Purging Compounds for Extrusion Blow Molding & Injection Blow Molding

Whether you’re struggling with cleaning out an accumulator head or running PET preforms, Asaclean® has a high-quality purging compound designed for your processing challenges.

Here’s why Asaclean® Purging Compounds are the preferred choice for the most successful blow molders worldwide.

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Blow molding is the one process that’s been slow to embrace purging.  For many years, purge suppliers simply didn’t have grades that performed well enough to justify implementing a purge program.  Because of the reluctance to purge, many blow molders experience changeover times between 8 and 24 hours.  Fortunately, purging compounds have come a long way in recent years.  This section will discuss the 6 main kinds of blow molding, offer purging tips to improve your efficiency and recommend products to meet your needs. 

Why Asaclean® Purging Compounds are the Best Choice for Blow Molders

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1. Our Products Will  Solve Your Issue

We offer Mechanical Purging Compounds, Chemical Purging Compounds, and Purging Concentrates designed to tackle your unique set of processing challenges in blow molding. We excel at reducing long changeover times and understand your processing headaches.

We specialize in blow molder cleaning and excel in your most difficult applications.

Once we identify your needs, we will help you choose the best grade of Asaclean® for you.

64%

On average, Asaclean® 's extrusion blow molding customers save 64% on reduced scrap & downtime.

Blow molding is one of the most widely used plastic forming processes and is used in the production of bottles, large drums, tanks, toys, and countless automotive applications.

Until recently, the most popular method for purging extrusion blow molding equipment had been to use the next processing resin or regrind. This may get you from point A to point B in the short term. However, this approach results in longer purge times, higher scrap rates, and greater residue buildup over the long term. We’ve seen blow molders not using Asaclean® taking up to 24 hours on changeovers.

We use Asaclean® to purge our screw and barrel during changeovers and it cut our changeover times in half. Asaclean® does great things at the right price.”
Will , Process Technician, Packaging, Midwest

For most blow molding plants, faster changeovers and lower scrap rates are the most significant factors for staying competitive. Many customers have more than a 60% reduction in costs with the right grade of Asaclean®, saving them tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. For most blow molders, we usually recommend Asaclean®’s Purging Concentrate or Chemical Purging Compounds because they excel in low-flow areas. They are effective in cleaning accumulators or flow lines (especially if they are poorly designed). For many other situations, we recommend Mechanical Grades based on their cleaning power. With that said, every situation is different.

For both extrusion blow molding and injection blow molding, Asaclean® Purging Compounds:

  • Dramatically shorten material and color changeover time
  • Effectively clean accumulator heads
  • Can run through heads without taking your machine apart
  • Will run through your entire system
  • Can hold the parison
  • Successful for multilayer lines
  • Clean the screw & barrel thoroughly
  • Reduce scrap and defect rates
  • Help facilitate easier screw pulls
  • Seal your machine during shutdowns to promote easier start-ups
  • Remove carbon contamination & black specks

With the world-class R&D team of Asahi Kasei in Japan, Asaclean® offers incredible cleaning performance coupled with expert technical & product support.

We’re firm believers – Asaclean® Purging Compounds really work as advertised! Every processor should try them.”
Glen , Process Engineer, Consumer Goods, Ohio
61%

On average, Asaclean®’s injection blow molding customers save 61% on reduced scrap & downtime.

2. Our Team of Experts Understands Your Challenges & Will Train Your Entire Team for Success

Asaclean® Technical Service Representatives offer a unique level of service not found in other areas of the industry. Many of our Purging Experts used Asaclean® as customers themselves before joining our team.

Your point-of-contact isn’t a salesperson. They are a processor.

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With over 200 years of combined processing experience, we understand your issue and can offer solutions. We’ve seen it all and are here to help you.

When you select Asaclean®, we will diagnose your issues, build out a free Purge Program, and train your shifts on how to use Asaclean® to get the best results.

We will help you trial our product, provide in-person or virtual training, answer any questions, and be available however necessary to help your team succeed.

Sometimes keeping good labor can be difficult.

Don’t worry. As you find new hires, we’ll train them as well.

Asaclean® support goes over and above. Training is a part of that. it's great to have our rep in front of people giving training, because if five pounds works, ten pounds is not better. Training is key when you're using these products, and I feel that if I called my Asaclean® rep for help at midnight he would probably answer.”
John S. , Manufacturing Manager, Consumer Goods, Northwest

Asaclean® Blow Molding Purging Best Practices

Since blow molding is a term applied to several unique molding processes, it makes sense to look at each of the major blow molding processes, and discuss purging tips and best practices, by category:

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  • Intermittent extrusion process
  • Bottles: Large drums, garbage cans, gasoline tanks
  • Typical Resins: HDPE, PP, PPO
  • Machinery: Davis-Standard, Uniloy, Kautex, Jackson Machinery, R&B; Plastics
  • Typically, single layer
  • Dies are not polished – glass-filled grades are generally safe to use
  • Largest area of concern when purging is the accumulator head – this is a low-pressure area where it can be difficult to get sufficient scrubbing action. PE usually layers, so you need a grade of Asaclean® designed for the challenge.
  • Clean the extruder before the accumulator.
  • Insufficient cleaning of the accumulator head leads to die lines and color/burn streaks in the final parts.
  • When cleaning the accumulator:
    • fill to 100%, then push out 25%
    • fill to 100%, then push out 50%
    • fill to 100%, then push out 75%
    • Fill to 100%, then push out the full 100%
  • “Disco purge” – changing screw speeds, as well as stopping and starting screw rotation, allow for better screw cleaning.
  • Use either an aggressive cleaner Mechanical Grade like Asaclean® EX, PLUS Grade, or a Chemical Grade like NCR with good foaming action.
  • Seal the extruder and accumulator head with a shutdown-approved grade of Asaclean® during extended downtime events.

Ready to start improving your efficiency and increasing your profitability?

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