Purging Compounds for Wire, Tube, & Pipe Extrusion

In any continuous extrusion process, scrap adds up quickly and contamination can derail your profitability.  Whether you’re running tubing for medical, extruding colored pipe for industrial, or jacketing wire for electrical, Asaclean® has a high-quality purging compound designed for your specific needs. 

Learn why Asaclean® Purging Compounds are the preferred choice for the best wire, tubing, and pipe extruders worldwide.

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Why Asaclean® Purging Compounds are the Best Choice for Wire, Tube & Pipe Extruders

When we hear from wire, pipe, & tubing extruders, they usually are asking for help with a number of process-specific production issues. If you’re reading this section, then you’ve probably experienced some of these challenges firsthand:

  • You struggle with multiple difficult color changeovers
  • Material changes lead to gels and other residue ongoing issues
  • Your crosshead dies (wire) or mandrels (pipe & tubing) are difficult to clean efficiently
  • You run low-temp resins that lead to carbon contamination and black specks
  • Your clear applications have streaking that ruins your parts
  • During extended runs, you notice your output slow down and battle gauge variation
  • Contamination issues force you to pull the screw for unplanned maintenance

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Wire extruders use resins like PP, PVC, PBT, and PE and need to work with flame retardants and different colors. Tubing processors need to deal with PVC and clear applications that deal with carbon and residue. Pipe extruders face difficult color changes using reds, blues, blacks, and difficult additives.

Any processor using these materials understands that changeovers can be tricky. Contamination issues and scrap may feel like they’re just part of the process. It doesn’t have to be that way.

“I've been using Asaclean® for 6 years. I love it. I recently started a new job and insisted on my team using Asaclean®. It immediately reduced our changeover time from 4 hours down to 15 minutes. It's a great product and I recommend it to everyone.”

Zach J. , Plant Manager, Extrusion Tubing, Electrical, Ohio
61%

On average, Asaclean®’s wire extrusion customers save 61% on reduced scrap & downtime.


1. Asaclean® Purging Compounds Are Optimized Pipe, Wire, & Tubing Extrusion

Extrusion processors don’t need to experience contamination and lengthy changeovers. We offer Mechanical Purging CompoundsChemical Purging Compounds, and Purging Concentrates designed to tackle your unique set of processing challenges.

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59%

On average, Asaclean®’s pipe extrusion customers save 59% on reduced scrap & downtime.

Our Mechanical & Chemical Purging Compounds excel in your most difficult extrusion applications.

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

For Pipe, Tubing, & Wire Extrusion, Asaclean® grades:

  • Remove all color & carbon streaking
  • Clean the screw & barrel thoroughly
  • Quickly clean out the die 
  • Easily remove gels 
  • Are safe for tight die clearances
  • Allow for consistent output and gauges 
  • Are easily displaced by your processing resins
  • Dramatically reduce scrap and defect rates
  • Shorten & standardize material and color changeover time
  • Help facilitate easier & faster screw pushes
  • Seal your machine during shutdowns to promote easier start-ups
  • Have low residue formulas for clear applications

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

“My company switched to Asaclean® about 3 or 4 years ago. It literally cut the cleaning time of our extruders in half! We no longer must use the wire brushes to finish cleaning after purging.”
April P. , Master Trainer, Medical Extruder, Wisconsin

For most pipe, tubing & wire applications, we generally recommend Asaclean®’s legacy line of Mechanical Purging Compounds.

Because the cleaning is mostly focused on the screw and barrel, chemical or concentrate purges aren’t typically necessary.

Mechanical Purging Compounds are compounded specifically to match your processing temperatures, your resins, your MFR’s, and your processing needs. Mechanical Purging Compounds depend on your machine’s power to do the work. They rely on pressure and agitation to clean out the previous resin or any contamination within your machine.

Unlike regrind or virgin resins, Mechanical Purging Compounds are designed to clean.  They have strong detergency and have no affinity to metal. This guarantees your machine will be running clean in no time. EX Grade is the best option for contamination in most situations.

For polished dies, and/or dies with tight clearances, we are more likely to recommend our Chemical Purging Compounds like NCR Grade because they’re safe and effective for these environments.

For screw pushes, sealing, color/material changes, and black speck/carbon removal, there are different solutions.  Work with your Asaclean® Purging Expert to find the best solution for you.

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2. Our Team Understands the Needs of Wire, Tubing, & Pipe Extruders

Asaclean® Technical Service Representatives offer a unique level of service not found in other areas of the industry.  Your point-of-contact is a processor, not a salesperson.

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 work with Asaclean®, you have access to free ongoing consultations with a subject matter expert.

“We use Asaclean® and I’ve never seen anything quite like it—it removes everything we want to remove and doesn’t stay behind to contaminate our next run.”
Robert R. , Director of Material Development, Extruder, General Industrial, California
60%

On average, Asaclean®’s tubing extrusion customers save 60% on reduced scrap & downtime.


3. We Train Your Team to Be Asaclean® Purging Experts

Asaclean® Purging Compounds are incredibly easy to use, but you will only see your best results when you follow our recommended purging procedures.  

When it comes to purging compounds, less is more.  

We do not want you to use more Asaclean® than is necessary to achieve your best performance.  If you use more than we recommend, your cost savings will drop. 

We want you to get the absolute best performance using the least amount of Asaclean®.  That is why we place such a premium on training your team.  

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. 

Here are a few quick purging tips to get the most out of your efficiency.

“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, Northwest

5 Tips for Better Production Runs in Pipe, Wire, & Tubing Extrusion

1. Use Purge for Consistent Changeovers & Minimal Gauge Variance

As we mentioned before, gauge variance and inconsistent output are two of the concerns we hear about the most. When previous resin starts layering within your extruder, your output and gauge variance will start to become inconsistent.   Purging preventatively and during extended runs (even those without material or color changes) stop contamination from forming on your screw and in your barrel.  These headaches can easily be avoided with a basic Purge Program.

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2. Select the Right Grade of Asaclean® Purging Compounds for Your Goals

Different grades of Asaclean® are “the best” at different things.  Make sure the purge you’re using is the best one to achieve your goals.  If you’re running low-temp resins, worry about residue, or change colors frequently, there are 3 different “best” choices to solve your problem.  Always work with an Asaclean® Purging Expert to be sure you have the best option for you.

3. Seal Your Screw & Barrel with Purge During All Shutdowns

You run continuously and need to make sure you hit the ground running after extended downtime.  If you have a planned shutdown, always seal with Asaclean® before you shut down.  Unfilled grades of Asaclean® will clean out your machine as soon as you add production resin when you restart your line, so you will be running good parts quicker and easier.

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4. Use EX for Easier Screw Pushes & Shorter Downtime

Our customers save the most money on scrap and downtime by using EX Grade during screw pushes.  The shorter the time needed for teardowns, the more time you have to run good product. 

5. During Color Changeovers, Go from Light to Dark When Possible

As a best practice, we always recommend processors perform color changeovers from clear/light colors to dark colors. If your plant has the flexibility to plan out your production schedule to do this, it will supercharge the savings you find with our Purging Compounds.Wire_Tube 6

Ready to start improving your efficiency and increasing your profitability?

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