Set you free: PEEK-based coating helps shoes exit mold

Tawanese injection mold manufacturer Du Wei Enterprise Co. has switched from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and other traditional mold release agents to Vicote, a polyether etherketone (PEEK)-based coating made and marketed by PEEK supplier Victrex. For one of Du Wei’s two-color shoe sole molds processing ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), the Vicote product has proven to have a lifetime of up to 1.5 months (about 5000 cycles), some 30 times greater than PTFE coatings.
The PEEK-based coating has a continuous use temperature of 260ºC (500ºF) and can maintain its mechanical properties in high-temperature operating environments. —Matt Defosse