18 Dec The Reality of Setpoints Not Representing Actuality
When challenges arise in plastics processing, troubleshooting should start with a simple verification.
Molding machines can experience wear, malfunctions, and other issues that may lead to inaccurate readouts. A vital initial step in troubleshooting is to confirm that the actual conditions in your production environment align with the expected operational parameters of the equipment. If everything checks out, you can confidently move forward with identifying other potential issues. However, neglecting this step could result in lengthy efforts from your valuable team only to discover that a simple oversight was complicating the entire process.
Key aspects to verify during troubleshooting include the actual barrel temperatures, actual mold steel temperatures, actual chiller water temperatures, and actual melt temperatures.
Plastic melt temperature is absolutely crucial to processing and is arguably the most important factor to check. It’s vital to use a melt probe or pyrometer to determine the true temperature of the molten plastic during operation. Technical Data Sheets often suggest barrel temperatures that can have varied impacts on the material depending on shot size, capacity, equipment calibration, and maintenance. Since different molding machines feature various sizes, screws, and maintenance needs, directly measuring the melt temperature helps eliminate a range of variables right out of the gate.
PolySource recently experienced an example of just how important this troubleshooting step is. The material was not performing as anticipated, and after weeks of investigation, the root cause of the molding issues was identified as the wrong type of thermocouple being installed on the press. Although the display indicated the correct barrel temperatures, the actual thermal environment for the plastic being processed was significantly different. A simple IR heat gun, contact probe, and melt pyrometer could have saved this producer weeks of work and frustration.
If you are facing challenges with a problematic part or seek to enhance your molding procedures, don’t hesitate to contact our technically adept team at PolySource for assistance!