Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why should I trust PurgeUSA to meet all my plastic purging needs?
A. PurgeUSA is ENVIRONMENTALLY GREEN by drastically reducing or eliminating your scrap.
Our plastics purging compound removes black specs, unwanted color, material contamination, and burned polymers from equipment, reduces purge time and ends costly screw-pulling downtime. Using PurgeUSA periodically as a maintenance procedure prevents the accumulation of burned on material.
By using PurgeUSA purging material in your own known choice of resin, you create your own custom purging compound! You can regrind it, add more PurgeUSA and purge again, blend it off into a dark-color same resin, or resell it as known scrap.
PurgeUSA is a concentrated liquid purging compound. It is non-abrasive, non-toxic, odorless, non-flammable, colorless, and will not damage your plastics processing equipment.
PurgeUSA has unlimited shelf life, is easy to store and does not require extensive storage space - no need to order and stock multiple purging agents - no pellets to stock or store.
We are the exclusive manufacturer of PurgeUSA and our only plastic purge product. PurgeUSA provides 24/7 rapid response to your questions, sample requests, and rapid response to your product order. Our expert staff is ready to solve your toughest plastic purging problems.
Q. How does PurgeUSA work?
A. In the barrel our plastic purge compound acts as a wetting agent penetrating the interface and breaking the adhesive bond between unwanted material and the metal barrel and screw allowing the carrier resin to slough off and carry contaminants out of the nozzle or die.
Q. How do I get rid of severely burned-on material?
A. PurgeUSA is easy to use. Following the purging instructions on the bottle, and only if feasible, lower the barrel temperature about 70° F. Only if feasible, stop an extruder screw for 10-15 minute soak. Or, if an injection molder, and only if feasible, pause about 2 minutes between high velocity shots. A high back pressure, high screw speed, and screw completely forward works best. Afterwards, clean any moisture from hopper and inlet and begin next production. Persistent color or bubbles signify PurgeUSA remains. Raise barrel temperature 10° F and run next process until clear.
Q. Is there any concern of PurgeUSA reacting with any materials I process?
A. ENVIORNMENTALLY GREEN PurgeUSA is not a reactive class of purging material and does not react with the contaminated and unwanted resin left in your barrel. It breaks the adhesion of contaminates so they are easily removed by the carrier resin.
Q. How long does it take to complete a color/material change-over?
A. Just the time it takes to run two barrels quantity of resin plus 2 to 20 minutes soak time.
Q. Does PurgeUSA leave residue behind after purging?
A. Residue is 99.8% your own resin. Even though the residue is 99.8% your own resin, run an additional small amount of non- PurgeUSA containing resin through.
Q. Does PurgeUSA have a shelf life?
A. PurgeUSA has unlimited shelf life.
Q. How long can I leave PurgeUSA in the barrel?
A. PurgeUSA should be used soon after adding it to your resin and completely run out of the barrel.
Q. Do I have to raise or lower my barrel temperature to make PurgeUSA work better?
A. Lowering temperature about 70°F, only if convenient, improves results.
Q. Is PurgeUSA recommended for hot runner systems?
A. PurgeUSA will clean many hot runner systems.
Q. How much PurgeUSA is required to clean an injection molding machine or extruder?
A. Estimate quantity of thermoplastic the barrel holds and put twice that amount into any container. Add in 3% - 5% by weight of our plastic purge product compound, PurgeUSA. More than 5% does not improve results.
Q. Should I be concerned about abrasion and wear on my precision processing equipment?
A. PurgeUSA has no abrasives. It is a clear aqueous liquid.
Q. How do we decide what product grade is right for us?
A. PurgeUSA is one general purpose grade and performs well in all situations for most resins.
Q. Why shouldn’t I just regrind other in-house resin-based products for purging?
A. You could, but if you add PurgeUSA to them, their efficiency will dramatically improve.
Q. How is PurgeUSA different from other plastic purging agent?
A. PurgeUSA is ENVIRONMENTALLY GREEN! PurgeUSA drastically reduces or practically eliminates scrap. You can become ENVIRONMENTALLY GREEN!