Air-Core® Molding
Advanced Blow Molding for Complex, Cost-Efficient Thermoplastic Designs
Ice Maker Fill Assembly
Chilled Water Tank
Chilled Water Tank
What is Air-Core® Molding
An Innovative Alternative to Conventional Blow Molding
Traditional blow molding requires tooling and part geometries that limit complexity. Mercury Plastics engineered Air-Core® as an advanced, more flexible approach—capable of creating structures and details that traditional blow molding cannot replicate.
With Air-Core®, we can:
- Add a blow-molded detail mid-span within an extruded tube
- Produce complex, multi-geometry components in a single molded step
- Reduce or eliminate fittings, joints, and assemblies
- Achieve intricate internal and external shapes with far less tooling cost
Air-Core® opens new opportunities for engineers seeking lighter, more reliable, and more manufacturable fluid-handling or structural components.
Applications Where Air-Core® Molding Excels
Mercury Plastics supports Air-Core® solutions across industries such as appliance, automotive, construction, marine, medical, and other fluid-handling or structural applications.
Typical uses include:
- Fluid conveyance systems that require integrated bends, chambers, or formed details
- Leak-free appliance plumbing that benefits from fewer joints
- Lightweight structural components with specific geometric constraints
- Routing solutions where space is limited and fittings are impractical
- Cooling or air-handling channels within assemblies
- Transition components that mate with overmolded features or formed sections
Most Air-Core® projects are hybrid manufacturing programs, combining multiple Mercury Plastics capabilities to produce the final component.
Core Thermoplastic Processes Under One Roof
Mercury Plastics is unique in offering all plastics and e-beam capabilities under one roof: extrusion, Air-Core® molding, forming, fabrication, injection overmolding, industrial-polymer modification, and bioburden reduction. This eliminates fragmentation and enables faster iterations from concept to finished part.
Our engineering teams frequently combine Air-Core® with:
Custom Extrusion
Beginning with a tailored profile or tube, Air-Core® can introduce molded features at precise locations along the length.
Forming & Fabrication
After molding, tubing can be thermoformed into complex routed shapes, avoiding the need for joints or fittings.
Injection Overmolding
Overmolding creates leak-free joints and end details without adhesives, clamps, or heat sealing.
Electron Beam Crosslinking
Crosslinking enhances thermal, chemical, and mechanical performance of polyethylene, TPE, and other compatible materials, extending product life and improving structural integrity.
Engineering Support from Start to Finish
Our engineers collaborate with you early—using SolidWorks®, Moldflow®, FEA, prototyping, and our in-house machine shop—to optimize manufacturability, reduce cost, and achieve performance targets
Why Choose Mercury Plastics?
A Partner for Complex, Multi-Step Thermoplastic Programs
Deep Engineering Expertise
Decades of experience across molding, extrusion, forming, and crosslinking—plus advanced modeling and analysis tools—help us solve design challenges early in the process.
High-Performance Manufacturing
Air-Core® molding is not an isolated capability; it’s part of a seamless system that gives customers a single path from concept to completion.
Continuous Innovation
From Air-Core® to advanced overmolding techniques to our high-energy electron beams, Mercury Plastics is committed to engineering solutions that reduce cost, improve reliability, and enhance product performance.
ISO-Certified Quality
Our ISO 9001:2015 registered Quality Management System reflects the rigorous controls and testing customers expect in critical applications.
Thermoplastics Resources & Education
Get Started with Mercury Plastics
Discover how Mercury Plastics can help you improve product performance, reduce costs, and accelerate time-to-market.