Extrusion International 1-2025-USA

36 Extrusion International 1/2025 EXTRUSION TOOLING Getting the Most from Your Extrusion Tooling Tooling maintenance improves extrusion ef ciency, enhances quality and boosts overall productivity for your medical tubing applications. By: Glen Guillemette, President Guill Tool & Engineering By utilizing state-of-the-art pro- duction equipment and processes, machining tolerances are held ex- tremely close on today’s multi-lumen and multi-layer medical tubing. It is important to note that any misalign- ment of the tools may be exagger- ated in the nal product output. Clean parts, especially with sealing and locating surfaces, are key to product performance and successful end products. These surfaces receive the most care and attention dur- ing manufacturing and are the con- trol surfaces that ensure uniformity throughout the tubing. Remember, precision-machined alignments are affected by even a speck of dirt mea- suring only a few thousandths of an inch. A human hair is about 0.003" (0.08 mm), and since there are many such surfaces in a quality tool, clean- liness is critical. Checking of the tools for any de- formities is also important. Burrs, scratches and scrapes are usually a result of careless handling and/or storage of equipment. Double and triple-layer extrusion heads pose an even greater challenge for mainte- nance. The number of sealing and centering surfaces multiplies and canmagnify the results of dirty tools. During changeovers, the head may be disassembled in order to change compounds and/or tips and dies. Foreign matter is usually introduced at this point and residual materials must be thoroughly removed. Physi- cal tool damage often occurs during this phase, due to mishandling and poor storage techniques. These are highly precise parts, but can also be heavy and bulky to remove by hand. Use of a dedicated work cart exclusively reserved and equipped for extruder head maintenance is recommended. This cart along with a supply of spare components and hardware is easily justi ed, espe - cially when examining the potential cost savings that result from well- maintained tools. The following should be considered: 1.) Maintain a clean, organized work area with soft and clean renewable work sur- faces; 2.) Use a vise with soft jaws, such as copper; 3.) Use special equip- ment, such as tip removal tools, etc.; 4.) Standard tools include wrenches, soft-faced hammers, etc.; 5.) Main- tain a supply of soft, clean rags; 6.) Use cleaning solutions in spray bottle; 7.) Use spare parts as sug- gested by your tooling supplier, properly organized and stored; 8.) Keep handy your equipment’s re- pair/maintenance manual; 9.) Have a small surface plate to provide a true at surface; 10.) Use a set of appropriate gauge and tip pins for initial tool location adjustment; 11.) Make sure you have all the proper lifting Guill 712 Series Guill 900 W-Stripe