by Nanomold Coating | Jul 15, 2015 | Manufacturing, Plastics, Recent Posts, Uncategorized
There is a direct correlation between having a well planned and managed mold maintenance and preventative maintenance program and realizing maximum value from your tooling investments. With the expectation that each and every part must be perfect, and that production speeds will increase, the pressure to have your tooling perform is real.
To maintain the tooling steel to perform consistently, it must have scheduled downtime for inspection, evaluation and diagnostics. It must also be cleaned and prepped using high quality mold cleaners, rust inhibitors and grease (like Nanoplas) to help ensure that mold is ready for production when needed.
In many cases, the mold cleaning and preparation process has been the same for many shops for many, many years, using the exact same products. In some cases, that may be OK, but in many cases, the advances in mold technologies and advances in mold cleaning and maintenance products can have a significant impact in the time and resources required to complete the required processes, allowing for faster change overs and less scrap in getting to acceptable part quality production.
By planning and managing a maintenance program, and evaluating and testing new products and methods for maintenance, shops can often extend the life of their tooling. To learn how Nanoplas products can benefit your injection molding operation, contact us today!
by Nanomold Coating | Nov 14, 2014 | Uncategorized
Mold Making and Injection Molding: Two Separate Worlds
During the first 14 years of my career, when I was building and designing injection molds, gating and runners were not really a focus. In most cases mold making and Injection Molding are two different worlds, so in my case I had no idea what was going on over in the injection molding side. The gates and runners had no impact on my focus, which was to build robust tools. In 2002 when I made the switch from Mold Making to the Injection Molding arena, gating and runners were an area that jumped out at me right away as not really having any type of standard. (more…)
by Nanomold Coating | Sep 2, 2014 | Uncategorized
This is the final installment in a series on flash free molding. [Read Part 1 and Part 2.] In this article, we will get into issues with tool design with shut-offs, parting line maintenance, and where the machine can contribute to flash. First, I would like to briefly go over how to define flash. Flash at times can be difficult to eliminate, and many will give up and accept this defect. Flash also can be miss-diagnosed at times with miss-matched parting lines or feather flash. I have seen miss-match called flash many times, but if it is flash you can see or feel it from both sides, miss-match will only be seen or felt from one side. (more…) 
by Nanomold Coating | Sep 2, 2014 | Uncategorized
I hope you found the first article on flash free molding interesting. [Read Flash Free Molding Part 1.] I covered cavity pressure versus clamp pressure and will talk tool deflection in this article. Tool design and construction can be a contributor to flash issues. But, if you read the first article and the three conditions are met, flash is not possible. An inadequate tool design can contribute to flash by allowing deflection in line with clamp force and perpendicular to clamp force. Also, on the construction side, improper spotting, timing of components, and fitting of components can be contributors to flash. (more…)
by Nanomold Coating | Jun 30, 2014 | Uncategorized
Updated On: 6/24/2026
My name is Randy Kerkstra, and I have been living and breathing injection molding for 26 years. I’m excited about starting this blog to share lessons learned over the years and to assist the industry with trouble-shooting flash free molding problems they might have. And I’m thankful to Nanoplas for letting me use their website as a avenue to do this. Over the years I’ve questioned everything I’ve ever been taught, and I strongly believe in facts versus opinions or assumptions. Because of this I’ve accomplished many improvements after being told something wouldn’t work or is not achievable. I take a logical approach to every issue that comes my way. Nothing is allowed off the list of possible root causes unless proven otherwise; no assumptions or opinions should take a possible solution off the list.
Key Takeaways: Flash Free Molding
- Root‑cause focus is central to Randy’s approach, emphasizing fact‑based troubleshooting rather than assumptions or quick processing fixes.
- Tooling‑driven stability creates a wider processing window by addressing issues at the tool level instead of relying on narrow process adjustments.
- Three conditions for flash outline the foundation for preventing flash: clamp pressure exceeding cavity pressure, a tool strong enough to resist deflection, and true‑net shut‑offs.
- Cavity pressure awareness highlights how flow length and wall stock can drastically increase pressure needs, often beyond standard tonnage formulas.
(more…)
