MOLDS & TOOLING
Mold cleaning gets postponed because cleaning means cooldown, disassembly, reassembly, and reheat — a full shift gone. So it waits until defects force the issue. We clean molds hot and in the press, which removes the reason to postpone it.
What we clean
Cavities, parting lines, and vents. Burnt-on plastic, cured resin, and off-gassing residue. Mold release and plateout buildup. Press platens, tie bars, and the machine itself.
Contamination considerations
Off-gassing residue accumulates in vents faster than most maintenance schedules account for. Once vents clog, trapped gas causes short shots, burns, splay, and weld lines — defects that get chased through process settings for days before anyone looks at the tool. Plateout bonds harder with every cycle. Burnt plastic on the cavity face transfers straight to the part surface.
Why dry ice, and why not
Cleaning in the press at operating temperature removes the cooldown, disassembly, and reheat cycle entirely. Independent testing found no thermal stress on molds blasted at operating temperature, and hot tooling releases residue faster. However: dry ice has real cutting effect at pressure. Wrong pressure, nozzle, or dwell time can mar a cavity finish, and Class A surfaces demand conservative parameters. It is also line of sight — internal cooling channels are not reachable this way, and scaled water lines are a different service. Heavy plateout takes multiple passes. We run parameters we have already proven on this equipment — not a generic approach.
Every hour the press is down for cleaning is an hour it isn't making parts.
