Question: We encountered part sticking after the mold ran a while. In this part, this situation is typically caused by a warm mold. We checked the water lines and ensured there was flow. We then re-configured cooling lines and even tried to put a portion of the mold on chiller water, yet the parts were sticking after about 30 minutes each time. In the end, it turned out the problem was air in the thermolator affecting the coolant flow.

My Response: Documenting coolant temperature entering and leaving the mold would significantly reduce the time it took to troubleshoot the problem. If, at the time of part sticking, the technician would first check the coolant temperature since it is already know part sticking was related to the mold temperature. The tech would immediately notice a difference between the current coolant temperatures and those of the documented standards. This difference should trigger the technician to start troubleshooting the thermolator and cooling line configuration to identify the source of the difference.

-Andy