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Mold Release Agent Application
Make sure your mold release agent evenly coats the injection mold, so that parts do not stick.
Injection Molding Makes Almost Anything
From simple bottle caps to complex airplane parts, manufacturers use injection molding to make products out of anything, from plastics to metal to foam.
Although the variety is great, the basic injection molding process isn’t.
- It starts with a mold.
- A mold release agent coats the inside of the mold
- Material is injected into the mold.
- The material solidifies.
- The injection mold opens
- The part comes out.
Let’s talk more about step 2.
Mold Release Coverage Challenges
A waterborne or solvent-based mold release agent must be applied before the material goes into the mold. The mold release acts as a non-stick agent that keeps the part from bonding to the mold.
It is important that the mold release consistently coats the entire surface of the mold, which can have very unique shapes. If your mold release agent is applied…
- too lightly, the part will stick to the mold and be ruined
- too heavily, the mold release will bleed into the part, leaving discolored blotches
Solutions for Spraying Mold Release Agents
Conventional spraying techniques make it hard to avoid mold release coverage challenges.
Electrostatic applicators provide the atomization and transfer efficiency needed to apply just the right amount of non-stick agent inside of the injection mold.
- The spray gun produces very fine particles.
- The electrostatic charge attracts the particles to the mold, evenly coating the entire surface.
Electrostatically spraying mold release agents drastically reduces overspray, wasted material, part defects, rejected parts, and downtime.
- If you’re looking for a manual applicator, Graco has the Pro Xp60 WB Air Spray Manual Electrostatic Gun for mold release applications.
- For high volume operations that use reciprocators or robots, these automatic applicators can produce great results: Pro Xp Auto and Pro Xpc Auto electrostatic air spray guns, ProBell rotary bell atomizer.
Using a water-based mold release agent?
No problem. The batch system isolates waterborne material in a cabinet, where it is charged. This allows the mold release agent it to be sprayed electrostatically in a safe, efficient manner.
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