SPONSORED POST: Purging Compounds, Redefining Thermoplastics Efficiency

September 15, 2021

The thermoplastics industry requires precision, efficiency, and consistency. At Chem-Trend, we serve the thermoplastics sector by developing purging compounds and mold maintenance products and support customers in different thermoplastics processes, like injection molding, extrusion, and rotational molding.

This article is included as part of a paid sponsorship with the displayed company. It is not an endorsement from the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS).

The thermoplastics industry requires precision, efficiency, and consistency. At Chem-Trend, we serve the thermoplastics sector by developing purging compounds and mold maintenance products and support customers in different thermoplastics processes, like injection molding, extrusion, and rotational molding.

Our approach to working together with our customers and partners to generate solutions that overcome production challenges is behind our wide range of products developed exclusively for thermoplastics processing. Our portfolio is focused on the goal of increasing quality and productivity while minimizing any adverse impact on the environment, thus adding overall value to our customers’ bottom line.

Why should you care about purging compounds?

There are a few good reasons to consider – eliminating carbon buildup in screw and barrel assemblies, as well as on die sets, has a significant impact on processing efficiency, scrap rates, die life, and equipment maintenance. Also, reductions in color or polymer change-over times can significantly enhance operational margins by increasing equipment and labor uptime, allowing organizational assets to be more fully leveraged.

Why choose Chem-Trend purging compounds?

When compared to traditional cleaning methods, Chem-Trend purging products provide better cleaning, prevent unwanted stoppages, and save customers money. Best of all, implementation is simple and can be done without any significant changes to the production process. Our Ultra Purge™ brand covers a wide array of process applications, polymers, operating temperatures, and equipment types having been specifically developed to address the challenges faced by processors and add significant value to their operations.

What’s new from Chem-Trend?

As packaging manufacturers work to use fewer materials and create less waste, thin-wall packaging continues to increase in demand, yet comes with its own inherent challenges. The purging process, or cleaning between cycles, for these tools or molds are typically inefficient at removing residue and color from the hot runners.

To combat this issue, our chemists formulated a new series of purging compound – Ultra Purge™ 1000 – specifically designed to purge the machine “on the fly.” This means no machine settings need to be changed, and no soak time is required during the purging process. As a result, the Ultra Purge™ 1000 series helps in reducing machine downtime when performing dark to light color changes for all polyolefin resins.

Case Study – Customers typically see a 50-75% reduction in downtime and associated scrap compared to purging machines with virgin resin or regrind. In one case, a thin-wall packaging injection molder quickly and efficiently changed colors from blue to white on their line using the new Ultra Purge™ 1000 series.

Prior to making the switch, residual blue was creating downtime, delay, and waste given the manufacturer’s previous method of molding parts out of virgin resin until the blue color completely disappeared. This process typically required four full hours using commercial purge compounds.

In a trial of Ultra Purge™ 1000, Chem-Trend was able to reduce the downtime from four hours to only one hour and thirty minutes, resulting in a 63% reduction in time spent. The customer was also able to reduce scrap by 68% because of a more efficient and complete cleaning.

Request your free sample of Ultra Purge™ or schedule a consultation with a Chem-Trend expert today. CHEMTREND.COM/contact