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Injection Molding Nozzle Leak Detection: 8 Best Practices

By this point, you probably know that AIRTECT leak alarm systems will detect your nozzle and hot runner leaks early when attached to your multi-zone water manifolds. Doing so results in the following benefits:

Safer operation

Nozzle and barrel protection

Reduced maintenance spending

Reduced downtime

Peace of mind for unattended machines

Best Practices

How can you ensure that you achieve these benefits? Below are eight best practices when installing AIRTECT leak alarm systems:

The DC power source must be interference free: avoid electromagnetic interference (EMI) from solenoids, servomotors, etc.

Ensure the internal interlock relay contacts need to have a capacity to switch loads of 24V DC at a maximum current of 0.5A

Run the wiring and plastic tubing within the machine enclosure where possible for neat workmanship and to avoid problems

Cut both ends of all sensor tubes neatly to provide a clear inner sensor tube diameter of 0.8mm (for 1.6mm tube) and 1mm (for 2mm tube)

When using expansion manifolds (LA504, LA508 etc), ensure the LA500 or LM2050 has been programmed to accept the manifold/s and that it/they are connected to, otherwise a communication alarm will be displayed and vice-versa if the LA500 or LM2050 has not been programmed and a manifold is connected

Switch electrical power on only after the sensor tube installation is complete and the air supply is energized to allow the “self-teaching” function to work

When using modular systems, mount the manifolds on the base before applying electrical power as all mold leak sensor installations are somewhat different

Work with an experienced partner to ensure all of the above

Get Started Today

Whether you have new molds, problematic existing ones, or need to manage many changeovers, the AIRTECT leak alarm system helps you maintain online production without costly leaks. Contact us and we’ll work closely with you to determine the right size and setup of the AIRTECT to meet your needs.

#plastics #injection molding #leak detection #airtect #plastixs

Plastixs Earns SMARTFLOW Distributor Award for 19th Year

Burger & Brown Engineering names Plastixs the SMARTFLOW 2021 “Domestic Distributor of the Year”

Consistency and quality are central to products carried by and customer service of Plastixs – so we’re proud to be honored with the SMARTFLOW Domestic Distributor Award for 19 years in a row.

The award, which acknowledges superior sales and service of SMARTFLOW products, is presented by Burger & Brown Engineering, the maker of SMARTFLOW products. A long-time distributor of these products, Plastixs has won the award every year since 2003.

“We’re always proud to be recognized as the Domestic Distributor of the Year,” said Mickey Blyskal, President and CEO of Plastixs. “To have earned this every year for nearly two decades is both an incredible honor and validation of the effort our team puts into doing things right for our customers. SMARTFLOW products enable us to provide our clients the highest quality solutions for quality, productivity and efficiency.”

SMARTFLOW products frequently top our “customer favorite” lists, including:

Water manifolds

Flow regulators

Flowmeters

Mold temperature regulators

Swap valves

For custom projects, Plastixs collaborates with SMARTFLOW’s team to design, prototype and assemble products to exact specifications. With SMARTFLOW and the combined engineering and manufacturing expertise of Plastixs, we deliver custom, turnkey solutions to customers.

Custom Manifold Assemblies Built for Your Needs

Across industries, Plastixs delivers custom-built manifold assemblies using the highest quality components on the market – including SMARTFLOW flowmeters, flow regulators, swap valves, and more. Critical to connecting components within production systems, manifolds distribute fluids across various circuits, ensuring precision, and consistent quality.

From system design to material selection, connection type, fluid monitoring, and more, the team at Plastixs can customize a manifold assembly to your exact needs, utilizing SMARTFLOW products. To learn more about custom manifold assemblies, read our eBook.

Award-Winning Customer Service & Product Assistance

We collaborate closely with clients to understand their needs, provide custom solutions, and eliminate production obstacles. With the help of Burger & Brown, we offer world-class products for your injection molding and other plastics manufacturing needs.

With over two decades of industry experience, our team is honored to receive this award and we look forward to another year of partnership with the Burger & Brown team.

#smartflow #award #custom manifold assemblies

How to Reduce Tubing Abrasion in High Wear Applications

Do you have abrasion, angel hair or fines in your pneumatic conveying system?

If so, RaBend pneumatic conveying bends from Vactec provide a simple and cost-effective solution to these common material conveying issues.

How RaBend Works

Designers and users of pneumatic conveying systems for the plastics industry can improve performance and efficiency of even glass-filled materials because RaBend eliminates the “Impact and Friction Zone” present in short and long radius elbows, which causes:

“Angel hair” aka stringers that plug downstream equipment

Elbow wear caused by conveying glass-filled materials

Product degradation resulting in excessive fines

Machine downtime and lost productivity

RaBend’s innovative, patented geometry eliminates both the impact and impact zone by creating a “heal” of material in a recessed pocket just beyond what would normally be a right angle. As material collects in the heal, the material impacts on itself as it is conveyed. The pocket will clean out completely after a short purge conveying cycle.

