What is the Importance of Mold Release Agents?
A mold release agent is a chemical substance that creates a molding surface barrier so that products don’t get stuck to a mold. Since many different industries and manufacturing processes require molds to form products like glass, concrete, rubber, metal, plastic parts and more, preventing the materials from bonding to the surface of the mold is crucial. It extends tool and product life, increases cycle times and decreases defect rates through the production process.
You can find mold release agents on the market for any application, including solvent-based, water-based, silicone-free, semi-permanent and more. No matter what your specific needs or industry are, you can find a mold agent solution that works for you.
Release Agent Uses
Since every material surface is porous on a microscopic level, adhesives can sink into any piece and cause a problem for part release. The agent forms a molding surface barrier to stop that from happening. It doesn’t have any impact on the tool or component itself besides allowing it to detach from the mold without any problems or damage, which means it can be applied to both rugged and sensitive parts.
Just a few applications for epoxy mold release agents include the protection of tools and fixtures, electronics casting and mold coating to allow for epoxy molding into different shapes.
What Happens When You Forget To Use Mold Release Agents?
- Production lag: The molding cycle is a huge element of production, and if the release part of the process is slow, the overall production flow will be interrupted and take more time.
- Product damage: If a product becomes fused to the mold, it can get damaged during removal and may even need to be discarded. Without proper mold release for the products, this can happen repeatedly.
- Reduced mold life: The mold itself will need regularly-scheduled maintenance cycles to keep up its service life, but without an agent, it will need more upkeep for equal efficiency.
- Slower cleanup: After the molding process, workers will have to spend a lot more time and labor cleaning up if a product has adhered to the mold.
- Lost profit: Overall, each of the issues that arises when you don’t use a proper mold release application can mean that you lose company hours, raw materials and money.
Benefits of Various Mold Release Applications
The benefits of the proper mold release applications start with avoiding all the problems that can arise when this part of the process is neglected. You’ll see a decrease in production time, a better-protected product, easier cleanup, longer usability for the mold and overall increased company revenue. In addition, using several different types of mold release agents will give your “slip effect” customization — you can combine different agents to vary the level of release ease on different sections of the mold.
Choose W.N. Shaw & Co. – A Leader In The Mold Release Agent Industry
Before using a mold release agent, it’s important that you understand exactly how each kind works and how to properly apply the agent evenly across your desired surface. At W.N. Shaw & Co., we provide custom-formulated mold release agents for a huge range of industries. Contact us to learn more about our variety of mold release products.