Hot die cleaning for superplastic and quick plastic forming

摘要

Equipment and methods for the rapid and easy cleaning of metal forming dies while in a press and operating at elevated temperatures. The invention features the physical removal of excess lubricant collecting on the hot surface of the forming dies under operating conditions so that no lubricant-induced flaws occur on the show surface of the formed part for optimized production of high quality parts. Special and effector tooling is supplied with high velocity air which draws in solid CO2 which sublimes into pressurize streams of gaseous CO2 that is discharged through nozzles onto the forming surfaces of hot forming dies after a number of lubricated parts have been formed therewith to physically sweep foreign matter including lubricants from the die surfaces. A robot is employed to move the activated end effector in predetermined paths across the dies for fully sweeping and cleaning the forming surfaces. The gas then dissipates.