Magical rust removal

International Chemical Products Inc. (Huntsville, AL) now offers a rust remover for the injection molding industry that it says is environmentally safe and nonhazardous. Nonflammable IMC-10 is said to be highly effective on surface rust that may occur due to waterline leakage in tooling, according to one of its users, custom molder American Precision Products (Huntsville, AL). The processor applied IMC-10 directly to the core and cavity of the mold while still in the injection machine and after allowing it to stand for 2-3 minutes, wiped it off with a soft cloth. The molder found that it removed all surface rust with no effort or adverse effects on the mold.

American Precision also used IMC-10 to clean rust from cooling lines. Submerging a mold in the cleaner overnight, followed by air blasting, resulted in rust-free cooling lines. IMC-10’s role as a rust inhibitor was also noted: No rust was found in the water channels even after several months had passed. Several molds were also treated with ICM-10 for short- and long-term storage, and have indicated no signs of rust post-treatment.

IMC-10 is not subject to EPA regulations, and the company says any excess chemical can be washed down the drain with water. It also says that, unlike blasting or acid pickling to remove rust from the surface of the die, IMC-10 does not etch or damage the metal surface.