Currently browsing Tech Blog

In a preceeding blog, I mentioned that pH is a logrhythmic function.  As such, each increase of one pH unit represents a ten-fold change in the measured characteristic.  This alone can lead to considerable confusion.  But it gets worse! Concentration – One would think that pH would be directly related to concentration – – meaning … Continued

Titration is a procedure frequently used to measure the chemical concentration in a liquid.  The concept is pretty simple.  A specific volume of the solution under test is collected and put into a container which is usually an erlenmeyer flask or a beaker. The container can be glass, plastic or another material.  Glass is often preferred because … Continued

In order to maintain process consistency in an industrial cleaning process, it is frequently necessary to monitor the concentration of chemistry in a cleaning solution.  pH and specific gravity are two common parameters that can be used to determine the concentration of cleaning chemistries in water.  This blog explores ways in which pH and specific gravity can … Continued

One of the more recent developments in minimizing the water left on a part after rinsing is “slow-pull.”  Slow-pull is usually applied as the parts exit the rinse that immediately precedes drying.  Instead of removing the parts from the rinse at a rapid rate, usually measured in feet per minute (or even feet per second), they are … Continued

Hot air drying applications involve, primarily, the evaporation of water or another liquid such as a solvent from the surface being dried.  Evaporation occurs as heated air circulates over and around the surface being dried as discussed in earlier blogs.  In all cases this liquid evaporation consumes heat which results in cooling of the remaining liquid.  One … Continued

By law, there must be a Material Safety Data Sheet for any material used in any process.  The law was instituted, basically, because workers were unknowingly coming in contact with materials that were dangerous not only from a physical standpoint (fire, reactivity, explosivity, etc.) but to human health and well-being as well.  Many of today’s … Continued

Let me preface this blog with a disclaimer – – I am not a chemist.  My understanding of the subject of pH is only as it relates to industial cleaning, cleaning chemistries and their application.  Over the years, I have been associated with many chemists who have been very helpful in their efforts to advance … Continued

Filters do not last forever.  In the course of doing its job, a filter becomes progressively more resistant to the flow of liquid.  As this happens, flow is reduced and, as we’ve mentioned before, this process may even be accelerated by the fact that the partially blocked filter retains smaller and smaller particles.  The price of … Continued

For any filter to be effective, the liquid being filtered must circulate or re-circulate through the filter in an efficient way.  In a spray system, the cleaning or rinsing liquid usually returns from the filter directly to the spray head(s).  This means that the liquid spray used to clean or rinse is as good as … Continued

Removing foreign particles from surfaces is the target of many cleaning operations.  The spectrum of the definition of particles as contaminants is very broad and encompasses size, number, shape and composition.  Because of the diversity of the nature of particles, the methods to detect and quantify them are diverse as well.  Some particles are easily seen with … Continued