Plastic Processors Trust Purgex Purging Compounds

Thermoplastics processors across a wide range of applications depend on clean equipment and reliable material changeovers to enable consistent production. When contamination, slow material changes, or rising scrap rates threaten productivity, many processors turn to one proven solution: Purgex™ high-performance purging compounds.

From automotive components and consumer goods to industrial products and packaging, plastics processors trust Purgex because it delivers fast, reliable results across nearly every thermoplastic resin type and process. Purgex has become a preferred purging solution on production floors worldwide.

This page explores why manufacturers rely on Purgex, where effective purging delivers the most value, and how a single product family can support nearly every molding process in a modern plastics facility.

Trusted Across a Broad Range of Plastics Manufacturing Applications

While Purgex supports nearly every segment of the plastics marketplace, some production environments depend on effective purging more often due to high output, complex materials or strict surface-quality requirements.

Injection Molding Applications

Injection molding operations demand fast color and resin changes, safe hot runner compatibility, and consistent mechanical performance. Common applications include:

• Automotive interior components, door panels, consoles and trim
• Electronics and telecommunications housings and connectors
• Consumer products such as appliances, tools, toys and durable goods
• Industrial components for waste management, office equipment and heavy-duty applications
• Food service components
• Caps, closures and valves and rigid packaging
• Recreational, sporting goods and lawn and garden products
• Construction-related plumbing, fittings and pipe components

Many of these injection plants run continuously, producing hundreds of thousands or millions of parts. In these environments, contamination removal and fast, thorough changes in color and materials are essential, making effective purging a critical part of daily production.

Blow Molding Applications

• Bottles and other containers
• Coolers and storage containers
• Automotive and Recreational Vehicle parts

Blow Molders use huge amounts of resin that can be wasted if contamination occurs or color changes take too long.

Extrusion Applications

Purgex is also widely used in profile, pipe and tubing extrusion, as well as cast film and blown film, including:

• Plumbing and irrigation products
• Gas and water distribution systems
• Fiber optic and telecommunications conduit
• Corrugated pipe
• Vinyl siding, fencing, decking, and windows
• Marine and refrigeration components
• Food-grade and consumer goods tubing
• Municipal and industrial piping
• Flexible packaging
• Seals for automotive and construction

Extrusion and film lines lines often run a single material for extended periods, which can lead to carbon buildup, resin degradation, and gel formation. Manufacturers rely on high quality purging compounds like Purgex to remove internal contamination before it becomes visible in finished products.

Why Manufacturers Choose Purgex

Across production environments, users point to one consistent advantage in using Purgex: dependable performance under a wide range of operating conditions.

Unlike other purging compounds that require multiple formulations for different tasks, Purgex is engineered to perform effectively throughout the entire purging cycle, including:

• Color changes and resin changes
• Shutdowns and startups
• Tooling cleaning – including hot runner systems
• Contamination removal
• Maintenance and repair purging
• Screw pull preparation

One Grade Typically Covers Most Applications

Many competing purging products require separate grades for different situations, such as startup and shutdown, hot runner systems or preventive maintenance and repair.

Some competitor’s purging compounds cannot be safely introduced into hot runner systems at all, often due to abrasive fillers or fiberglass additives that can damage tooling or cause blockages. For manufacturers using molds worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, this risk is not an option.

In most facilities, a single grade of Purgex can support the full range of materials and processes in use. This simplifies inventory management, reduces the risk of operator error and streamlines training – especially in plants running a large number of machines.

Reliable Performance Across the Purge Process

Whether a facility runs long production campaigns or frequent changeovers, Purgex helps maintain cleaner feed screws, barrels and tooling and enables more predictable processing.

Fewer Adjustments, More Stability

Over time, inadequate purging may force operators to adjust machine temperatures, pressures and speeds to compensate for hidden issues such as carbon buildup, gel buildup, resin hang-up and resin degradation in low-flow zones.

These problems can develop gradually and may go unnoticed until defects appear. By then, scrap and downtime have already increased. Regular purging with Purgex removes contamination early, helping machines run consistently without constant adjustments.

Safe for Hot Runners and Sensitive Tooling

Purgex flows safely through hot runner systems with valve gates 0.030 inches or larger, making it suitable for molding operations such as:

• Automotive component manufacturing
• Packaging and beverage caps and closures
• Consumer products
• Industrial component production

Because many competing purging products cannot be safely used in hot runner systems, manufacturers rely on Purgex to minimize risk while protecting their investment in complex, high-value tooling.

What Manufacturers Notice After Switching to Purgex

Processors consistently report improvements such as:

• Shorter purging times with less purging compound
• Reduced scrap
• Cleaner barrels and screws after initial purging
• Safer hot runner cleaning
• Fewer black specks and streaking issues
• Faster restarts following shutdowns

Reducing the cost from rejected parts and unplanned downtime directly contributes to profitability.

Supporting Long-Term Equipment Reliability

Though purging is often associated mainly with color changes and resin changes, even extended production runs with the same color and material can also allow contamination to build up unnoticed. Degraded resin, gels, and carbon deposits tend to accumulate in low-flow areas over time.

Regular purging with Purgex helps prevent:

• Carbon buildup
• Persistent contamination
• Clogged hot runner systems
• Pressure instability
• Slow cycles
• Surface defects in finished parts
• Emergency maintenance shutdowns

By incorporating Purgex into routine weekly or monthly preventive maintenance schedules, manufacturers can extend the service life of critical equipment.

The Evolving Role of Purging in Plastics Processing

As the plastics industry continues to evolve through automation, sustainability initiatives and advanced materials, the core demands for purging solutions remain unchanged:

• Faster changeovers
• Lower scrap rates
• Cleaner processing equipment
• Increased hot runner system usage
• Tighter processing tolerances
• Higher surface-quality expectations

Manufacturers increasingly favor purging solutions that simplify operations rather than add complexity. Purgex delivers a line of versatile, high-performance purging compound engineered to perform consistently with diverse materials, machines, and processes.

Why Purgex Remains a Trusted Purging Solution

Across automotive, consumer goods, industrial equipment, construction, telecommunications, recreational, packaging, and beyond, manufacturers choose Purgex because it helps them:

• Maintain consistent machine performance
• Reduce downtime
• Minimize scrap
• Maintain clean operation of valuable tooling
• Simplify inventory
• Improve part quality
• Keep purging efficient and predictable

In an industry where a single mistake can be costly and where a clogged hot runner system can bring production to a halt, manufacturers rely on Purgex to keep operations running smoothly.