Best Practices for Cleaning a Warm Mold

There are times you need to clean a mold, but don’t want to let it cool, pull it from the machine and work on it in the shop. Maybe there is resin build-up on the mold or plate-out. Or maybe its time for a resin or color change.

But wait. You can’t use the mold cleaner you use in the shop to clean a warm mold sitting in the machine.

For example, when cleaning a mold in the shop, you want a fast-evaporating cleaner you can spray on and thoroughly flush the mold surface, cracks and crevices. A powerful-fast-evaporating cleaner will break down and remove silicones, oils, residues and resin often without even wiping it down.

However, that same cleaner, when used on a warm mold, will immediately flash off before it has even a moment to start cleaning. This makes it useless as a cleaner while a mold is still warm and in the machine.

Some of the toughest cleaning jobs include removing acetals such as Delrin® and Celcon®. Then there are fire retardant materials. These resins adhere to warm molds and cleaning can be incredibly time-consuming. These build-ups can cause mold “plate out,” impacting quality. This build-up must be chemically removed from the mold surface in order to minimize potential part deformation. Resin removers are designed to break down this residue and help remove unwanted resin from the mold surface.

So what you need to clean a warm mold in the machine is a strong, slow-evaporating, online cleaner formulated to remove mold release, resin build up, and light rusting. Their slow evaporation rate allows chemicals to remain on the mold surface for a longer period of time, maximizing cleaning effectiveness.

Slide Products’ On/Cycle Mold Cleaner is specially formulated for cleaning warm molds. On/Cycle is a NSF category P1 cleaner. It works on warm molds up to 150°F and easily removes releases, oils, greases and many resinous build-ups.

Learn more about mold releases, cleaners and rust preventives