How to Maintain Your Continuous Foaming Machine and Batch Foam Machine for the Holidays?

During holiday breaks, systematic maintenance of polyurethane (PU) flexible foam equipment is crucial to ensure smooth production restart. Proper upkeep reduces the risk of crystallization, clogging, and corrosion, avoiding costly downtime and repairs. Below are strategies for both continuous foaming machines and batch foam machines under different holiday lengths, followed by standardized post-holiday restart procedures.

I. Short-Term Shutdown Maintenance (1–3 Day Breaks)

For short shutdowns, focus on low-power standby and preventing curing in the mixing head and metering units.

Continuous foaming machine:

Clean mixing head and discharge port: After the last foaming run, immediately execute the automatic cleaning program. Due to large material volume, manually recheck the discharge port and mixing head to ensure no residue remains. If residue is found, use a special cleaning agent (e.g., MC) with non-metal tools (copper brush or bamboo stick) to gently clean without damaging precision parts.

Batch foam machine:

Thoroughly clean mixing head: After each foaming, perform manual cleaning to ensure no residue inside the mixing head.

General operations:

Shut off heating system: Turn off raw material tank heating to save energy. Short-term stoppage will not significantly lower material temperature, making reheating easier.

Partial power-off: Shut down the hydraulic unit and main control panel, but keep control module powered to retain parameters.

External inspection: Clean equipment surfaces and check for oil or material leaks; fix immediately if present.

II. Long-Term Shutdown Maintenance (For 7+ Day Breaks)

For long holidays, conduct comprehensive maintenance: thorough cleaning, system draining, sealing, and protection to ensure stable restart.

Continuous foaming machine:

Pipeline cleaning and draining: Return both isocyanate component and polyether polyol component from tanks and pipelines back to barrels or waste containers. Flush both pipelines separately with a cleaning agent (e.g., MC), adjusting cleaning duration based on pipeline length and cleanliness, then drain thoroughly.

Mixing head disassembly and protection: Disassemble and manually clean mixing head, soak with cleaning agent, and blow dry with compressed air. Before reassembly, apply protective grease or lubricant to internal mixing components.

Conveyor belt cleaning: Fully remove foam residue from belt surface, inspect for damage, and perform necessary maintenance.

Batch foam machine:

System draining and cleaning: Return raw materials from tanks and short pipelines, flush pipelines and metering units with MC cleaning agent.

Mixing head fine maintenance: Same as continuous foaming machine—disassemble, clean, dry, and apply protective grease.

Mold box and platform cleaning: Ensure mold box interior and foaming platform are completely free of residue.

General operations:

Raw material storage: Isocyanates are highly moisture-sensitive and must be tightly sealed (e.g., reinforced with sealing film). Polyether polyols also require moisture protection. Store all raw material barrels in a cool, dry, ventilated place, away from sunlight. If temperature falls below 15℃, move isocyanates to insulated storage to prevent crystallization.

Hydraulic and pneumatic systems: Shut down hydraulic station, check oil level and cleanliness, and consider oil replacement post-holiday. Shut off air supply and drain condensate from oil-water separator.

Complete power-off and protection: Disconnect main power, attach a warning tag “Maintenance in Progress – Do Not Switch On,” and cover equipment and control cabinets with dust-proof sheets. Apply anti-rust oil or grease to exposed metal, rails, and chains.

III. Post-Holiday Restart and Inspection Protocol

After holidays, always perform systematic checks before restarting to ensure safe, stable operation. This applies to both short and long shutdowns.

Appearance and basic checks: Remove covers, inspect for damage, rust, or loosened parts. Verify stable power and air supply, and confirm voltage and air pressure are within normal range.

Raw material assessment and pretreatment:

For breaks over 3 days, check raw material barrels for sedimentation or crystallization. If present, stir or preheat materials before refilling the system.

For short breaks, focus on raw material temperature and preheat to required process levels if needed.

Hydraulic and circulation trial run: Start the hydraulic system, check for abnormal pump noise or unstable pressure. Inspect all joints and seals for leaks.

Trial foaming and calibration: Conduct several short foaming tests to check mixing head operation and output quality. Adjust ratio between isocyanate and polyether polyol components as needed to ensure mixing accuracy meets production standards.

Following these restart steps eliminates risks caused by downtime, ensuring production stability, higher product pass rates, and rapid recovery of efficient operations.