ECONOCLEAN:- Your purge cleaning compound

  1. How is ECONOCLEAN more effective than other cleaning compounds ?
  2. Because it is more economical, I want to take the concentrate and use one of my regular materials as carrierresin. What material do you recommend ?
  3. I normally process PVC, and want to clean out my extruder of burnt residues. What should I do ?
  4. Does ECONOCLEAN smell or release any gasses when processed ?
  5. How much material is needed to clean the extruder ?
  6. Do I have to lower the temperatures on the extruder when I run ECONOCLEAN ?
  7. If my normal processing conditions are around 200oC, do I choose ECONOCLEAN 100 or 200 (resp. 100-c or 200-c ) ?

1. How is ECONOCLEAN more effective than other cleaning compounds ?

Cleaning compounds are usually either chemically or mechanically active. The chemical products are usually fluids based on solvents, that have to be evenly mixed with resin. The mechanical compounds are usually based on a viscous material, or resin with a scrubbing effect, like styrenics or acrylates.
ECONOCLEAN works threefold: it is chemically, as well as mechanically active, but also has a polishing effect. The chemical components soak off the burnt residues from the metal surfaces, which are then cleared and left clean by the polishing effect. Through the mechanical forces of the resin, the residues are carried out of the extruder. Also, ECONOCLEAN foams slightly, thus creating a pressure (not high) inside the extruder, which makes it possible that the chemical ingredients reach into the dead corners of the extruder and die as well.
It is important to notice that the chemical reactions are controlled and absolutely harmless, and do not create vapours that are hazardous to health. The ingredients of ECONOCLEAN meet the FDA classification GRAS: Generally Recognized As Safe. 		      TOP


2. Because it is more economical, I want to take the concentrate and use one of my regular materials as carrierresin. What material do you recommend ?

The carrierresin gives the mechanical cleaning effect. Therefore it is recommended that you use a material with a viscosity just below that of the material that you are trying to clean out. In general, HDPE are stable and stiff materials, and therefore very suitable as carrierresin for the concentrate.

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3. I normally process PVC, and want to clean out my extruder of burnt residues. What should I do ?

You can use ECONOCLEAN 100 or 100-c. If you use the concentrate, make certain that you take (preferably) a polyethylene as carrier material, as the vinyl-chloride structure in the PVC is a potential source for contamination.
Also, there is no need to increase the temperatures at the die, as is recommended when cleaning other materials. Otherwise the normal processing guidelines apply. 		      TOP


4. Does ECONOCLEAN smell or release any gasses when processed ?

No. ECONOCLEAN doesn't smell at all. You will only smell the material that you are removing from the extruder, probably a bit stronger than usual, which is due to the fact that ECONOCLEAN foams slightly. This makes the smell more penetrating. The only gasses released are carbondioxide and watervapour. ECONOCLEAN is completely harmless for extruder as well as operator.
Please also check the MSDS. 		      TOP


5. How much material is needed to clean the extruder ?

As a rule of thumb: when you clean regularly (about once a week), you need about 1½ times the net cylinder content. In the table you can see what this means in kilograms. But:

  • If you work with materials that are very prone to stick to screw and/or cylinder wall (like silane or some flame retardants), cleaning regularly means more than once a week, while if you have longer runs of clean material, you can easily run for two weeks or even longer.
  • The calculations in the table are based on the contents of an extruder with L/D 30 (or L/D 40 for a twinscrew extruder). If your extruder has a different configuration, you will have to allow for that. Also, the calculation is based on the net cylinder content, and does not take into account the content of the die that may be attached.
  • If the extruder is very contaminated, you may need as much as twice the indicated amount, and if this is the first clean-up, you may need three times the indicated amount, or more: what you will see is that residues of long forgotten runs will be cleaned out of the extruder.
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6. Do I have to lower the temperatures on the extruder when I run ECONOCLEAN ?

No, in fact you should leave them exactly as when running your normal material. Only raise the temperature of the die about 30oC.
Lowering the temperatures is typical for mechanical cleaning materials. ECONOCLEAN contains chemical materials that are active at certain temperatures. By leaving the temperatures as they are, they work optimal in removing the burnt residues from the metal surfaces. At the die, polymers at elevated temperatures are in contact with oxygen, and the tendency to form gels is stronger than anywhere else in the extruder. Therefore you should raise the temperatures at the die, so the chemicals will be more active in taking out the burnt residues. 		      TOP


7. If my normal processing conditions are around 200oC, do I choose ECONOCLEAN 100 or 200 (resp. 100-c or 200-c ) ?

Although ECONOCLEAN 100 is indicated to be suitable for materials with processing temperatures between 100oC and 200oC, and ECONOCLEAN 200 for materials with processing temperatures of 200oC and above, there is not a fine line dividing the working areas of the materials. ECONOCLEAN 100 is active from about 100oC up until 220o-230oC, while ECONOCLEAN 200 starts being active from about 170o-180oC up until 300oC. It is limited by its carrierresin. By choosing a different carrier resin, and blending this with ECONOCLEAN 200-c, you can use it up to 400oC. 		      TOP