For injection and compression rubber molders there is a great demand to increase the productivity of equipment and the quality of parts, while maintaining healthy margins. This can be a balancing act between using the most effective technology while working within a shrinking budget.
The mold is the heart of the molding process and it is reported that 60-70 percent of all mold maintenance is mold cleaning. Therefore, effective mold cleaning is necessary to minimize machine downtime and improve production efficiencies.
Dry ice cleaning is non-abrasive, protecting the dimensions on parting lines and sealing surfaces of the mold. It is effective at keeping cavities and vents clean of mold release buildup, cured rubber residues and out-gassing.
All of these can quickly be removed to prevent a variety of molding problems: burn, sticking parts, short shots, plate-out, contamination, blemishes and flash.
This paper discusses the advantages of dry ice cleaning as a replacement for solvent and mechanical cleaning for the removal of contaminants from molds, which can mean the difference between mediocre performance and high-profit productivity.