Rib Puller Tool Reduces Injection Mold Downtime

A Rib Puller, which is offered by MoldShopSupplies.com, is a special tool for pulling out the stuck, broken off or jammed plastic in the deep slot or rib that is in many injection molds. Once plastic is stuck and breaks off in a rib, DW Sales says, it is imperative to remove it to avoid long periods of downtime.

Historically, the mold repair or toolroom repair guy either had to remove the stuck plastic in the press or shut the press down, remove the mold and move it to the tool repair room. Short of scraping out the plastic, pieces of hack saw blades or flattened screws were typically used, which took time to make and could easily scratch up the tool surface.

The Rib Puller comes in three sizes, RP112 at 1 ½", RP234 at 2 ¾" and RP4 at 4" for deeper ribs. The tool is made of brass, a forgiving material in that it heats up easily, retains the heat and is a soft metal, which prevents scratching up the mold surface. To use it, the Rib Puller can be heated up with a propane torch and pushed into the plastic — which melts around the rib puller as it is inserted. When the plastic has cooled enough, it can pulled out, with the stuck plastic, with a pair of plyers. If the broken off plastic stuck in the rib is long, several Rib Pullers can be used at 3-4" intervals to work the stuck plastic out of the slot or rib. The rib can then be checked to determine whether further cleaning or polishing is required to ensure plastic does not get stuck again. Using one of Slide Products’ Mold Release sprays could also prevent future plastic jamming, DW Sales notes.

Rib Pullers and Slide releases can be found at MoldShopSupplies.Com