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:: General Application & Storage |
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All Molding Industries share the same mold application process. This process is as follows:
Cleaning of MoldCleaning
should be done in a room free from fumes, oily vapors and other such
airborne contaminants such as mold release sprays to prevent
contaminants transmigrating from the air to mold surfaces. This ensures
that cleaned surfaces remain clean.
In normal cases,
cleaning with ethanol (alcohol) or IPA would be sufficient. However,
these solutions should be wiped off before they evaporate. For cases
where there is a lot of oil, grease and stubborn stains, an ultrasonic
cleaner works best.
Ultrasonic cleaning should be carried
out in 2 phases. The first phase is where the mold is immersed in an
ultrasonic cleaner with a suitable cleaning solution. The second phase
is ultrasonic cleaning with plain water to neutralize and remove the
initial cleaning solution.
For normal molds with hardened or
tool steel, a high alkaline cleaning solution (14ph) can be used with
the ultrasonic cleaner in the first phase of cleaning. A second
ultrasonic cleaning with normal water is thereafter necessary to
neutralize and remove alkaline residues from the mold. For faster
results, use a hot air blower to dry the mold.
For aluminum
and other soft metal molds, the cleaning methods differs. The first
phase involves soaking the mold in a container of either ethanol (or
IPA) and using a natural fiber brush to scrub off the oil and stains.
After this, the mold should then be immersed in a second container with
new ethanol (or IPA) to ensure total removal of oil residues. A hot air
blower can also be used to dry the mold.
Preparation of Mold
Finally,
use a clean piece of micro fiber cloth with ethanol and rub over the
mold surface to confirm that it is clean. If the cloth becomes dirty or
darkens, use another piece of clean micro fiber cloth with ethanol and
rub again. Repeat this process untill the micro fiber cloth remains
clean after rubbing.
The
repeated use of new pieces of micro fiber cloth ensures that there is
no re-migration of contaminants from used cloth back to the mold.
Application of MoldOnly perfectly dry and oil-free surfaces can be coated.
To avoid cross-contamination, always seperate application cloth from cleaning cloth.
Always use new, unused micro fiber cloth for application to ensure evenly distributed coatings.
Ensure
that all surfaces to be coated, as well as the areas that border these
surfaces, are clean and completely dry. This is important to avoid
cross-contamination during the application process.
The
process of application varies, depending on the topography and
architecture of the surface to be coated. The use of micro fiber cloth,
soft-stemmed cotton buds and natural fiber art brushes are the most
common types of accessories used in coating applications.
Before application, a small portion of Nanomouldrelease
is poured into the small bottle that comes with a dripper attachment.
Both bottles must then be closed tightly with their respective cap and
dripper attachment. From this point onwards, the small bottle with the
dripper attachment shall be used for all processes of application.
Whenever a cloth, cotton bud or brush needs to be moistened with Nanomouldrelease,
the dripper attachment shall serve as the only means of such delivery.
These accessories should never come into direct contact with the Nanomouldrelease in the bottles. This will prevent cross-contamination and promote longer shelf life.
Though
there can be no delineation that accurately seperates one surface type
from another, our attempt at categorizing surface types into
generalized groupings is solely for the purpose of aiding an
explanation as to why and when different application methods should be
used.
Smooth, Flat Surface TypesDampen a piece of micro fiber cloth with Nanomouldrelease
and quickly rub it over the substrate surface as evenly as possible. A
range of rainbow colors becomes visible when the coating is too thick,
and so a second piece of micro fiber cloth should be used to thin the
coating before it evaporates. The thinner the coating, the better the
coating will work for you. On large surface areas, this method should
be carried out section by section.
Broad Angled and Large Internal Cavity Surface TypesDampen the tip of a cotton bud with Nanomouldrelease
and quickly rub it over the hard-to-reach areas of the mold. This
should be done as evenly as possible. Next, use another clean cotton
bud to thin out the coating. When all the hard-to-reach areas have been
coated and thinned out, proceed to coat and thin out the rest of the
mold.
Complex, Fine Detail/Profile and Tight-Angled Corner Surface TypesDampen
the tip of a natural fiber art brush with Nanomouldrelease and quickly
brush over the hard-to-reach areas of the mold. This should be carried
out with short, light brush strokes.
Next, use a clean new
brush to brush over and soak up the thick parts of the coating. Dry out
this brush by squeezing it onto a clean, dry piece of micro fiber cloth
after every few brush strokes. This ensures that the brush will be able
to continue soaking up the excess liquid. Continue this soaking up
phase until the coated area is thinned out.
Continue to coat
the rest of the mold by using the application accessory that best suits
the remaining surface type. Remember that all applications should be
carried as quickly and thinly as possible.
Curing Period
After
the application, the coated surface should be left to cure for 8 hours
at 20° to 25° C or 12 hours at 18° C at a humidity range of between 50%
to 60%.
** Curing Temperature should not be lower than 18° C and not more that 60° C.
** Though higher temperatures may infer faster curing processess,
it is best to let the coating cure naturally for 12 hours whenever possible.
** Do not cure in an oven or by any other means of artificially induced heating.
For
double coat (HS1/HS2 or HSX1/HSX2), the first coating should ideally be
left to cure for at least 12 hours before applying the next coating
over it. This second coating should be left to cure for 12 hours.
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