IMM 9/00

For resins with high percentages of PTFE (15 to 20 percent), what have other molders done to slow the buildup on molds during long production runs (for example, mold steel platings and processing conditions)? Has anyone known one type/brand of PTFE to work better than another?

The plateout you describe is common when running polyethylene, especially when regrind is involved. However, working with the hundreds of molders we service, I can't remember this problem coming up before when PTFE was involved. It's possible the polyethylene in the mix could be responsible for the problem, in which case a coating of our WS2 tungsten disulfide could resolve the issue-but only if it performs as it does with the PE.

Not much sticks to the WS2, and molds experiencing a plateout problem usually become self cleaning. Although buildup may start, it is generally eliminated before a problem is observed. Because we have not coated a mold with this specific problem, we will gladly provide a no-charge sample for your evaluation. Please contact me if you have any interest in testing this approach.
-D. Brown, Russell Products Co. Inc., Cleveland, OH, (937) 846-1873, sa1es@russprodco.com