Why you should purge and seal your machinery before the winter break

So, you’re shutting down your machinery and giving yourself and your employees a well-deserved winter break—Yay!—but before you do that, Sun Plastech Inc. (Parsippany, NJ), supplier of the Asaclean purging compound, has some timely advice: Purge your injection molding, blowmolding and extrusion equipment first, even if you’re only closing the plant for the weekend. This often overlooked exercise best ensures a full day of production on the first day back, rather than wasting time running scrap, sometimes for several hours, before production can recommence, says the company.

Asaclean purging compounds significantly reduce oxygen, according to Sun Plastech, which can contribute to degradation during the extended holiday downtime. The compounds do not contain acrylics and are thermally stable.  

Most thermoplastic resins, when left in the barrel for even a short time, are likely to degrade and cause product contamination, according to Sun Plastech.  By contrast, the Asaclean compound thoroughly purges the barrel and screw, displacing resins from the machine completely and preventing contamination or deposit formation. The formulations also are suitable for sealing hot runners and dies.