In the injection-molding industry, landing a contract with a major automotive manufacturer can ensure your company’s stability and lead to more contracts. But because injection-molded car parts are often an integral part of a car’s exterior, using a purging compound for plastic is a critical step in the injection-molding process.
Historically, many car owners pride themselves on the finish of their car’s exterior. More and more automotive designers and manufacturers are turning to today’s advanced plastics and polymers for panels and functional parts of their car exteriors. These materials are often vastly superior to the sheet metal exteriors that were once used. They offer better durability, rust is not a problem, and they are just as strong and resistant to dents and dings.
But what these plastics and polymers don’t do very well is offer a suitable surface for painting. While there are some paints that have been specifically formulated to adhere to plastic surfaces, dying the materials themselves is the preferred way to ensure the true colors in these car parts. And this where the purging compound for plastic becomes so crucial to injection-molding companies.
Ensure Exact Color Matches
Because of the importance placed on a car’s looks, achieving exact matches of colors in several different body panels and parts is also vital. But leftover bits of injection-molding materials in the machines can cause mismatched colors and blemishes. Using a purging compound for plastic and running the compound through your machines in between change-overs can eliminate what could be a very costly problem.
These compounds effectively flush dirt, foreign impurities, and previous plastic injection-molding materials from the walls of the hot runner. These impurities can become lodged in tiny scratches along the hot runner’s interior walls. Though they may be unseen at the time, the color difference they cause is readily apparent when two body panels from different production runs are side by side in bright sunlight.
Prolong the Lifespan of Your Machines
But by using these plastic purging compounds regularly from the time you first purchase the injection-molding machine, you can effectively eliminate the problem from ever happening. The scratches themselves are caused by the same dirt and impurities that are causing color mismatches in your final products.
These scratches can not only ruin a production run; they can shorten the lifespan of the machines as well. By getting in the habit of using plastic purging compounds between change-overs and as a regular part of their preventive maintenance program, a company can reap significant savings on production costs, increase the lifespan of their expensive machine investment, and save money on materials.
Plus, the vast improvement in customer satisfaction can mean more business as well. Automotive customers appreciate an injection-molding company that understands the importance of a visually flawless car exterior.
The company can expect their reputation for delivering quality products to grow and lead to more and bigger contracts in the future. And all it can take is some extra attention to detail in the maintenance program and the use of a purging compound for plastic.