What is Injection Mold Cleaning?

Injection Mold Cleaner 40910

Injection Mold Cleaning is a component of a thorough and methodical mold maintenance plan. Our approach to injection mold cleaning, along with an explanation of the various techniques used and their purposes are going to be described in this post.

The Five Methods for Cleaning Injection Molds

Consider these five main cleaning techniques:

1. Chemical cleaning

2. Ultrasonic immersion cleaning

3. Dry ice blasting

4. Soft plastic media blasting

5. Laser cleaning

   
   

Each cleaning method is suitable for various applications.

Cleaning with Chemicals

A chemical cleaning process may involve a chemical bath and manual scrubbing or connecting the cooling channels to a chemical recirculation system to eliminate fouling and mineral deposits. We are a proponent of Injection Mold Cleaners in Aerosol form, like 40910. Ordering bulk chemicals requires HAZMAT stamps and increases the cost of freight.

Immersion Cleaning Using Ultrasound

Ultrasonic immersion utilizes cavitation bubbles to thoroughly clean every surface of the mold. 

Blasting with Dry Ice

Dry ice blasting is excellent for cleaning the injection mold while it is mounted in the injection machine. 

Blasting with Soft Plastic Media

Unlike traditional sand blasting media that can harm a mold surface, soft plastic media blasting effectively cleans the mold surface without affecting its texture and polish. 

Cleaning with Lasers

Lasers will remove mold contaminants by burning them off and will reflect off the clean metal surface. It's crucial to clean the mold sufficiently to perform its function. Excessive cleaning can harm the mold surface and remove any protective coatings that have been applied. "Cooling water is a significant concern."

Injection molds often face issues with cooling channels becoming clogged because of subpar water quality. This leads to reduced cooling rates and consequently, longer injection mold cycle times. Given that time equates to money in manufacturing, exploring methods to decrease cycle time can significantly affect your profitability. 

“An increase of just half a second or a full second in mold cycle time can lead to a loss of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in productivity.” 

Injection Mold Cleaning & Surface Treatments

Another way to ensure water lines remain operational is by using the appropriate cooling channel surface coating. Besides cooling channels, injection mold core and cavity components also gain advantages from PVD coatings. The proper coating will extend mold life and result in longer intervals between preventative maintenance. 

The effectiveness of injection mold gas vents can be enhanced by using the right polish and surface coating. By polishing mold vents to SPI A-3 and applying an appropriate surface coating, residue that typically accumulates and blocks vents can instead pass through the vent and settle in the vent dump, ensuring the vents remain clear and open for a longer period.

We utilize our Six Point Injection Mold Program to clean your molds and apply the required surface coatings. The process is as follows:

1. Completely clean the surfaces of the mold.

2. Flush and clean the cooling channels.

3. Verify the flow rate and perform a leak integrity assessment.

4. Apply Alcadyne’s PVD A10™ Coating to the core and cavity, ensuring it is less than 5 microns thick (this will not affect the mold's tolerance).

5. Apply Alcadyne’s exclusive cFlow™ aerospace-grade ceramic coating to the cooling channel.

6. Return the mold to your doorstep for a prolonged and productive life of producing parts. 

This comprehensive program prolongs the lifespan of your molds.

Final Thoughts

"Individuals desire their molds to operate more efficiently and last longer between preventive maintenance sessions."

Repairing and maintaining injection molds are essential for reaching these objectives. Once an injection mold is cleaned, surface coatings may be applied to the mold core, cavity, and cooling channels to reduce residue accumulation that can obstruct mold vents and narrow cooling channels. 

Surface coatings expedite the removal of residue and fouling during cleaning. These enhancements lead to reduced costs since the mold requires less frequent maintenance in the toolroom, and when maintenance is necessary, the process is quicker due to the ease of cleaning the surfaces with the appropriate coating.