Playground equipment and recreational products include slides, swing sets, kayaks and canoes. Plastic is often the material of choice because it’s durable, weather-resistant, low-maintenance, and cost-effective. There are several plastics manufacturing processes that can be used to produce playground equipment and recreational products, but rotational molding provides key advantages.
Rotomolding’s Advantages
Rotational molding produces strong, hollow parts in a range of sizes, colors, textures, and volumes. Rotomolding, as this plastic manufacturing process is known, has lower tooling costs than injection molding, an important consideration for prototyping and lower-volume production. Yet rotational molding can also support high-volume production, even for larger parts.
In addition, rotational molding supports the use of plastic materials that can address application-specific challenges. For example, rotomolded polypropylene is weather-resistant and resists stress when flexed. It can be treated with UV stabilizers for outdoor use and is lightweight and cost-effective. Other rotational molding materials include LLDPE, HDPE, and static-dissipative PE.
Rotomolded Playground Equipment
Rotational molding for playground equipment produces smooth, seamless parts that are safe for children and adults. When the Boston Convention Center wanted an outdoor swing set with 20 oversized polypropylene swings, its architectural firm choose rotational molding from Gregstrom Corporation, a U.S. plastics manufacturer with 75+ years of experience.
The ring-shaped plastic swings that Gregstrom produced were equipped with solar-powered LED lights that change color based on the swing’s activity. Other on-board components included accelerometers and custom micro-controllers. Each swing also featured a metal plate that attach to an overhead metal rod.
Rotomolded Recreational Products
For recreational watercraft like boats and kayaks, rotomolding is also ideal because it produces lightweight, buoyant, and impact-resistant products with an excellent surface finish. Plus, designers can incorporate ergonomic features, handles, or storage compartments directly into the mold, reducing the need for assembly and improving overall durability.
Gregstrom rotomolds boats and kayaks, but our support for watercraft manufacturing doesn’t end there. When a designer of ice rescue equipment needed a pontoon platform for emergency responders, Gregstrom rotomolded products equipped with hand grips for easy lifting and that support the assembly of an integrated rescue harness and paddle mount.
Ready to learn more about rotational molding? Contact Gregstrom to discuss your plastics project.
