Cleaning equipments

We need to clean the screen pack changer (SPC), die plate, GFT bed and Tray and etc. Can anybody suggest an economical & quick method of cleaning them, especially when swing from one color to another and from crosslinkable material to thermoplastic?

Regards

Hello,

If the surface finish on tooling and other extrusion equipment is good then it is fairly easy to clean as the majority of the still hot plastic can be simply peeled off by hand. This is then followed by manual cleaning with BRASS brushes so that the steel surface finishes are not damaged. After this the components and tooling are blown clean with dry compressed air and then wiped down with clean soft rags to completely eliminate all moisture. If the tooling is going to be stored, then a thin film of very light machine oil might be appropriate to prevent corrosion. This is especially important if the plant is in a tropical country, as your plant is. Use wood tables for cleaning and all vises must have brass jaws which are generally made by a local machine shop.

If however the steel surface finishes have been damaged by by previous bad cleaning practices and handling then they are very difficult to clean because the plastic adheres to all those gouges and scratches. Replace that tooling and equipment and then look after the replacements properly as above.

Always clean all extrusion equipment and tooling while the the plastic is still hot.

Regards
Peter J. Stewart-Hay
Principal
Stewart-Hay Associates
www.Stewart-Hay.com