Laser Mold Cleaning

With the continuous development of the manufacturing industry, as an important tool for producing various products, the cleaning and maintenance of molds have become particularly important. Laser cleaning is a cleaning method that uses a high-energy laser beam to irradiate the surface of a mold, causing stains, rust, residues, etc. on the surface to evaporate and peel off instantly under the action of laser. This technology has the characteristics of non-contact, no grinding, and no thermal impact, so it will not affect the accuracy and surface quality of the mold. Traditional cleaning methods such as mechanical polishing and chemical cleaning have problems such as low efficiency and easy damage to molds. As an emerging cleaning technology, laser cleaning has been widely used in the field of mold cleaning due to its high efficiency and non-destructive advantages. This article will focus on exploring the application and advantages of laser cleaning in mold cleaning.

Laser Mold Cleaning

Laser cleaning for molds covers a wide array of applications, including dies, tire molds, baking molds, injection molds, and more. Our solutions also allow you to clean molds without needing to dismantle the setup and move to an additional area. In certain circumstances our cleaning systems can even get the job done at the mold’s operating temperatures, so there is no need for a cool-down period after cleaning has been completed — minimizing downtime.

How Laser Mold Cleaning Works

Laser cleaning — also known as laser ablation — uses thousands of laser pulses per second to absorb contaminants and remove them from the foundation of your product(s) without damaging the substrate. With no additional waste and little to no risk when used properly, laser systems are an ideal solution for cleaning tire molds. Plus, laser cleaning doesn’t degrade itself or your product — making it a cost-effective solution for cleaning metal and non-metals alike.

Laser Mold Cleaning Applications

Laser Composite Mold Cleaning

It can be difficult to remove stubborn mold-release agents, product residues — such as oxides and grease — without damaging the substrate of your product. But, failing to remove these contaminants can cause your disruptions to your process and create pockets of inefficiencies — or worse — incorrect part geometries. That’s why you need a media cleaning option that’s both tough on contaminants, but gentle on your product.

Laser cleaning not only removes your contaminants, but it also preserves the integrity of your product — expanding its lifespan in the process. Laser ablation uses thousands of focused laser pulses per second to absorb and remove surface contaminants safely. Each laser is designed for continuous duty and high-reliability with technology that is virtually maintenance-free. Plus, our systems are constructed using a modular design — enabling optimal configuration to meet each one of your specific requirements.

Invar Tool Cleaning

IGOLDEN Laser technology is extremely effective for cleaning molds and tools used to manufacture composite and carbon fiberglass reinforced plastic parts. For that reason, our technology is used by most airplane manufacturers as well as many Tier 1 suppliers of the components. Molds made from INVAR, nickel, steel, aluminum, and high strength steel can be laser cleaned efficiently, without damaging the base material.

Our systems are not only effective, the technology is also the most cost-effective and one of the fastest alternatives for aerospace mold cleaning. Compared to ice pellet blasting, laser technology is easier to automate, very quiet, and up to 15 times faster. There is no comparison to abrasive pad cleaning given the quality and time issues associated. Regardless of the surface area you need to clean, from a small tool to a commercial aircraft wing INVAR tool, IGOLDEN Laser has the proven and perfect solution for you.

Injection Mold Cleaning

Laser mold cleaning is a superior way to clean and sterilize molds, since it allows you to clean your molds directly at the source — without having to disassemble parts, wasted time in transit, or adding the risk for damage. In addition, if we have a large enough opening, cleaning can be done at operating temperatures which means there is no required cool-down period. This minimizes downtime and allows your operations to continue without delay.

The solution can be either handheld or automated – whichever works best is dependent on the operational needs. This ensures that we can offer you the best cleaning tools for your specific needs. In addition to finding the perfect laser technology to best serve your needs, we do so at the lowest operating cost of all industrial cleaning methods.

Laser Tire Mold Cleaning

From tires to door frames, there’s a lot of moving pieces to car manufacturing. And, when something is underperforming, it can bring your whole production to a standstill. While there are many contributing factors that could cause your production to derail, the cleanliness of your products shouldn’t be one of them. When your tire molds and other parts are covered in contaminants, it can delay your production and cause all sorts of problems. Laser solutions help clean your tire molds for a more efficient product. How does it work, and can you use it on rubber tire molds?

