Although most people don’t realize it, everyone owes a debt of gratitude to the creators of injection mold cleaner. Without the benefits of this cleaning material, a lot of everyday things would cost a lot more.
This is because, without it, injection molds would have to be cleaned by hand after every individual part is manufactured. And injection molding machines would wear out a lot faster. This would translate to higher manufacturing costs that would get passed onto consumers. Injection mold cleaner solves the problem of clogged and dirty injection molding machines and prolongs their life.
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Injection Molding Process
For people who don’t understand the injection molding process, a quick explanation should highlight how valuable injection mold cleaner is to the industry.
The injection molding process is composed of two main parts: the mold of the product to be manufactured and the injection molding machine that holds the material (usually a type of colored plastic), heats it up and injects it into the mold.
Every type of plastic, when cool, takes on a hardened form. The fact that this material retains its structural integrity when it’s heated up and cools down makes it an ideal material for injection molding. But there are different types of plastic for various part applications. A stronger plastic might be used for car parts, while a softer type of plastic would be used to create a children’s toy. The fact that all these plastics would also be in a rainbow of different colors was another problem in the manufacturing process.
Cleaning Ate Up Production Time
The injection molding company would have orders from several different manufacturers for injection molded parts that they would then use in the manufacturing process of their products. Each mold would be attached to the injection molding machine, and a run of identical parts would begin. At the end of the run, the machine would have to be cleaned and flushed by hand of the previous material, the mold would be changed, and the process would begin again.
This cleaning and flushing by hand was laborious and slow. And if it wasn’t performed thoroughly, the next run of parts would contain a mixture of the previous and new material, which might compromise the strength and integrity of the new parts. They might also have mottled colors because of previous material that wasn’t completely flushed from the machine.
Faster and More Efficient Injection Molding
With the advent of injection mold cleaner, the cleaning process is quick and efficient. The injection mold cleaner material resembles the same pellet form as the plastic material. The cleaning material is simply dumped into the hopper that would hold the plastic. It’s heated up and forced through the injection molding machine, and through this process, the machine is kept clean with a minimum of time and effort.
So, the next time you’re able to afford a brand new car or a new appliance, be sure to thank the creators of injection mold cleaner for keeping the prices affordable.