Cryogenic deflashing for molded rubber parts
by Ryan M. Taylor and Steve Melito, Cryogenic Institute of New England
Flash is excess rubber that protrudes from the surface of a molded part. This defect is common to injection, transfer and compression molding, and can be caused by worn tooling, improper venting, low clamping pressure, low viscosity or uneven flow. Even a small amount of mold flash reduces part quality; but excessive flashing can interfere with part performance or product assembly. Rubber molders have a choice of deflashing methods, but cryogenic deflashing provides cost saving advantages and improves quality and consistency across elastomers and applications.