The impact and friction present in traditional short and long radius elbows are completely eliminated and the protected discharge leg reduces any straight section wear. As a result, you will reduce maintenance time and save money on vacuum component replacement. Additionally, quality and productivity will increase for processors dealing with “angel hair” and material degradation in their vacuum loading systems.

You can see exactly how RaBend works in the nine-second video below.

Video Demo

More About Vactec Rabend

#plastixs #vactec #rabend #pneumatic conveying system #stringers #angel hair

Your Guide to Custom Water Manifold Assemblies

Water manifolds are well known for helping maintain the optimal temperature of injection molding and other manufacturing equipment, but many are unfamiliar with layout and assembly options. Here’s what you need to know about custom manifold assemblies.

Water manifolds cool injection molds as well as semiconductor, x-ray, MRI, servers, welding, furnaces, lasers, and other equipment by distributing fluids where needed.

While common throughout many industries, there are many variables that impact the efficacy and function of your manifold. This guide covers the most common challenges and how to overcome them with customization.

Overcoming Common Manifold Challenges

The layout and assembly of prefabricated fluid distribution systems come with numerous manifold issues that are covered by the guide:

System design

Material selection

Manifold size

Connection type

Circuit isolation / regulation

Fluid monitoring

Manifold layout

Supply Chain

The next challenge is sourcing parts and scheduling their assembly. The custom manifold guide covers best practices relating to lead times, managing your company’s resources and tooling, sealants, dry fit-ups, and pressure testing.

Use an Experienced Custom Manifold Partner

Designing and assembling a custom manifold can be a laborious and complex undertaking. Outsourcing to an experienced and reliable partner can alleviate the stressors of in-house implementation.

A trusted partner will guide you through the process of determining your needs and establishing the correct design parameters, such as:

Inlet and outlet sizes

Temperature and pressure specifications

Material selection

Sensor requirements

Connections based on flow and hardware required

System fluid compatibility

Plastixs brings decades of experience designing, fabricating and assembling custom manifolds for clients across many industries. Our team regularly partners with industrial OEMs with turnkey custom manifold services that include whatever combination of the following you need:

Pressure and flow consultation during equipment design

Material and component selection

Parts sourcing

Fabrication and assembly

Prototyping and testing

Shipping

To learn more about custom manifold assemblies, download our comprehensive guide or contact us to learn more.

Download the Plastixs custom manifold guide here

#water manifold #plastixs #injection molding

Kuri Tec Leads the Way with Innovative, Durable Hoses & Tubing

Kuri Tec® offers a wide selection of durable, innovative hoses and tubing made in North America and utilized across industries and applications.

From pharmaceutical to food and beverage industries, Kuri Tec hoses lead the way with innovative and high-quality solutions built to last. Owned by Kuriyama, Kuri Tec products are manufactured in ISO 9001-2000 registered facilities in the US and Canada.

As a leader in thermoplastic products, Kuri Tec focuses on high-strength, high-quality hoses and tubing for food and water supplies, pharmaceutical, and pure chemical processing that meets NSF 51 and 61 standards.

Plastixs carries a wide selection of Kuri Tec products to fit every need you may have for hoses, tubing, and more.

What Makes Kuri Tec Hoses Different?

Not only are these products made in North America, but they’re also built for applications involving strict compliance for health and safety. Kuri Tec offers a wide range of products designed to handle potable water, food, medicines, and more.

For restaurants and pharmaceutical companies alike, Kuri Tec products are the go-to for manufacturing of compliance-sensitive products. While cheaper products on the market exist, it will be hard put to find a comparable hose with the same durability and quality as Kuri Tec products.

Top-Selling Kuri Tec Products

One of the most widely utilized hoses is the Kuri Tec CLEARBRAID® K3150. These hoses are reinforced with spiraled polyester that maintains their structural integrity, giving them a high pressure rating for this type of hose. Commonly used in the food processing, pharmaceutical and packaging industries, these hoses can tolerate temperatures up to 150°F.

Another popular Kuri Tec product is the POLYWIRE® Plus K7300, which boasts a heavy wall and wire-yarn reinforcement design for vacuum and pressure applications. This crystal-clear PVC hose is nontoxic, silicone-free and can tolerate temperatures up to 150°F. Heavy-duty construction and electrogalvanized helical steel wire maintain the durability of the hose under both vacuum and pressure.

For the food and beverage industry, the POLYSPRING® Series K7160 remains a crowd favorite. With spiral-wire reinforcement and a glass-smooth interior, this crystal-clear hose is ideal for vacuum lines transporting air and water.

As a known and trusted manufacturer, Kuriyama boasts a high reputation for safe products with traceability of supply chains and fair pricing. Don’t make the mistake of choosing the cheapest product on the market and subsequently jeopardizing the health and safety of your customers. With Kuri Tec, you know you’re investing in a quality product that will last longer than cheaper competitors.

Prevent Production Mishaps (and PR Nightmares) with the Right Products

We’ve all heard of the stories of nationwide restaurant chains shutting their doors to address health and safety violations. Often, these mishaps are due to using poor quality products.

