Applications

A plastics molding and fabrication company was getting an unacceptable number of particles clinging to their plastic sheets prior to going into the thermal former. Once the plastic was thermal molded, any sizable particles on the part would become embedded in the plastic and get rejected by the customer. The rejects were costing the company time and money.

A Weaver Technologies representative was invited in to audit the situation. During the visit, we reviewed the prep, handling and molding processes, and listened to suggestions the client thought would improve the cleanliness of the parts before being molded.

In the process of the audit, a solution became clear. The client decided to have Weaver design and build a station where the sheets of plastic could be cleaned, inspected and staged. This station would consist of a portable HEPA-filtered laminar flow hood mounted on a large work flow bench (36" deep x 60" wide x 36" high) with casters. Inside the hood, a static-eliminating air ionizer was positioned to neutralize the static electricity on the plastic. By cleaning the sheets inside the HEPA-filtered hood and ionizing the filtered air covering the plastic, the client was able to effectively clean parts (and keep them clean) and reduce rejects.