Mold cleaning is a key process in mold maintenance and maintenance, and it is also a bottleneck restricting mold maintenance. Because mold manufacturing development is much faster than mold cleaning, and the mold is ready for the next production after rapid cleaning, the time left for mold cleaning is quite limited. Through the investigation of the factory, it was found that the molds arranged in the corridors and workshops in the factory almost occupied the limited operation space of the workshop, just waiting to be cleaned.

Some companies reset the mold directly after a production has been completed without any cleaning process and continue to be used for reproduction. If the plastic parts produced are clean, then there is no problem with the operation of the mold. Over time, a “temporary fire-fighting” cultural concept will be formed inside the company. Only when the residue accumulated in the mold affects the quality of the part or the mold is worn, the mold needs to be cleaned, and the cleaning process is only passed along. .

In the case of cleaning and repairing molds, some factories employ some apprentices in the primary mechanic or mold shop to do some cleaning of molds and stencils, and then the molds and stencils are split by the service technician. But in fact, the cleaning of the mold and the template will also wash away the track mark, which makes it difficult for maintenance technicians to find and correctly repair the defects of the mold and parts.

Indeed, cleaning molds does not require the talent of a senior mold making technician, but it is completely unthinkable for a newcomer who is not familiar with the special functions and defects of the mold or who are unclear about the key sealing area characteristics of the mold to be responsible for mold cleaning. Decide. Unreasonable distribution of mold cleaning work will result in continuous production of molds with performance defects, and will also increase significantly due to increased joints, burrs, corners, premature plating or steel shifting and mold mixing. The budget of the mold. Such problems often originate from the “temporary fire-fighting” maintenance culture, never monitoring or accounting for defects and identifying the root cause of the problem.

Standardized cleaning procedure

Systematic mold maintenance is based on the consistency of maintenance requirements and maintenance operations. In order to achieve the "cost-effective" goal, cleaning molds must be careful: develop a detailed mold cleaning program. When cleaning different parts of the mold, such as internal cleaning of the press, wiping along the edge, regular cleaning, and main cleaning, the cleaning operation method is also different.

After a certain period of operation of the mold and after visual inspection of plating wear, track marks, and mold residue content in the venting and non-venting areas, the technician can determine the procedure and frequency of mold cleaning by visual inspection. Therefore, it is important to understand the cycle of safe operation of the mold and to document the observations of residual residue and wear in the mold.

Based on the mold having a certain operating cycle, all molds should be accompanied by documentation of the relevant maintenance procedures and maintenance intervals. In general, controlling the internal grease level and gear broaching, sliders, internal shaft pins and bushings, and other moving parts are key to ensuring stable production. Other factors affecting production include contamination or blockage of the waterline and sprinklers, leakage of manifolds, rust and corrosion due to water leakage or condensation.