Contamination prevention is easier when you work with trusted products from known manufacturers. At Plastixs, we have decades of experience working closely with compliance-sensitive industries such as food and pharmaceutical manufacturing. We understand the nuances of the industry, what’s at stake, and the right products for effective and compliant material handling.

If you’re unsure of the right product to use (there’s a lot of options out there – we get it), contact one of our Kuri Tec product experts who will help you determine the right product for your needs.

#kuri tec hoses tubes

Achieve Trouble-Free Indexing with Custom Date Code Inserts

Customizable date code inserts from Plastixs allow manufacturers in the plastics and rubber industries to properly index products without hassle or effort.

Date code inserts are a critical component of tracking manufactured goods. These rotating date indicators act like a clock, showing different configurations of days, months, and years of when the product was created, as well as lot codes and other identifying engravings.

At Plastixs, our inserts are uniquely designed for trouble-free indexing, especially in the manufacturing of rubber and silicone parts.

Customization of Date Code Inserts

Used for tracking lots, identifying batch defects, and more, date code inserts are a staple of manufacturing quality control (QC) practices across the globe. Plastixs inserts are designed for long-term use in environments where traditional inserts can fail – including plastic and rubber molding facilities that run their molds at high temperatures.

Plastixs offers industry standard sizes ranging from 4mm to 20mm with standard or custom engravings. Made of pre-hardened 416 stainless steel material, these inserts can handle heat up to up to 350°F and are designed for easy maintenance, cleaning and replacement.

For applications with thermoset materials such as rubber and silicone, our date code inserts stand apart in their ability to handle materials that flash in very small gaps. This flash often renders traditional date code inserts inoperable, but the design of Plastixs date code inserts ensures trouble-free operation even under these conditions.

Plastixs Date Code Inserts Improve ROI

Using Plastixs date code inserts improves ROI for rubber and silicone applications because they are priced 20-30% below traditional alternatives and will decrease your spend on maintenance and replacement. They will continue to index for the life of the product unlike traditional date code inserts that stop turning when subjected to materials that easily flash through small gaps. Date code inserts from Plastixs are easily replaced, corrosion-resistant, and last longer than other, more fragile inserts.

Four Date Code Insert Types

Our inserts are available in four distinct, customizable styles:

Style A: Blank

Style B: Outer engraved with months (1-12), inner engraved with arrow and the last two digits of the current year (unless otherwise specified)

Style C: Outer engraved with quarters (1-4), inner engraved with the last two digits of the current year (unless otherwise specified)

Style D: Outer engraved with 5 consecutive years, starting with the current year, inner engraved with arrow only

Which Date Code Inserts Are Right for You?

Contact the Plastixs product experts and we’ll help you determine the right parts for your manufacturing needs. With a team of industry veterans, we are well-versed in manufacturing needs across industries, and we understand the nuances of each.

#date code inserts #plastics #rubber

Tigerflex® Leads the Way with Food Grade Hoses & Durability

Tigerflex® provides high-value, FDA-safe hoses and accessories to food manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and many other industries

Food, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries rely on food grade products to maintain strict levels of compliance for health and safety. Without the right manufacturing accessories, the safety of both the production and employees becomes compromised.

As a premier brand of FDA-safe products, Tigerflex – part of Kuriyama of America – combines quality and compliance, offering a complete line of thermoplastic, rubber and metal hose products as well as accessories that include couplings and fittings.

Compliant Across Industries

As one of the few brands that manufacture FDA and ROHS-approved hoses, Tigerflex offers high-value products to clients in tightly regulated industries.

All Tigerflex products are made in the US and are highly durable, out-performing and out-lasting other, lower-priced and lesser quality hoses on the market.

Tigerflex’s broad range of food grade hoses is suitable for both dry and liquid goods, and even includes larger hoses for potable water (2” to 6” in diameter) that are used in various applications to pump large amounts of water.

Hoses that Are Built to Last

Some users focus on flexibility, but the ability for the hose to hold up under vacuum is a key indicator of durability. As a result, the best quality hoses are often slightly stiffer than might be expected, but this is necessary to withstand the vacuum required for conveying materials.

Depending on the type of manufacturing, the volume of production, and other factors, some applications may be better suited to a more durable – yet slightly less flexible – hose.

Don’t compromise safety and productivity for ease of flexibility. Your hose should be able to hold up to both the vacuum required as well as the abrasion of the material being moved over time.

Safer & More Effective Manufacturing

With standard, heavy duty, and extra heavy-duty, Tigerflex offers the largest breadth of hoses for every manufacturing occasion – even in high static environments.

Tigerflex understands the challenges of food, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and provides copper-wire embedded hoses to bleed off static.

Without dissipating this energy, static can build within your line. At the very least, this will clog your line; at worst, employees are at risk from an electric shock that can make working around the hose uncomfortable. The risk of arcs increases in environments with dust, including granaries.

With grounded hoses, your employees and facilities will be safer and more productive while complying with internal and external regulations.

Talk with Product Expert to Choose the Right Hose for You

There are many choices out there when it comes to industrial hoses. We know that selecting the right products for your equipment can be challenging.

