Mold release coatings enhance the efficiency of molds by offering consistent results, a longer lifespan, and reduced material buildup. Coatings can also be outfitted with additional ingredients like polymers to provide advantages like corrosion and wear resistance. Electroplating and electroless plating also create a coating that increases molds’ resistance to corrosion and wear. Mold release sprays, on the other hand, are sprayable substances designed to make it easier to remove molded components and parts from the mold. These sprays are often applied manually and several times throughout the lifespan of the mold.

Mold release coatings and mold release sprays are designed to prevent materials like composites, plastics, rubber, and more from getting stuck to molds. When a material is stuck, removing it can be quite difficult and may compromise the overall integrity of the part or component. Dealing with a stuck component can increase costs and material waste while sabotaging more fragile intricate designs.

This article from PFI takes a closer look at the essential differences between mold release coatings and mold release sprays and details how our proprietary coating solutions have helped numerous industries improve efficiency and reduce costs.

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Advantages of Mold Release Coatings Over Mold Release Sprays

While mold release coatings and mold release sprays help with the same problem, coatings offer more applicable solutions to molds across various industries. The numerous benefits are expressed most clearly in the overall costs, as coatings tend to be a much more cost-effective solution.

Quality Effectiveness

The quality of any molded part or component is essential, and part of the reason release agents are so important in the first place is to prevent the part from being damaged when removed from the mold. Coatings make the removal process easier compared to release sprays. Using sprays makes it easy to get an uneven coating on the mold. While certain parts of the mold may have a lower coefficient of friction, other parts may not have that same advantage. This leads to potential damage and wasted material.

Mold release coatings, on the other hand, are applied uniformly to the mold coating the entire mold with the necessary plating to prevent parts and components from sticking. While the uniform application makes performance more reliable, it also reduces manufacturing time by avoiding potential mistakes. Couple this with less wasted material, and the quality effectiveness translates into immediate and long-term cost savings.

Versatility

No mold release coating is ideal for all molding efforts. Release coatings can be augmented with add-ons and composed of different substances suitable for varied applications. Coatings are inherently corrosion—and wear-resistant, but that may not be enough for some more extreme applications in which molds are exposed to harsh substances like high-temperature plastics. Modify the coating with lubricity-inducing polymers, and you have significantly high corrosion and wear resistance alongside a notably low coefficient of friction.

For high-temperature applications, coatings can be altered to withstand intense heat. PFI offers an electroless nickel Teflon coating called Lubricoat which features a breakdown temperature of 650°F. Lubricoat is exceptionally beneficial for work with epoxy-based plastics, making it especially suitable for molds used in the defense, aerospace, and oil & gas industries. Coatings can also be heat-treated to increase hardness. Lubricoat, for example, has a standard hardness of 48-52 Rc, but heat treatment can increase that to nearly 65 Rc.

Some popular coating options include the following.

• Electroless nickel
• Electroless nickel with Teflon
• Nickel boron nitride
• Hardcoat anodize platings
• Dura Slick

Mold release sprays come in several varieties including the following.

• Light duty
• Heavy duty
• Water-based
• Food-grade
• Aerosol
• Paintable
• Non-Silicone
• Medical

Longevity

While coatings prevent molds from wearing down quickly, all molds eventually wear down with time. Using a coating, however, allows you to prepare for this inevitability. The coating will wear down before the mold itself, so you can simply replace the coating rather than the entire mold. PFI’s mold release coatings are designed to be durable yet easy to remove if needed.

As the plastic injection mold industry rapidly expands, the companies that remain competitive are those that can consistently produce quick, quality parts and components while keeping up with the latest technological advancements. An effective mold release coating, like our Dura Slick proprietary mold coating, can extend a mold’s overall lifespan by offering exceptional protection against wear and corrosion and also offers a low coefficient of friction of approximately .05 and extremely high lubricity. Dura Slick is ideal for non-epoxy-based plastic molding and other friction-based applications. Plus, our Dura Slick coating can be baked for an elevated final hardness of up to 68 Rc and handle extreme temperatures up to 1790°F, offering longevity even in applications in harsh environments.

Cost

Cost is among the most notable advantages of coatings over sprays. Reducing costs without sacrificing quality is necessary to stay competitive no matter what industry you’re molding items for. Sprays must be reapplied frequently, yet mistakes and leftover materials when removing items from the molding can still be significant. The cost of purchasing sprays consistently is already high before considering the costs of manual errors. These costs can add up quickly, so opting for a coating instead can bring consistent results from a single application.

Mold Release Coatings from PFI

Our reputation for providing high-quality plating services has made us an industry leader in injection mold coatings. Some of our most popular coating services include the following.

• Dura Slick (nickel coating)
• Nickel Boron Nitride
• Lubricoat (nickel coating with Teflon)
• Electroless Nickel Coatings
• Aluminum Anodizing
• Mil-Spec Anodizing
• Electrodeposited Tin Plating
• Zinc Plating

Given the number of options, our team is happy to help determine which kind of coating would work best for your specific application. We consider several factors including exposure to harsh chemicals, temperature, surface requirements, and more to help determine which kind of coating solution would work best. At PFI, we work as your partner, so we don’t succeed unless you succeed.

Industries Served

• Defense
• Automotive
• Aerospace
• Medical
• Mining
• Textile
• Tool & Die
• Manufacturing
• Electronics
• Oil & Gas

The experts at PFI offer urgent services and other services like chrome impregnation, engineering nickel plating, and industrial hard chrome plating. Contact our team today to request a quote for the plating services you need.

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