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When Silicone Mold Release Is a Bad Thing...

As a molder you want fast cycle times, high productivity and superior quality. If the next step is hot stamping, pad printing, screen-printing, heat transfers or other post-decorating operations, one of your procedures will create quality issues.

A quick, clean ejection of plastics parts

You know downstream processes are impacted by your molding procedures. When molded parts will require post-decorating, any contaminant on the plastic parts will cause rejects. So, you choose a non-silicone release to help get parts out of the mold fast, keep cycle times short, and not leave any residue on the plastic.

However, there are instances where a plastic molder finds a silicone mold release is necessary to get optimum mold-cycle rates. This is where the trouble starts for downstream applications. The silicone mold release may transfer to the plastic part, and then create quality and adhesion issues.

Two other more painful scenarios are: 1) Despite all your due diligence, you find out after the fact that the thousands of plastic parts you just completed are shipping to the next step on their journey, a plastics decorating facility; 2) Your machine operator used the wrong mold release.

Now what?

Time for a bath

Silicone Remover is a highly concentrated soaping agent. Using a 50:1 water to concentrate ratio, this special cleaning agent emulsifies and lifts the silicone off the parts.

There are multiple ways to use Silicone Remover. Some molders create a bath of the water/concentrate mixture and immerse their plastic parts. The cleaning agent releases the silicone oil, which is lighter than water, and the oil rises to the top. The oil is skimmed off, leaving a clean pool of parts. The parts are removed and either driect with compressed air or allowed to air dry.

Molders have also used industrial washers, substituting Silicone Remover for their usual detergent. This is a more efficient, automated system, and creates silicone-free parts with a little less labor.

It may be a rare occasion when silicone oil creates an issue. However, when you need to save thousands of plastic parts and thousands of dollars, Silicone Remover has helps hundreds of molders salvage a long production run.

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