The team at Plastixs is happy to help you determine the right hose for your equipment, volume and industry. With decades of experience in manufacturing, our experts have truly seen it all and can help problem-solve and identify the right hose solution for your needs.

#tigerflex #industrial hoses #food grade hoses

How to Select the Right Rust Preventive for Your Molds

Rust preventives ensure that your injection molds are protected while not in use. Vapor residue, trapped moisture – even a fingerprint – can invite rust and leave you with damage to an expensive mold if you’re not using the right rust preventive for your application.

With the most effective and broadest range of rust preventives on the market, SLIDE Products has the protection you need. That’s why we’ve been representing their expertly formulated line of products, including rust preventives, since 1989.

SLIDE has multiple rust preventives to choose from. At Plastixs, we can help you choose and use the best one for protecting your molds – and the significant investment you have in them.

Best Selling Rust Preventives

A Unique Formulation

Mold Shield (42910P) is SLIDE’s most popular rust preventive because of the unique, dry formula that protects against fingerprint acids and seals out condensation – there is no other rust preventive like it on the market.

Mold Shield goes on dry, leaving behind a coating of oils for ongoing protection. As a result, Mold Shield does not penetrate any part of the mold that will be difficult to clean. Most rust preventives go on wet and can bleed into ejector pins and other areas of the mold.

Mold Shield cleans up faster and easier than wetter rust preventive sprays. Mold Shield actually self-cleans during startup (first few cycles) as the mold is heating up and test shots are being injected.

Though it’s ASTM rated for up to two years, Mold Shield is also recommended for shorter shutdowns. Learn more >

The Legacy Formulation

No-Rust (40212M) is the second rust preventive formulation developed in 1950 and is just as effective at neutralizing fingerprint acid, displacing condensation and sealing mold from outside condensation. No-Rust provides up to five years of protection, making it effective for long-term storage, shipping and heavy coatings. Learn more >

The Red Tint

Quick RP Rust Preventive with Indicator Dye (42810RP) seals out condensation and neutralizes fingerprint acids. Quick RP’s unique capability stems from the red tracing dye that leaves behind a red tint when sprayed, for complete and uniform coverage. Quick RP also goes on dry and does not bleed into ejector pins and other parts of the mold. Learn more >

PVC & Flame-Retardant Resin Protection

Acid Vapor Neutralizer (44011P) provides protection for molding PVC and flame-retardant resins, offering protection against moisture, hydrochloric and hydrobromic acid vapors, and even hand sanitizer, which has shown to be a mold contaminant.

Food-Grade Rust Preventive

White Rhino (46710P) provides up to two years of protection for injection mold assemblies used to produce food packaging (NSF category H1) and performs as well as Mold Shield. Learn more >

Let Us Help You Choose the Right Rust Preventive

If you’re unsure of which rust preventive to use, the Plastixs team can help. With decades of experience working with injection molders, we can quickly help you find the right rust preventive, determine if buying in bulk makes sense, and get it to you as expediently as possible.

#rust preventives #plastics manufacturing #plastics processing #slide products

Reduce Lost Production, Defects & Parts Contamination in Injection Molding with Moldshields

Moldshields™ help you reclaim your parts that are lost or damaged once ejected and bounce out of the machine, which can generate a 10x ROI on their first day of use.

Moldshields are simple, cost-effective side shield curtains that contain parts in the machine when they are ejected from the mold. This prevents your parts from bouncing onto the floor or into another part of the machine, preventing part defects, contamination, housekeeping and safety issues they cause.

How Moldshields Work

Moldshields are the thinnest mold shield curtains (side curtains) on the market. They take up only a half inch of space even when rolled up, so they’re easy to insert between the side of mold and the tie bars of the machine. Simply clip them on and they will contain all your parts in your machines. Unlike other mold shield curtains, Moldshields are 100% clear so you can see directly into the machine when using them.

There is nothing mechanical in Moldshields: there are no springs or roller devices. Instead, Moldshields have a special polymer laminate so it curls upon itself. When you need to get into the mold, simply unclip one side and the Moldshield automatically retracts to the other side of the mold so they don’t get in the way and get damaged like other mold shield curtains.

Your Trusted Partner for Reducing Part Defects & Increasing Productivity

Moldshields have an in-service life expectancy of 3 million cycles and a maximum operating temperature of 250°F. However, because they are thin, Moldshields can get damaged and wear out over time, but are inexpensive to replace at $100 to $300 per set.

Because they can prevent part defects and contamination in fully automated molding of small parts, injection molders often experience a 10x ROI on their first day of use.

As the largest stocking distributor of Moldshields in the US, Plastixs can help you identify the right size for your machines and whether you might also benefit from using mold chutes.

#Injection molding #moldshield #plastics manufacturing #plastics processing

Your Guide for Selecting the Right Mold Release

Mold releases create a barrier between your molds and resins, preventing them from sticking to each other, which can lead to part defects and mold damage. In the process, mold releases can extend the life of your molds and increase production throughput – as long as you’re using the right one.

With the most effective and widest range of mold releases on the market, SLIDE Products is the name to know for high-quality mold releases. At Plastixs, we’ve proudly represented SLIDE Products since 1989 and we can help you find the right mold release for your injection or blow molding application.

