#plastics manufacturing

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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.

Contact us to learn more about decreasing injection molding changeover time

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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.

Contact us to learn more about SLIDE rust preventives

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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.

Contact us to learn more about Moldshields

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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.

Contact us to learn more about SLIDE mold cleaners and releases

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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.

Contact us to learn more about flowmeters

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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.

Contact us to learn more about plastics processing and material handling

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See the best free to download photos, images, and wallpapers by Tyron J Harrison on Unsplash.

Tyron J Harrison has worked in the manufacturing industry since leaving college in 1989.