Environmentally friendly mould cleaning

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials

ISSN: 0003-5599

Article publication date: 1 April 2000

89

Keywords

Citation

(2000), "Environmentally friendly mould cleaning", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 47 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2000.12847bad.008

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited


Environmentally friendly mould cleaning

Environmentally friendly mould cleaning

Keywords: USF Vacu-Blast, Cleaning, Blasting, Environmentally friendly

Controlled abrasive blasting specialist, USF Vacu-Blast, reports a growing trend toward the use, of plastic media for cleaning moulds used in the manufacture of plastics and rubber products.

The plastic media blasting (PMB) mould cleaning technique, which the company has perfected over the past five years, is believed to offer a fast, gentle and highly effective method for the regular cleaning of moulds between production runs, without the risk of damage to the mould or creating environmental hazards.

According to USF Vacu-Blast, with traditional mould cleaning operations using harsh abrasives or mechanical cleaning methods, there is always the danger of physically damaging a delicate mould, and the use of some cleaning chemicals can be hazardous to operators. Chemical methods may also pose costly wet waste disposal problems. PMB processing is said to create a dry waste which can be disposed of more easily with no danger to the environment.

The PMB technique was developed originally for the controlled depainting of aerospace components during non-destructive testing and maintenance procedures. Vacu-Blast has subsequently developed a range of "Ventus PMB" cabinet blasting machines which have been purpose designed for cleaning moulds and delicate mechanical components and deflashing electronics assemblies. The Ventus machines offer blast enclosure sizes from 896 x 796 x 800mm ("Ventus 92PMB") to 2000 x 2000 x 1500mm ("Ventus 200PMB") and can handle moulds weighing up to 1.5 tonnes. All the machines claim precise control of blasting pressure, a large viewing window, high internal illumination and a high efficiency integral media separation and regrading system. Dust and debris is separated automatically from reusable media, with the latter recycled to the suction-fed blast nozzle.

USF Vacu-Blast also exclusively supplies "Polymedia Lite" - a new plastic media specially formulated for mould cleaning and other delicate blast cleaning applications. Polymedia Lite is available in a screen size of 20-50 (850-298mm), and is an inert virgin material so poses no mould contamination problems.

Details available from: USF Vacu-Blast. Tel: +44 (0) 1753 526511; Fax: +44 (0) 1753 538093; Web site: www.vacu-blast.co.uk

Related articles