Best Selling Mold Releases

Cost-Effective & Widely Used

SLIDE EconoMIST (41612N) is an NSF-certified mold release that delivers a solvent-free, dry, light silicone spray to improve part release and optimize cycle time. It’s one of the most commonly used mold releases because of its effectiveness on a wide variety of injection molding applications and economical price. Learn more >

A Paintable Mold Release

Paintable Mold Release (40012N) permits post-molding painting or decorating, and is essentially a paintable version of EconoMIST. Learn more >

Food-Grade Release

Pure Eze (45712N) is a food and medical grade, paintable, neutral white oil-based mold release that is non-silicone based and does not contain lecithin. Many customers find Pure Eze effective for non-food applications with difficult to release materials. Learn more >

Cost-Effective Food-Grade (Non-Paintable)

Econo-Spray 1 (40510P) is an economical, food-grade, silicone oil-based mold release recognized by UL. Econo-Spray 1 is non-paintable. Learn more >

Let Us Help You Choose the Right Mold Release

There are many other specialty mold release options so whether you need light or heavy duty, medical or food grade, NSF-certified, paintable, silicone or non-silicone, let us help you find the right mold releases to protect your molds, maximize throughput, and drive greater productivity. Bulk options are available in addition to cans and Plastixs has what you need in stock, ready to ship.

#Injection molding #slide products #mold release #plastics processing

How Electronic Flowmeters Avoid Product Defects & Downtime in Injection Molding

For injection molders, flowmeters offer cost-effective, automated monitoring of water flow to prevent product defects, mold damage and downtime.

Consistent flow of water is critical for ensuring the right temperature and pressure needed for injection molding parts with precision and maximizing production throughput.

When the flow of water is inconsistent, it can adversely affect dimensions of the part, leading to costly part defects.

For medical injection molding, even a microscopic part defect on a heart valve or other medical implant can pose a serious risk to patient safety. If water flow drops, due to a hose being crimped, mold cooling channel rust, or something else affecting water flow, the temperature in the mold can change. This can affect dimensions of the part, leading to defects that are not visually apparent – down to a few thousandths of an inch.

If the flow of water drops far enough, or a mold is turned on without water being supplied at all, costly mold damage and downtime are likely in addition to part defects.

Flowmeters help you prevent all of these problems.

How Electronic Flowmeters Work

The SMARTLINK™ Tracer®VM Interface collects data from TracerVM flowmeters installed within an injection mold cooling circuit. If flow drops you are alerted via email to take corrective action.

Aggregating up to eight separate flowmeters, the SMARTLINK TracerVM Interface provides power to each flowmeter and receives voltage signals for temperature and flow. Additionally, the interface offers:

A mobile app to monitor temperature and flow conditions in real time

Simplified multiple TracerVM installations

Gasketed, water-resistant plastic enclosures

Ethernet port to connect to local network

USB port provides mobile device charging plus flash drive connection

SMARTFLOW® Data Logger PC software included

Avoiding Production Downtime

Flowmeters can also ensure injection molding machines are “ok to run” to prevent costly damage to the mold if an operator starts the machine without the water supply turned on.

To do so, flowmeters are placed on the return inlet for the mold temperature controllers and tied into a data card on the machine, other type of alarm or hot runner control system that will visually indicate when the correct water temperature and flow are in place to start operation.

This is especially important for medical injection molders: a $0.50 defective part could threaten the integrity of costly medical devices. A large, world-class medical injection molder started using flowmeters two years ago. In the first month, the flowmeters prevented three events that would’ve cost $30,000 to $50,000 in defective parts reaching their medical device assembly lines.

We learned of another situation where flowmeters weren’t being used and an injection molding machine producing plastic bottle tops was turned on without water flow to the mold. As a result, a mold plate cracked that took five weeks to replace on a critical production mold that could not afford any downtime.

Identifying the Right Flowmeters

Monitoring the temperature and consistency of water flow is critical to part integrity, quality control, protecting molds, and meeting production goals, which is increasingly difficult to do with the lack of skilled labor and increasing automation that otherwise wouldn’t catch these problems.

Previously, flowmeters were only used by the largest injection molders that discovered how valuable and inexpensive they are. Machine manufacturers are increasingly incorporating flowmeters on new machines, but many injection molders would benefit from using them on molds now in production.

Additionally, other equipment can be tied into flowmeters easily, including hot runner temperature controllers and RJG process monitoring control systems. If you already have an RJG system, a flowmeter board might only cost about $500.

Not sure where to start? The Plastixs team can help you determine the right technology for your needs. We have decades of experience helping clients find cost-effective solutions to ensure part quality, maximize uptime and prevent costly problems.

#smartflow #flowmeter #plastics manufacturing #Injection molding

How to Select the Right Mold Cleaner for Your Application

With so many mold cleaners on the market, it’s hard to know which one will work best on your molds. Here’s your guide for selecting the right one.

As a staple in both injection molding and extruding, mold cleaners break down the contaminants that can potentially damage plastic parts, the mold itself and production throughput.

