Water – What are ions and ion exchange all about?

Any discussion of water quality and the purification of water will eventually gravitate to a discussion of ions.  Adding ions and/or removing ions using what is called an ion exchange process is a big and essential part of most water treatment.  Let’s take a few minutes to understand basically what these important things called ions are …

Ultrasonics – How to Degas Liquids

A previous blog Ultrasonics – Degassing – What Gas? and Why? revealed why dissolved gas is detrimental to ultrasonic performance.  This blog will describe various ways in which dissolved gas can be minimized and eliminated to facilitate ultrasonic cleaning.  Since the most common liquids used in ultrasonic cleaning are water and water-based solutions, the following applies …

Pumps – Centrifugal Pumps

Almost every cleaning system incorporates at least one pump.  Understanding how that pump works and how to treat it with the gentle, loving care it deserves is critical to the successful operation and maintenance of a cleaning system. Pumps are, in general, devices which impart added pressure to a flow of liquid.  Although there are a number of different …

Water – Water “Rocks”

I thought that title might get your attention!  Actually, this blog is about “stuff” including, literally, “rocks” that can be found in many water supplies both municipal and otherwise.  It is important to differentiate between things that are dissolved in water that leave “rocks” behind when the water evaporates and things that are in the …

Rinsing – Better Rinsing Using Less Water

It is no secret that good cleaning followed by poor rinsing can be worse than not rinsing (or cleaning) at all.  A single-use rinse using a fresh water spray or a high flow rate or single use immersion rinse are often thought to provide the ultimate rinse.  These options, however, are often extremely expensive because they consume …

It’s Time To Talk About Water – Again

The blog It’s Time To Talk About Water discussed the variations in water from different sources.  Today’s blog is the start of a series on how to purify and prepare water for use in cleaning and rinsing applications. Water from municipal and other sources may have characteristics that are deleterious to a variety of processes.  Many of …

Ultrasonics – Degassing – What Gas? and Why?

Although the importance of “degassing” liquids prior to their use in an ultrasonic cleaning or rinsing process is pretty much common knowledge, the source of the gas and details of how to remove it are less well known.  This blog is the beginning of a series which will describe in some detail where that gas comes …

Cleaning – Solvents – So What’s Different Now?

Previous blogs discussed the demise of solvents after the Montreal Protocol.  Today, in the US at least, solvents are coming back prompting the reader to ask, “What Has Changed.”  First of all, there was never any real argument that solvents did, and still do, a good job of cleaning in many, many applications!  Are there aqueous and other alternatives …