What is Moulded Foam and how can we improve it?
Moulded foam is commonplace within the automotive industry, and for good reason. Adding comfort – making travelling easier and acting as a noise barrier, making journeys more pleasant, it’s not hard to see why. The moulds however can be expensive, and the production process restricted by the need to non-stick spray them between moulding runs. Messy and time-consuming, there is another way and Sam at Marcote explains how.
The current industry standard is for moulds to be sprayed with a wax release agent before the foam is formed. Over time, the build-up of wax can lead to a loss of the more intricate details on a mould as well as contaminate the operating machinery, resulting in regular clean down stoppages and in the worst case scenario unscheduled shut down.
This loss of productivity is preventable when long term coating solutions are used – like those we apply here at Marcote. We will take your moulds, clean them up, coat them in house and return them with a brand new, non-stick finish. Depending on your process the coating can last anywhere from 6-12 months. With this in mind you, can concisely plan maintenance schedules and run your moulding process with little to no interruption. The best part of all of this is you can increase your output, reduce your maintenance cost and get rid of dirty and expensive release agents!
The industry has been reluctant to embrace the idea of using coated products and our customers tell us it’s because, so far, there hasn’t been a viable coating solution for the industry. We’re proud to have worked closely with key accounts to develop a bespoke coating that provides a consistently high level of non-stick in the foam moulding industry. It’s taken 12 months of R and D to get there but the coating will increase the life-expectancy of the mould, whilst also increasing productivity on the line and mitigating against the cleaning of parts and equipment..
It is understandable that a tried and tested process is favourable, but when there is a better way it pays to be one step ahead.
For further information about our coating capabilities for the automotive industry please visit Marcote.co.uk or call 01543 419 904.