We proudly represent SLIDE because, from our experience with their products since 1999, they produce the most effective and broadest range of mold cleaners on the market.

Since SLIDE has several mold cleaners in their catalog, how do you find the right one and is there something better than what you’re using today for certain applications? Here is our Slide mold cleaner guide.

The Best Seller

SLIDE Mold Cleaner 4 (46910) is the product we stock the most – and for good reason: it removes mold release, silicone, grease, oil, and wax build-up on mold surfaces without the need for wiping. Mold cleaner 4 is NSF registered (P1) and free of chlorinated solvents so is safe for use with food packaging and medical product molding.

Mold Cleaner 4 works well with cold molds and is a fast-evaporating formula that is non-conductive and non-abrasive. We recommend this cleaner as a safe and effective product across many injection molding and extruding applications.

Mold Cleaners for Cleanrooms & More

SLIDE Mold Cleaner Wipes (46370) pre-saturated cleaning towels are very effective and ideal for use in cleanrooms where you can’t spray.

Mold Wipes are useful for both preparing molds for production and storage, as well as touching-up cleaning during production, surface preparation prior to secondary operations, general maintenance, and all-purpose cleaning.

Try them once and you’ll wind up using them for a long time.

As Powerful as Environmentally Friendly

SLIDE NEXGEN mold cleaner (46410) is another popular product. Made from soy, NEXGEN is fully biodegradable, NSF registered (P1), uses food-approved solvents (GRAS), and is free of chlorinated solvents.

NEXGEN is extremely powerful with high solvency for resins, polymers and dies. As a result, NEXGEN is ideal for oil spill clean-up and remediation, dewaxing, removing mold release, and degreasing. NEXGEN works well in an aerosol or bulk form.

In our view, NEXGEN is the most extraordinary cleaning product available and is superior to other “natural” cleaners.

The One That Works Great on Warm Molds

SLIDE On/Cycle Mold Cleaner (44212) works best in production on warm molds (up to 150°F) as it easily removes mold release, oil, grease, and many resinous build-ups before they can become a problem – and evaporates off well on a warm mold. OnCycle can also be used on cool molds and in combination with Mold Cleaner 4 to help flash off the mold.

On/Cycle is an NSF registered (P1), uses food-approved solvents (GRAS), is free of chlorinated solvents, will not stain aluminum, and even has a pleasant orange scent.

Food-Grade Isopropyl Alcohol in a Can

SLIDE IPA Mold Cleaner (47212) is ideal for our food packaging and medical injection molders because it’s NSF registered (P1) and flashes off the mold without leaving any residue. As a result, IPA is very effective at removing grease, oils, wax, outgassing, and resin buildup in vents – and is sold by the can as well as in bulk.

Let Us Help You Choose the Right Mold Cleaner

From temperature to speed, injection molders and extruders need the right mold cleaners to protect your molds, maximize throughput, and increase productivity.

If you’re unsure of which mold cleaner to choose and if buying in bulk is right for you, the Plastixs team can help. With decades of experience working with injection molders, we understand your needs, can quickly help you make the right choice, and have all of these mold cleaners in stock.

#slide products #mold cleaners #mold cleaner 4 #mold cleaner wipes #plastics manufacturing #Injection molding

Prevent Catastrophic Injection Mold Leaks with the AIRTECT Alarm System

The AIRTECT Plastic Leak Alarm System provides an early detection system for leaks in your plastic molds, preventing costly repairs and downtime.

Molten plastic leaks are more than just a nuisance for injection molders; even a minor leak can spell disaster, significantly damaging your molds and requiring extensive cleanup and repair.

While leaks are an industry-wide problem, few manufacturers know of a simple warning system that can save them thousands, keep their molds online, and prevent catastrophic leaks.

The AIRTECT Plastic Leak Alarm System is a cost-effective, unique device that assists in preventing damage caused by leaking molten plastic material at the main injection nozzle and within hot runner molds.

Don’t Let This Happen to You:

The Risks of Leaking Molten Plastic

Molten plastic exposed within your work environment poses a significant risk to the safety of your equipment, molds, and – most importantly – your team.

Injection molds run at high pressures, often between 10,000 and 30,000 psi. With such a high pressure, the flow path of the plastic must be seamless to prevent leaks from occurring. Maintaining the safety of your manufacturing facility includes regular upkeep and monitoring of the state of your molds, but leaks are hard to predict and can cause significant damage to your operations.

The tangible risks of a leak include machine downtime and repair, maintenance labor to replace and clean the plastic, and the replacement of heater bands and thermocouples. The greater the machine tonnage, the greater the cost of a nozzle leak. The intangible costs of leaks can include reputational damage due to late deliveries, and compliance issues for industry health standards.

The AIRTECT alarm system monitors your molds for leaks, alerting you the moment a leak has occurred.

Immediately Identify Nozzle & Hot Runner Leaks

Don’t wait for disaster to strike; AIRTECT notifies you the instant your mold malfunctions.

