Black oxide is the conversion of a base metal material to an oxide of that base metal material. A prime example would be Fe3O4, which is black iron oxide, otherwise known as magnetite; another is a CuO, or copper monoxide. It occurs when the chemicals react with a base material to form an oxide of the base’s primary constituent. In the case of stainless steel, not only does it form oxide... Read More
A conversation with Hubbard Hall’s Jerry Dwyer
Jerry Dwyer CEF, is Hubbard Hall’s market manager for product groups pertaining to heat treating, black oxide and phosphates. His background and experience have established him with knowledgeable insight into the world of heat treating and metal finishing. Dwyer specializes in the above processes and has over a thi... Read More
Surveys show that only 25% of all metal finishing operations in North America offer electropolishing to their customers. With a possible rise in the need for electropolishing thanks to reshoring efforts for medical parts and equipment, demand could outpace availability as manufacturers seek to find finishers to electropolish those parts to a high specificity.
Fortunately, electropolishi... Read More
Tackling Hazy Water Hassles With Absolute Clarity
When it comes to cloudy wastewater, there are any number of reasons you can find yourself in a fog. From residual emulsified oil and surfactants to overdosing on polymers and coagulants, Hubbard-Hall’s wastewater treatment technical team can help you diagnose and treat the problem. What are some of the reasons for th... Read More
Myths of Cleaning
Myth 1 of 8: Water is Obviously “Cheaper” than Solvents
Regular city water alone won’t clean anything. It needs surfactants and detergents that lower surface tension and remove soils. These are consumed during cleaning and need replenishing. Higher temperatures are needed to activate cleaning chemistry, which is important for ensuring good wetting... Read More
Myths of Cleaning
Myth 2 of 8: Aqueous Systems Can’t Be Used in Critical Cleaning
First, let’s be clear that “critical cleaning” has a very specific meaning. It refers to the removal of sub-micron particles and non-volatile residues. It’s required when any surface contamination would yield adverse effects. While many pr... Read More
Myths of Cleaning
Myth 3 of 8: Aqueous cleaning is always “safer” than solvent
There’s a misapprehension that “Aqueous Cleaning” refers to cleaning with water. While water is involved, and under the right circumstances can be a solvent, in aqueous cleaning systems the water contains additives. These have several functio... Read More
Myths of Cleaning
Myth 4 of 8: Solvents are all BAD!
“Solvent” is an extremely broad term. Any substance that will dissolve another is, technically, a solvent, and that includes water. However, in popular parlance, “solvent” often refers to chemicals that will dissolve oil and grease. Examples include acetone, isopropanol, et... Read More
Myths of Cleaning
Myth 5 of 8: Solvents will all be banned through government regulation
It’s true that for some classes of solvents their use either has been or is in the process of being phased out. However, many others are still permitted, although in some cases there are regulations regarding aspects of usage like ventilation. In general, ... Read More
Myths of Cleaning
Myth 6 of 8: Solvent cleaning is always the most efficient process
Solvents make very effective cleaners, in the right application. The key points to consider are, what is being cleaned, what is it being cleaned of, and what is it being cleaned for? Solvents are highly effective for dissolving oils and their low surface tension ena... Read More
Myths of Cleaning
Myth 7 of 8: Market is Dominated by Aqueous Cleaning
Compared to solvent cleaning, aqueous is still the newcomer, even though it has been in use for two decades. Use of aqueous cleaning is undoubtedly on the rise, but to say it dominates the market is just incorrect. Precision cleaning in particular, is a sector where solvent clean... Read More
Myths of Cleaning
Myth 8 of 8: Cleaning is All About Picking a Chemistry
Chemistry is important for sure. The solvent or aqueous cleaner must be compatible with the soil or contamination you want to remove, but it’s more complicated than that. Consider also the material to be cleaned: some cl... Read More
Our Aquapure Technical Product Manager, Robin Tiede, will admit that solving the wastewater puzzle can take time and a lot of sleuthing but believes if you follow certain steps it can help reduce this time. In a four-part monthly series, Robin will provide recommendations and tools that can help shorten the time it takes to solve any upsets and will also cover some potential solutions to typic... Read More
Recently, a leading manufacturer of high-value parts for the aerospace industry ran into a cleaning challenge – namely, the cleanliness of parts going through its vacuum brazing process. The existing process was falling short – and experiencing a high field failure rate. Compounding the challenge was a large variation of aluminum alloys and forming processes of the parts.
Th... Read More
All Polymer Flocculants are not created equal.
While metal bearing wastewater is best served through the use of a high charge, high mole weight, anionic polymer. Fats’ Oils and Greases (FOG) work best with a cationic polymer.
How are they used?
Polymer Flocculants are used in chemical precipitation of wastewater treatment...
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A quick list of the most important factors to bear in mind when determining your rinsing process.
Water is becoming an increasingly expensive commodity with even further restrictions in certain areas of the country (pity the poor folks in California). As a result, there has never been a better time to give some thought to maximizing the efficiency of your rinsing proc... Read More