Millipore Testing – Evaluation by Particle Counting

When it comes to evaluating particle residues remaining on parts after manufacturing, the “go to” is often particle counting.  Particles remaining on parts after normal manufacturing operations are collected using a secondary, more aggressive washing method.  Collected particles are then tallied by size, number and, in some cases, type and probable origin as a measure …

Gravimetric Contaminant Testing Flow Chart

As I was writing the recent post about gravimetric Millipore testing it occurred to me that I was trying to boil a good-sized part of a 180+ page document into 500 or so words.  It also occurred to me that many people don’t have the time for or interest in reading endless pages of specifications …

Aluminum Foil Test for Ultrasonic Performance – Potential Problems

Task At Hand – In a previous blog I declared that I am not a fan of the aluminum foil test for evaluating ultrasonic performance.  I question its validity and relevance on a number of fronts.  If my purpose here is to question my own skepticism, then I guess I should probably define the factors …

Aluminum Foil Test – Foil Perforation Mechanism

Until recently, I was only able to theorize about the mechanism involved in the perforation of aluminum foil by ultrasonic cavitation.  I no longer have to theorize! My theory had always been that perforation of aluminum foil was due to the repeated flexing of aluminum foil as cavitation implosions occurring on opposite sides of the foil …

Lab Testing – Chemical Life

A previous blog discussed the ramifications of contaminant loading on cleaning.  This time let’s look at the long term effects on cleaning chemistry.  In lab testing, the ability of chemistry to withstand extended use is often not challenged.  Chemistry is prepared and used for short term cleaning trials to verify the cleaning process.  In long …

Lab Testing – Contaminant Loading

The risk of laboratory testing was discussed in the blog Beyond the Cleaning Lab Test Results.  This blog along with others that follow will explore these implications in more detail. In developing a cleaning process in the test lab, a technician usually starts out by cleaning a small number of parts using freshly prepared and uncontaminated …

Beyond the Cleaning Lab Test Results

Process testing in a cleaning laboratory is a typical and useful step in the development of an industrial cleaning process.  In most cases, test cleaning is performed in laboratories maintained by the suppliers of cleaning equipment and/or cleaning chemistries.  The goal of lab testing, of course, is to simulate a cleaning process to determine its effectiveness …

How do you measure surface tension?

In the world of industrial cleaning technology we talk about surface tension a lot! So much so, in fact, that it is hard to enter into any discussion of cleaning without having the subject of surface tension arise.  In cleaning chemistry, for example, we are always looking for lower surface tension to promote penetration of small surface features …

Surface Tension and/or Wettability

A few days ago, I sat down to write what I thought would be a simple explanation of surface tension and how it is measured in the laboratory (a blog which will be published shortly if I can figure all of this out).  In doing the normal background research, however, I started to see contradictions …

Ultrasonic “Double Boiler”

Maximum ultrasonic performance requires the most efficient transfer of ultrasonic vibrations from the ultrasonic transducers to the liquid in the process tank.  This is generally accomplished by applying ultrasonic transducers directly to the exterior surfaces of a tank containing the process liquid.  Transducer attachment techniques favor attachment to metals like stainless steel.  What if the chemistry to be used …