The AIRTECT system operates with a small amount of air going through 1.6 mm or 2.0 mm stainless steel tubes (at 2-3 PSI, using less than <0.01 cfm per circuit). AIRTECT utilizes a very sensitive pressure differential switch with an alarm that sounds whenever air flow on any tube is blocked or degreases. A small length of high temperature silicone tube is added to the stainless steel tube for increased sensitivity.

See how it works:

High ROI

Installation is straightforward for both new and existing hot runner systems and, with an LED display, you can view the status of your entire operations. This solution provides 24-hour protection and peace of mind for injection molders that can’t afford downtime.

From automotive to medical to food packaging and other industries, manufacturers that run high production often spend tens of thousands of dollars on repairing mold leaks. The AIRTECT Plastic Alarm System offers a safeguard against leaks for under $1,000 – protecting you from damage that could cost 10-100x of what AIRTECT costs.

Get Started Today

Whether you have new molds, problematic existing ones, or simply manage many changeovers, the AIRTECT system helps you maintain online production without the fear of costly leaks – like a form of downtime insurance. Contact us and we’ll work closely with you to determine the right size and setup of the AIRTECT to meet your exact needs.

The Difference Between a Materials Handling Distributor & A Partner

While a distributor supplies products, a true partner will work with you to solve your problems, maximize uptime and give you time back.

Sourcing the right products is more than about finding the right distributor, but with so many suppliers, it can be hard to know which one is right for you.

If you already know what you need, then you need someone that you can count on to get you products fast, cost-effectively and communicate any issues along the way so they can be proactively resolved.

If you’re not sure what you need, it’s important to work with someone that has strong industry and product expertise so they can help you identify the right specifications and get you the best products that meet them – and can even build custom, end-to-end solutions if no off-the-shelf product exists.

A materials handling partner can help you with all of the above while a distributor simply executes transactions. They may be able to offer a somewhat lower price because they don’t invest their time trying to solve your problems or adding value.

Plastixs Brings Three Decades of Materials Handling & Injection Molding Experience

We ensure your production cells perform at their full potential by supplying unique components, accessories and supplies—guided by 30 years of expertise—that tie these systems together, increase productivity and prevent small issues from creating big problems.

Our customers depend on us to identify the right solution and get it delivered on time, no matter what, which is why we have customers for life.

Our team of industry veterans understand the ins and outs of injection molding, material handling and manufacturing of industrial products. We know the problems you face, and the right solutions to help optimize and streamline your production. Our company’s mission centers on:

Problem solving and prevention

Competitive pricing

Expert technical assistance

Custom solutions and prototyping

Delivery that meets your deadline

Solving problems that reduce/prevent downtime

Boosting your productivity and profitability

Finding ways for you to save time and headache

Reach out to us if you’re ready to work with a partner you can count on to maximize uptime and give you time back – share your production and material handling problems with us so we can start helping you solve them.

#plastixs #plastics processing #plastics manufacturing #Injection molding #materials handling

Achieve Faster & More Efficient Changeovers with SWAP Valves & FasTie Systems

SMARTFLOW® SWAP Valves and FasTie quick ejector systems reduce changeover time related to ejector tie-in and water line removal by up to 90%, increasing the uptime of plastics manufacturing machinery for plastics manufacturers.

When it comes to plastics manufacturing, speed is everything. Without the right tools, manufacturers can face lengthy gaps in production during changeovers, and more, decreasing profitability and productivity.

With tools such as SMARTFLOW, SWAP Valves and FasTie quick ejector systems, injection molders can dramatically reduce mold change time for faster, more efficient workflows.

FasTie Quick Ejector Tie-In Systems

A FasTie system quickly “ties in” the mold ejector plate to the press ejection system within an injection molding press, helping to increase the speed of changeovers.

Ejector tie-ins are notoriously difficult without ease of access where ejector tie-in takes place. FasTie systems mount directly to the machine, minimizing mold change time with an easy, cost effective setup. The system is available in three sizes (1-inch, 1-3/8-inch, and 2-inch) and is ideal for most injection molding machines. A FasTie system is accessible and compact, and easily installs into existing molds and ejector plates with no additional machining required.

Traditionally, ejector rods are manually installed in difficult-to-reach areas. With this setup, changeover time can be lengthy, which results in time that the molding machine is not productive. The FasTie system automates the connection between the machine and the mold, alleviating the need for manual ejector tie-in.

Depending on the machine and molds, the FasTie system can save injection molders up to 90% of the time they would otherwise have to spend on tying in their ejector systems.

SMARTFLOW SWAP Valves

SWAP valves are simple and manually selectable valves that supply both cooling water to the mold during processing, and air to purge the water from the mold before a mold change.

These valves tie directly to the water systems that cool the molds and, like FasTie, easily connect to your existing equipment. With SWAP valves, manufacturers don’t have to worry about making a mess when changing over lines that are full of water. Instead, the valves purge the water from the lines prior to unhooking. The entire process only takes 2-3 minutes before all hoses can be disconnected.

SWAP valves bring speed and cleanliness to your manufacturing operations, transforming a task that was once time-consuming and labor intensive into an automated operation. Draining lines can be both messy and unsanitary for the work environment, creating a risk of slip and fall accidents and other safety hazards. With SWAP valves, plastic molders can have peace of mind in a fast, secure and clean operation.

