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INDUSTRIES
DRY
ICE BLASTING IN THE RUBBER INDUSTRY
Clean
molds are imperative!
At Cold Jet, we
understand the importance that clean mold cavities, open sprues,
and clear micro-vents mean to the quality of a rubber product.
The buildup of fouling residue and mold
release agents cause blemishes and unwanted flash to the final part.
It also makes it more difficult to hold today's tolerances on parts,
which can lead to increased scrap. Similarly, the molding process
will not be under control until the part variance is reduced. The
level of build-up in the mold becomes a major variable to the molding
process.
Dirty
molds affect not only quality but productivity also.
The rubber parts will stick to the mold during
removal, which increases cycle time, and in some cases, mold build-up
can lead to overpacking, which in turn can cause internal strains
to the tool.
Dry
ice blasting is unlike conventional cleaning methods that are both
time consuming and harmful to the mold and the environment.
Traditional
mold cleaning methods also increase down-time and limit productivity
as follows:
- Wait for
mold to cool down
- Remove mold
from the press
- Transport
mold to the cleaning area
- Clean mold
with grit blast, bead blast or wire brushes
- Remove particles
from intricate cavities and grooves
- Reinstall
mold into press
- Ensure correct
alignment
- Bring mold
to correct temperature
- Produce
product
- Dispose
of contaminated waste
Removing and
reinstalling the mold may lead to tool wear, as well as risk damage
to the tool during out-of-press handling. In addition, grit blasting
and wire brushes round corners, open tolerances and roughen the
finish of the mold. The
use of Cold Jet dry ice blasting eliminates these sources of mold
and tool damage.
Cold
Jet dry ice blast cleaning is cost effective
Experience
has shown a drastic reduction in mold cleaning "press downtime"
when the Cold Jet dry ice blasting process is used.
The following are examples of productivity
improvements for several rubber industries:
Tire
Industry
Cold Jet's dry ice blasting answer to
conventional cleaning methods results in an 87%
reduction in downtime and a 300% reduction in cleaning costs.
(see table below and Tire Industry for
further details)
| |
Bead
Cleaning |
Cold
Jet |
| Cleaning
location |
Out
of Press |
In
Press |
| Cleaning
labor time per mold |
2.50
hours |
0.33
hours |
| Cleaning
labor cost per mold (@ $25/hour) |
$62.50 |
$
8.25 |
| Cleaning
operational cost per mold |
$14.97 |
$10.50 |
| Cost
per mold cleaning |
$77.47 |
$18.75 |
| Average
down-time per mold |
8
hours |
1
hour |
Footwear
Industry
An application involving a 3-shuttle plate press resulted
in a 91% reduction in downtime. Cold
Jet's dry ice blasting process required 20
minutes per mold versus 240 minutes
using conventional methods, which corresponds
to a cost
savings of over $200,000 per year.
Automotive
Supply Industry
The Cold Jet dry ice blasting process
reduced cleaning time of eleven 36" x 36" (91cm x 91cm) multi cavity
plates from 44 hours to only 9.5 hours,
a 78% downtime reduction.
To
calculate your potential savings click
here to access our calculator.
And for more specific
and technical information see our technical
papers.
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