Industrial Cleaners and Mold Cleaners

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Reduce cleaning time and physical abrasion on working surfaces

McLube® offers a variety of specialty industrial cleaners for molds, tooling, and other equipment. Our cleaners significantly reduce the amount of time and energy spent cleaning to improve the overall efficiency of your operation. McLube® Industrial Cleaners are designed to solubilize the most tenacious buildup and grime for easier cleanup and ongoing maintenance.

Mold Cleaners

Physical abrasion can damage mold surfaces over time on a molecular level, causing microporosities that diminish surface finish quality and make parts harder to release. Physical abrasion also increases oxidization rates and causes undue wear on machine parts and other equipment, decreasing their effective lifespan. McLube offers a variety of cleaners for applications where standard cleaning solvents are not sufficient. We also offer custom formulated cleaning solutions.

Product	Description
McLube® Mold Cleaner	General-purpose cleaner for molds and other industrial applications. Removes resins, dirt, grime, and other contaminants.
McLube® Mold Cleaner II	Recommended for mold striping. Removes semi-permanent coatings. Solubilizes buildup within 10 minutes. Water deactivated.
McLube® Resin Cleaner	Formulated for easy removal of tenacious cured resins from tooling. Ideal for flash areas on the edges of molds.
McLube® Cleaner 474™	Specialty solvent blend for polyester, epoxy, and metallic mold cleaning. Used to properly prepare composite molds without dulling surfaces.

Industrial Cleaners and Degreasers

Product	Description
McLube® 1042B	Water-based, VOC-free. Removes resins, adhesives, wax, shop grime. For molds, tools, conveyors, idler rollers, belts, floors, and overspray areas.
McLube® Citra Clean™	Powerful, citrus-based formula. GP industrial cleaner and degreaser. Available in convenient 16oz. aerosol for everyday industrial cleaning.

Searching for a specialty industrial cleaner?

We are here to help from product selection to testing and ongoing support.

FAQs

How do I properly clean my mold?

Follow all safety precautions when cleaning a mold and ensure proper personal protective (PPE) equipment is worn at all times.

Start by removing any buildup on the mold surface. Use the least abrasive methods possible to avoid damaging the mold surface. Selecting the right cleaning agent or solvent can reduce the amount of physical abrasion (and effort) required to clean your mold. If available, use compressed air to remove residues loosened by the cleaner or left over from mechanical scrubbing. Some molders may find it necessary to bead blast molds to remove tenacious residues.

Wipe the mold clean with a lint-free towel after all residues have been removed. It may be beneficial to rinse molds with clean water/ or a mold solvent to ensure all debris is removed. Ensure the mold is dry before application of release agent. If your mold will not be used or stored after cleaning, it is often beneficial to apply your release agent to the mold to protect it during downtime. Consult the release agent TDS or contact McLube® for more information about mold protective coatings.

Other Tips:

AVOID using synthetic cloths. Do not reuse cleaning cloths.
Conduct a tape test to determine if the mold is properly prepared and ready for release agent application. Learn about conducting a tape test.
After applying a mold cleaner or suitable cleaning solvent, it is often beneficial to let the cleaning agent sit on the mold surface for a period of time to break down residues before scrubbing.
Mold cleaning can be a time consuming and expensive process. If your molding line experiences excessive downtime for cleaning, it may be beneficial to consider a different release agent or application method. Overapplication or improper cure of semi-permanent release coatings are common issues which leads to extra downtime for cleaning. In many cases, molders using sacrificial release agents can cut down on downtime due to cleaning by switching to a semi-permanent mold release agent.
During mold cleaning downtime, also clean dilution equipment (if applicable) as well as your application equipment.

What surfaces can your cleaners be safely used on?

Our mold cleaners and industrial cleaners are safe to use on metallic surfaces and solvent-safe polymers with some exceptions. Consult the product technical data sheet or contact McLube to verify compatibility.

How do I cut down on cleaning time?

General Recommendations:

Use a cleaner specifically designed for the resins or grime involved in your process.
Apply the cleaner and allow it to sit on the surface for up to 10-minutes to breakdown grime before scrubbing.

For Molding Operations:

Common issues which lead to more stoppages for cleaning include:

Overapplying release agent
Insufficient cure of semi-permanent release agents
Inappropriate mold release agent used

Our formulation chemists and product specialists have decades of experience helping molders optimize their processes, including eliminating or reducing cleaning steps. Contact us for process assistance.