In the plastic production industry, molds are like precision “hearts”, and their service life is directly related to production costs and efficiency. However, in reality, there are many cases where molds are scrapped in advance due to improper maintenance. In fact, as long as you master scientific maintenance methods, you can extend the service life of molds. Today, we will sort out the core points of plastic mold maintenance for all machine operators to help you easily extend the mold life!
Before Production: Meticulous Inspection to Lay a Solid Foundation for Production
A comprehensive and meticulous “physical examination” of the mold before production is essential, which is the basis for ensuring the smooth progress of subsequent production. First, use special cleaning agents and tools to completely remove oil stains, rust, and other impurities on the mold surface, making the mold surface clean as new. Second, the cooling water channel is a key inspection object. Test the water channel with a professional water testing machine to ensure that the water channel is unobstructed; otherwise, blockage by foreign objects will greatly affect the cooling effect and thus the product quality. The arc surface inside the sprue bushing should not be ignored. Carefully check for damage, scratches, or foreign objects, and clean and repair them in time if problems are found. In addition, for moving parts such as guide pillars, guide sleeves, and sliders, manually check whether their movements are smooth, whether there are jams, abnormal noises, etc., and handle problems in time to ensure that the mold is in the best condition before production.
During Production: Daily Maintenance + Regular Inspection, Two-Pronged to Ensure Stability
Maintenance during production is the key to the stable operation of the mold, and daily maintenance and regular inspection should be combined.
(1) Daily Maintenance: Must-do Every Day, Details Determine Success or Failure
Inspection and lubrication of guiding components: Carefully check all guiding components such as guide pillars, guide sleeves, and slide blocks every day for wear and scratches. Moreover, comprehensive lubrication should be done once each at the start and end of work. Choose the right lubricant, apply it evenly to reduce friction.
Cleaning of mold surface: The parting surface, exhaust groove, and runner surface are prone to residual rubber filaments, foreign objects, and oil stains, which will affect the molding quality and mold life. Therefore, these parts should be thoroughly cleaned twice a day, using soft brushes, non-woven fabrics, and other tools for careful cleaning without damaging the mold surface.
Ejector pin maintenance: Ejector pins play an important role in demolding. Regularly check for bending, deformation, or jamming, and add lubricating oil in time to ensure flexible movement.
Lubrication of key parts: Key parts such as guide pins, bushings, and position-determining pins have a great impact on mold accuracy and stability, so lubrication and maintenance should be done once a day.
(2) Regular Maintenance: Timely Inspection to Prevent Troubles
Inspection of cooling water channels: Regularly check whether the water channels are leaking or blocked. Judge by water pressure test or observing flow rate and temperature, and unblock or repair in time if there are problems.
Screw re-tightening: Vibration during production may loosen the fastening screws. Regularly re-tighten all fastening screws to ensure that all parts of the mold are firmly connected.
Inspection of mechanism functions: Regularly check whether the functions of limit switches, angle pins, angle lifters, and other mechanisms are normal, test the accuracy and reliability of their actions, and eliminate potential faults in time.
When Shutting Down: Rust Prevention + Standardized Records to Prepare for Next Production
Maintenance when shutting down is the key to preventing mold rust. Before shutting down, first turn off the cooling water channel, then use compressed air to blow out the residual water in the water channel to avoid rust. Then check the mold surface, remove residual rubber filaments, oil stains, and other foreign objects with cleaning tools to ensure the surface is clean and dry. After cleaning, evenly spray a sufficient amount of rust inhibitor on the entire mold surface to form an effective rust-proof protective layer. Finally, fill in the mold maintenance records accurately and completely in accordance with the specifications, including maintenance time, content, problems found, and handling conditions, to facilitate subsequent review and tracking of the mold status.
Doing these three steps of maintenance will keep your plastic molds in good condition, effectively extend their service life, and reduce production costs! If you need mold opening or have any problems during maintenance, please feel free to contact us. We have a professional technical team to provide you with comprehensive solutions and technical support, working with you to create efficient production!