Reducing Downtime from the Ground Up

SWAP valves and FasTie systems can provide up to a 90% increase in efficiency, cutting downtime between changeovers to a fraction of what it used to be.

At Plastixs, we work closely with our clients to ensure the solutions they invest in are tailored to their exact needs. If you’re not sure which tools are right for you, contact us and we can help you identify the best products for your business.

#smartflow #swap valves #fastie systems #plastixs #Injection molding #ejector systems #plastics processing #plastics manufacturing

NORRES Hoses: High Temperature, High Wear Solutions

Hoses take a beating in the plastics industry.

Many standard PVC hoses do not stand up to the daily wear and tear of plastics manufacturing applications for long.

Exposure to heat and abrasion can soon overcome the structural integrity of PVC hoses and the real cost of replacing them is measured in downtime.

That is why many plastics processors, especially those working with resins that require high-heat drying, go looking for hoses with more staying power and resilience.

It’s a search that quickly leads to Plastixs’ NORRES product line.

Minimize Downtime & Replacement Costs

Long-lasting and cost-effective, NORRES hoses are made of polyurethane and outperform traditional PVC hoses for heat-resistance, flexibility and lifespan – critical metrics that can go straight to your bottom line.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the advantages:

Increased Temperature Range: the maximum temperature for a PVC hose is 150°F; the standard NORRES hose is rated for up to 195°F and the high temp version can stand temperatures of up to 255°F of continuous operation

Flexibility: NORRES hoses are more flexible at different pressure ranges and for operations that require movement in multiple directions or flexibility against vacuum forces

Grounding: NORRES hoses are made from static dissipative material and do not require grounding

Wear Resistance & Minimal Downtime: greater overall wear resistance means less downtime spent replacing hoses

Work with the High Temperature Experts

At Plastixs, we offer a variety of NORRES polyurethane hoses (also called PU hoses) to solve your plastics processing challenges, including:

NORRES highly abrasion resistant suction and transport hoses

NORRES hot air and high temperature hoses

NORRES hose clamps

Plastixs ensures plastics processors perform at their full potential by supplying and manufacturing unique components, accessories and supplies—especially high temperature hoses and water manifolds—that tie these systems together, increase productivity and prevent small issues from creating big problems.

Talk to our high temperature product experts to identify and deliver the right high temperature solution for you to minimize replacement costs, downtime and injuries.

#norres hoses #polyurethane hoses

Cut Costs & Decrease Downtime with HiTemp EPDM Hoses

Do you run your molds hot for polycarbonate and engineering resins? Say goodbye to cracked and hardened hoses with Plastixs® HiTemp EPDM Hoses, specifically designed for temperatures up to +284°F.

Many standard water hoses have a maximum temperature of about 180°F. For many molders, running these high-temperature materials means overspending on rubber hoses that quickly harden and crack from the heat.

Injection molders and other manufacturers can enjoy decreased downtime and boosted productivity with a high-quality, high temperature EPDM hose designed to withstand years of use that are also ideal in cleanrooms and other medical applications.

A Hose Designed to Last

HiTemp EPDM hoses from Plastixs are designed for use on high-temperature water lines for injection molds and can withstand temperatures to 284°F. Available in red, blue or black, Plastixs EPDM hoses are constructed from a high quality, smooth and antistatic nitrosamine-free rubber compound, reinforced with synthetic textile yarns.

Key features include:

Ideal for high temperature water lines for molds

Flexible EPDM cover resists abrasion, ozone, heat, and weather

Stays flexible at high temperatures

Synthetic textile yarn reinforcement

Available in three ID sizes: 3/8”, 1/2” and 3/4”

In stock for fast delivery

Oetiker ear clamps, ferrules and crimper also available

Cost-Effective Manufacturing Across Industries

Injection molders in medical, automotive and many other industries use high temperature processes to ensure the consistency and quality of their engineered materials. Standard hoses can harden and break during use if not designed specifically for high temperatures, leading to downtime, injury risk and more.

Plastixs EPDM hoses are one of the only products on the market made of rubber and capable of handling high temperatures for sustained periods of time. These high temperature hoses are designed to last for years operating at temperatures up to 284°F, outperforming the durability and flexibility of standard hoses that cannot hold up in these environments.

More Cost-Effective than Fabricated PTFE Hose

If you’ve been using fabricated PTFE hoses because standard hoses break during use, you’ll find that our HiTemp EPDM hoses offer a dramatic price advantage while also offering more flexibility for custom lengths to optimize the installation.

Custom Lengths & Free Samples

As one of our top-selling products over the last decade, the EPDM hose is a popular repeat-purchase for customers who, after using the HiTemp model, often never return to standard or PTFE hoses.

HiTemp EPDM hose can be cut to size so it’s available by the foot, as well as in bulk orders of 100-165 foot rolls, and is compatible with standard barbed fittings and clamps. See for yourself with a free sample today – we’ll send you a 5’ to 10’ sample that you can run for a few months to see how well it works.

#epdm hoses

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