with cutting assembly time by more than 40%, the redesign reduced manufactured material cost by 12%.

Production volume weighs heavily, too. An extra installation step may have a small impact on one unit, but that cost grows as the same step is repeated across production.

Molded foam will not automatically be the lower-cost option for every application. But it will be evident in some as part count, installation labor, inventory, and recurring assembly steps increase, especially at higher production volumes.

What happens to product performance?

A simpler assembly still has to meet the performance requirements of the finished product. In our molded foam applications, production improvements have also been accompanied by measurable performance gains.

In the hospital bed mattress inflator project, overall noise dropped from 55 to 50 dBA. The molded inserts encapsulated the blower, provided acoustic treatment, helped isolate vibration, created a mounting method for the blower, and worked with the unit’s airflow requirements.

The respiratory device also became 4 dBA quieter after approximately 37 assembly items were consolidated into one molded component.

These results show how molded foam geometry can support several functions within the product while addressing the acoustic or thermal performance that brought foam into the design in the first place.

More design freedom earlier in the process

Molded foam can create opportunities even after a product is well into development.

Late-stage improvements are still possible

Our work on an oxygen concentrator shows how molded foam can still be introduced later in development. The manufacturer had already completed the product design and built its first production models when feedback showed that the unit was too loud. Exterior tooling was already complete, so the treatment had to work within the existing enclosure.

We developed a two-piece POLYFORM® molded foam design that reduced noise, created an airflow path, and replaced several stainless steel mounting and airflow brackets without requiring a redesign of the exterior. The solution worked within the design that was already established.

Earlier involvement opens more possibilities

Addressing noise and heat earlier expands the design choices available while the product is still taking shape.

Design firms and OEM engineering teams can then consider:

• Component placement
• Airflow paths
• Molded foam geometry
• Attachment methods
• Opportunities to consolidate parts

When Polymer is involved while those decisions are still being made, molded foam can become part of the product design itself. That creates more flexibility in how the foam fits, functions, and supports the overall assembly.

Prototype before committing to tooling

During the discovery stage, we can explore different directions before the design is finalized.

Through our prototyping process, we can work from CAD files to develop prototypes that approximate the proposed molded design. This gives the team an opportunity to evaluate fit, make changes, and see how the component interacts with the surrounding product.

Our testing capabilities can also help evaluate acoustic, thermal, and vibration performance.

Together, prototyping and testing help validate the concept while changes are still easier to make.

Look at the complete assembly with Polymer

Custom molded foam can influence more than acoustic or thermal performance. A purpose-designed component can consolidate parts, reduce installation work, and simplify what production teams have to manage from one unit to the next.

Looking at the foam as part of the complete assembly also creates opportunities to reduce recurring production costs. Bringing Polymer into the process earlier gives designers more freedom to shape how the component fits, functions, and works with the rest of the product.

If part count, assembly time, or product performance are creating challenges in your design, talk with Polymer about where custom molded foam could simplify the assembly.