Tire molds are a critical part of the car manufacturing process. But, after days of use, contaminants may begin to build-up on your molds. This not only ruins the finish of your tire but can slow down your production process. Laser cleaning helps remove contaminants without damaging the substrate of your molds so that you can streamline tire production while expanding the lifespan of your product. From handheld to automated options, laser cleaning solutions offer:

• Use flexibility for a variety of mold and profile geometries
• Lower running costs — when compared to media blasting options
• A noiseless alternative that won’t damage your mold
• An easy-to-use solution where spacing is limited

While laser solutions are typically used for removing contaminants, there are other specific cases where it’s more ideal than other media blasting options. These often include:

• Automated cleaning of tire molds in the removed condition.
• Hand-guided cleaning of tire molds in disassembled condition.
• Marking and labeling of molded parts.
• Laser marking of tires.
• Adhesive pre-treatment of tire insides for the application of air pressure control systems and RFID sensors.
• Full-surface adhesive pre-treatment of tire inner surfaces for the application of run-flat structures.
• Cleaning of steel molds for the rubber mold article industry — such as o-rings.
• Adhesive pre-treatment of metal parts for rubber-to-metal part production.

Laser Mold Cleaning for the Aerospace Industry

As mold release agents and epoxy builds up on composite molds, manufacturers have historically turned to methods such as dry ice blasting or abrasives for an effective cleaning solution. These traditional methods, however, also come at the cost of damaging the molds, costing lots of money or taking an incredible amount of time. Abrasive methods reduce the product consistency and can potentially cause tooling or parts to be scrapped in time. Laser cleaning provides a cleaning solution for composite lay-up tooling that can quickly and effectively remove contaminant layers without damaging the substrate. Ultimately, this leads to a much quicker operation as well as a longer life cycle for the mold. Laser cleaning also comes with the added benefit of automation options. For many applications, our team of laser experts can craft a cleaning solution that integrates into your manufacturing operation, creating a more efficient process and reducing the amount of downtime needed for tooling cleaning.

Laser Mold Cleaning for the Automotive Industry

For automotive applications, laser cleaning is tailor-made for cleaning tools, including tire molds and the myriad of non-metallic part molds. Over time, these parts are susceptible to the buildup of release agents, epoxies, and other hard-to-clean residues. Conventional methods such as dry ice blasting or abrasives can clean these molds down to their bare materials, but not without threatening the key features of the mold itself. As more cleanings are performed, the parts gradually lose their integrity and consistency, and the mold becomes less reliable.

Laser cleaning, on the other hand, is able not only to clean these parts without damage to complex geometries, but also in a fraction of the time as other methods. This means greater consistency in quality for the parts made as well as an increased longevity for the molds themselves. For manufacturers, the payoff can be seen in quicker cleaning operations, higher levels of production consistency and a reduction in maintenance, repair and replacement costs.

Laser Coating Removal for Defense & Military Applications

Our cleaning lasers have a proven track record when it comes to improving the coating removal process for defense and military applications. From removing hazardous paint from warships to creating a more efficient decoating process for branches of the United States Armed Forces, leaders from the Army, Navy, and Air Force are increasingly turning to our laser cleaning for their difficult cleaning needs.

Coatings on military equipment are difficult to remove and can be very dangerous to both the operators and to the environment, which is why it is important to select the right cleaning method. Laser ablation provides a low-maintenance, operator-safe, and environmentally-friendly cleaning solution that can remove hazardous coatings without compromising the warfighting ability of military vehicles/equipment. Additionally, our cleaning lasers can be automated to further increase the efficiency of routine cleaning tasks.

Laser Mold Cleaning Advantages

Cleaning complex cavities: For cleaning complex cavities or small gaps, laser cleaning has significant advantages and can achieve results that traditional cleaning methods cannot achieve.

Compared to traditional polishing and pickling, laser cleaning has several advantages:

Efficient: Laser cleaning can quickly remove various stains, residues, and rust, greatly improving cleaning efficiency.

Non destructive: Laser cleaning is non-contact and will not cause scratches or damage to the surface of the mold.

Environmental protection: Laser cleaning does not require the use of any chemical reagents, reducing environmental pollution.

Wide application range: Whether it is metal molds or non-metal molds, laser cleaning can achieve good results.

Cost saving: Compared to traditional cleaning methods, laser cleaning can significantly reduce cleaning costs.