I have talked before on the blog about the subject of chemical concentration and its relationship to cleaning. A couple of recent incidents prompt me to re-address the subject of chemical concentration but from a little different angle. It’s a “no-brainer” that cleaning chemicals are expensive and, with the possible exception of heat and labor, …
I have spent considerable time on the blog disclosing and discussing a variety of cleanliness testing methods. A couple of tests that escaped earlier discussion, however, are the “white glove” test and the closely-related “swab” test. These tests are conducted by rubbing or wiping a surface using a white (usually cotton) glove or a cotton …
Preceding blogs have described oil removal techniques for industrial cleaning in some detail. It would be nice if this was always a simple consideration – but it is not! The case for using an oil coalescer is pretty clear cut as long as the cleaning chemistry is truly a “splitter” AND, THE OIL IS NOT WATER SOLUBLE. …
“Splitting” of oil from a surface as described in a preceding blog is a part of nearly any oil removal process. Note – Even cleaning chemistry that is generally classified as an “emulsifier” has ingredients to promote the initial “splitting” of the oil from the surface being cleaned. These ingredients are often called “surface active …
As I have said before on this blog, I am not a chemist. Whatever I say about chemistry on the blog is expressed in layman’s terms and is based on practical experience and not on any deep understanding I have of the properties of chemicals. The usefulness of any information provided here applies only to …
A few more things to monitor – Dirty rinse – An effective rinse is critical to most cleaning processes. Only in very limited cases can residues from the cleaning step be left on parts after they are cleaned. It does not, of course, do any good to clean the parts if they become re-contaminated by a …
When in the quest for six sigma performance it never hurts to have a little “head room” in the process. In simple terms, this means that the equipment used should not be “maxed out” to achieve the desired result. I’m sure that none of us would be comfortable if we had to keep the accelerator …
I have written before that there are four major variables we consider in cleaning – – Time, Temperature, Chemistry and Agitation. Based on some recent feedback from the field, however, I guess I need to provide a little more emphasis on the benefits and definition of agitation as it relates specifically to ultrasonic cleaning processes. …
In The BIG Four, I talked about the four important variables in cleaning. These are time, temperature, chemistry and agitation. In that blog, I mentioned that a shortcoming in one variable can, to a point, be overcome by changing another of the variables. For example, increasing temperature or changing chemistry may reduce the time required …
In order to achieve six sigma results, one must evaluate, measure and statistically control ALL phases of the cleaning process. A typical cleaning process is comprised of three main stages – – washing, rinsing and drying. Each of these must be addressed and controlled separately as any one of the three being out of control …
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