Page 19 - Plastics News May 2020

Tips To Sanitize Machine Controller Screens & Buttons

John Bozzelli
coronavirus, depending the active ingredient(s) of the up when you are sure no solution is down in between the
sanitizing agents. Now 30 sec is not a single swipe. For buttons, switches or electrical components. When dry,
isopropanol the listed time was 5 min. For hydrogen power up as usual.
peroxide it takes 0.5 to 2 min. For some reason soapy
water is not on the list. I urge you not to use bleach on Caution: 70% isopropyl alcohol is highly flammable and
your controller. can easily ignite. It has a flammable range of 2.3% to
12.7% in air. Vapors may form and cause explosive
There is also the choice of wearing latex or vinyl gloves, mixtures. Ignition temperature is 750 F (400 C). Keep
but is that practical for an entire shift? And if the bugs away for all heat sources, such as the nozzle and barrel
are there now, the gloves are then contaminated and we heaters.
have the same issue with spreading the virus on anything
we touch. And how well do these gloves work on touch- Bottom line: Institute a sanitizing procedure on all touch
sensitive screens? surfaces of the controller, screen and operating panel.
Use a microfiber cloth and solution that does not harm
Suggested Sanitizer Solutions (use at your own risk.) the screen.
1. Solution of nine parts (90%) of either 70% isopropyl While we are on the topic of controllers, let's hit on a
alcohol or 60% ethanol and one part (10%) major pet peeve of mine. Nearly all of us have seen a
hydrogen peroxide, and add two drops of Dawn controller fried or damaged due to a power surge or
dish soap per 500 ml (1 pint). outage. How many of us have surge protectors with
battery backups on our computer? Perhaps most of us.
2. Solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide Yet our molding machines cost hundreds of thousands of
dollars and most do not have surge protection with a
3. UV light will also work and work fast, but power backup so you can shut it down properly after a
theapparatus is expensive. power outage. What's on your machine?

Note: I suggest adding two drops of Dawn dish soap per
500 ml (1 pint) of the above solutions to help wet the
screen/panel surface, but this may slightly deplete the Boost Your Business
oleophobic coating on some touchscreens. Since this
coating wears away under normal use and can be with AIPMA
reapplied, I do add the soap.

Recommended Procedure

It is best if you can power down the machine. Yes, I know For Advertisements
this is time- consuming and problematic for barrel heats
and machine restart time. But accidently changing a
processing parameter or pushing the wrong button could
cause significant problems if the machine is live. I don't
like to admit that I have done this and had some Contact
embarrassing results. If you don't want to power down
the machine, at a minimum turn off the motors/pumps Ms. Priyanka Sakpal
so nothing can move. Safety is a first priority. Be careful
not to accidently change any settings or cause a mold or +91 22 6777 8817
injection movement out of sequence.
priyanka@aipma.net
First, test on an inconspicuous area to make sure it does
not harm the screen. Dampen (don't soak) a microfiber www.aipma.net
cloth and gently wipe the screen for at least 30 to 60 sec.
Leaving a film of disinfectant/sanitizer that will stay for
another minute or two will continue disinfecting. Power

MAY 2020 19 Plastics News