One of the more frustrating aspects of being a paint applicator is having to deal with the buildup of paint on your racks and fixtures. These custom components are a considerable investment for many applicators and ensuring that they remain functional and lasting is critical to managing a process’s operation cost. Several different methods are… Read more »
Category: Seen and Solved
Wastewater Question from the Field
Question: Can I “overwhelm” my wastewater system? Answer: Yes. When wastewater systems are overwhelmed, a pass-through event occurs. If more wastewater goes into the system than the system was designed to handle, the system is not going to be able to remove all the contaminants. The contaminants are going to go out the door. So,… Read more »
Organic vs Acidic Paint Stripping Applications, Which Do You Choose?
Traditionally, paint stripping was conducted with methylene chloride or DCM, which is an excellent solvent that was prevalent across many industrial applications. As manufacturers began to learn more about the chemical’s toxicity and carcinogenicity, it quickly ran out of favor as safer alternative methods emerged. Organic paint strippers today are much safer and user-friendly. These… Read more »
The Importance of Bench Testing
Bench testing is not an exact science. Each test can produce slightly different results because every wastewater sample is slightly different. By using bench tests to help determine the best chemicals for the wastewater system, you can eliminate weeks of trial and error on a large scale. You will still need to adjust the wastewater… Read more »
Five Ways to Extend Bath Life according to our Metal Finishing Legend, Jason Potts.
Number 1: Before you put the bath in, passivate the tank and all the plumbing. Passivation is when you’re dissolving the nickel with a nitric acid, using a stainless tank in which you’re putting a passive film which stops it from plating out. A good nitric will stop it from plating out immediately. I’ve seen… Read more »
As a Manufacturer, Why Should You Care About Water?
What does Earth Day mean to you? For the metal finishing industry, it means that we continue to make the many parts that make the world go round, from airplane and automobiles to medical devices. If it is metal, we touch it. A side aspect of our industry is that we use millions of gallons… Read more »
Solvent Risk Evaluation – Why Now and What Does It Mean for Manufacturers?
In a recent conversation with Barbara & Ed Kanegsberg (The Cleaning Lady and The Rocket Scientist), we discussed the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). Congress has asked the EPA to look at existing chemicals and evaluate their risk. They look at them chemical by chemical, step by step. The… Read more »
The 8 Myths of Cleaning According to Our Experts. Worth the Read.
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 and evaporation after… Read more »
Playing a Part in the World of Semiconductors.
Hubbard-Hall continues to expand the chemical management and distribution services for semiconductor customers by supplying high purity commodity chemistries and representing strategic suppliers with specialty technologies and products. Particularly over the last couple of years, managing the distribution, warehousing of these materials to ensure that no one is shutting down their lines. Fabricating is extremely… Read more »
Using Too Much TCE?, It’s Probably Your Degreaser
‘I have used TCE for years. Never had a problem. Now it’s a problem!’ Let’s face it, you are in the business of producing metal parts, not dealing with chemistry. If the solvent isn’t cleaning effectively, you simply add more. You probably test for acid acceptance, but not frequently. So why isn’t that enough now?… Read more »
