Sign up for the PlasticsToday NewsFeed newsletter.
Sponsored By
Looking for a way to identify pressure distribution in your mold? You may want to check out the new thin, flexible plastic film from Sensor Products Inc. (Madison, NJ) called Pressurex, which instantly captures and permanently records pressure distribution and magnitude between any two mating or contacting surfaces.
Clare Goldsberry
February 10, 2009
2 Min Read
.svg?width=850&auto=webp&quality=95&format=jpg&disable=upscale "Surface pressure sensor film")
Pressurex
Looking for a way to identify pressure distribution in your mold? You may want to check out the new thin, flexible plastic film from Sensor Products Inc. (Madison, NJ) called Pressurex, which instantly captures and permanently records pressure distribution and magnitude between any two mating or contacting surfaces. After being clamped and placed around the parting line of a mold, Pressurex reads whether the pressure is evenly distributed.“With molds becoming more complex and being exposed to high pressures, it is a superior tool to the bluing agents moldmakers traditionally use,” says John Bozzelli, owner of Injection Molding Solutions (Midland, MI). Bozelli uses Pressurex to demonstrate good or bad parting line mating and open or closed vents in his consulting and training services.
Pressurex reveals pressure from 2-43,200 psi (0.14-3000 kg/cm2) and is available in eight pressure ranges. Medium and high pressure are most commonly used for injection molding applications. Placed between two contacting surfaces, the film instantaneously and permanently changes color directly proportional to the actual pressure applied.
Precise pressure magnitude is easily determined by comparing the resultant color intensity to a color correlation chart (conceptually similar to interpreting Litmus paper). No training or instrumentation is required.
“In injection molding, Pressurex confirms that parting lines are mating properly to prevent flash, and that the vents are open, allowing for proper filling of the mold cavity,” says Bozzelli. “When utilized to check a new or used mold, Pressurex is a great troubleshooting tool for flash, burns, and other parting line issues. It can save molders and moldmakers thousands of dollars by documenting defects.”
Pressurex has applications in injection molding, injection-blow, injection-compression, metal injection molding, gas assist, water assist or any molding where mating metal surfaces is an issue. Typical temperatures of 41-95°F are suitable for testing metal molds, but it has been used at temperatures exceeding 300°F for brief periods.
Physically similar in appearance to ordinary paper, Pressurex, which is 0.004 or 0.008 inch thick, conforms to curvaceous surfaces and is available in sheets or rolls that can be cut to size. Click here for a free sample.
—[email protected]
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
