A plastic mold release agent is specialize coating designed to prevent adhesion of the plastic substrate to the mold surface. The release agent provides the critical barrier to allow for both optimal resin flow out and smooth, reliable release of the plastic part.  With this coating, the plastic resin would adhere to the mold surface, requiring extensively cleaning, production downtime and low output.  Plastic release agents improve production reliability, part quality, and generally allow for faster, hotter cycles to be utilized.

Manufacturers typically utilize a specialize plastic release agent for 4 critical reasons

• Improve resin flow out  - release agents impart a low surface energy coating on mold surfaces, this allows the molten plastic to flow and fill the mold cavity more easily. The result is consistent part quality free of voids, faster cycle times, and lower defect rates
• Improved cycle times - plastic mold release agents allow the plastic resin to enter and leave the mold more quickly and with better overall predictability. Hotter, shorter cycles can then be utilized to increase product output with sacrifacing quality or consistency
• Lower defect rates - release agent coatings improves both resin flow and ease of removal.  Two critical aspects that affect defect rates. Mitigating these problems areas provides a substantial reduction in defect rates.
• Cleaner molds and less downtime - Plastic mold release agents are potent non-stick coatings, once applied the molded plastic releases smoothly and easily, leaving no material behind. Molds remaining cleaner and in-service longer as build up and sticking is greatly reduced

Plastics are typically molded by the following process:

• Thermoforming - Sheets of plastic are heated until soften then formed under compression or vacuum.  
• Extrusion - Molten plastic is pushed through a die to form tubes or pipes, etc.
• Injection Molding - Most typical process, high volume process. Molten plastic is injected onto a mold cavity and allow to cool. Release Agents are critical to maintain high output, part consistency and quality.
• Blow Molding - Pressurize air is used to expand soften plastic inside a mold.
• Rotational Molding - solid plastic pellets are heated inside a rotating closed mold.  Specialized plastic release agents are utilized to ensure complete resin flow out, smooth release, and uniformity.

Any moldable plastic can benefit from utilization of proper plastic mold release agents. It is important to selection specialized plastic mold release agent to ensure that the release coating provides the necessary low surface energy, high release, and zero transfer propertes that most plastic manufacturers require.  Below is short list of plastics that would benefit from the use of release agent:

• Polypropylene 
• High and Low Density polyethylene
• Polycarbonate
• PLA (Polylactic acid)
• Nylons
• Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
• thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)
• Acrylics (PMMA)