摘要 |
Equipment used in the processing of plastic, such as molds and extrusion screws, is cleaned of plastic residue by a combination of thermal cycling and agitation without impact cleaning. A chamber can be heated by an electric radiant heater and cooled by the introduction of liquid nitrogen. A fixture in the chamber receives the equipment to be cleaned and is agitated by a drive motor. The chamber is heated and cooled in the following cycle in which the drive motor agitates the fixture: first to 250-300 DEG F., then to -315 DEG F., then cycled between -50 DEG F. and -10 DEG F., then to 150 DEG F., then to -200 DEG F., then to 100 DEG F., then to ambient temperature. The chamber is controlled by a computer that prompts the operator for the kind of plastic to be cleaned off of the equipment and then controls the heating and cooling automatically. |