Tooling: Clearing up the mysteries of mold texture

Randy Kerkstra discusses texture and how it affects gloss on a micro level. The two main blast media used in the industry to adjust gloss are aluminum oxide and glass beads. After a cavity is acid etched to create the texture, blast media are used to clean up the surface and achieve a desired gloss level that will achieve the specified gloss for the plastic part. Different sizes of aluminum oxide blasting media can produce lower gloss but are risky to use because they can quickly destroy parting lines and cavity details. If the desired part gloss cannot be achieved with blast media, one will need to use other methods. If one needs it duller, micro acid etching is an option. Wire brushing by hand will slightly increase the gloss; it is a very simple process that does not require a high level of skill.