‘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 »
Category: Seen and Solved
Which is Better, Solvent or Aqueous Cleaning?
Which is Better, Solvent or Aqueous Cleaning? The answer? It depends! Surface cleaning of metal components is dependent on numerous factors. The type and composition of the contaminant The complexity of the part to be cleaned The type of metal How clean is clean? Available footprint within the shop operation Parts throughput Energy costs Waste… Read more »
TCE going acid. What That Means and How to Prevent It.
How does TCE go acid? Some common conditions that can cause the TCE to go acid are; Excess water from condensation Wet parts Damaged cooling coils Chlorinated oils Water-based cutting fluids Always check with the manufacturer of the vapor degreasing equipment or the supplier of the solvent for guidance. How do I know if my… Read more »
Heat Treat Furnaces – Why Parts Cleaning is So Important
When considering proper pre and post cleaning of parts, quality is just one consideration for captive heat treaters and commercial shops. The other is the damage that both vacuum and atmospheric furnaces can incur, leaving shops with costly problems to their equipment including: loss of vacuum, contamination to future runs, smoke bombs and shortened quench… Read more »
How to Improve Run Times in Your Plating Membrane System
A question from a customer: We are a zinc-chloride plater and flow 15,000 gallons per day through a membrane system. We struggle with keeping the membranes running properly. We average between 36 and 48 hours of run time before we must stop and clean the membranes. What can we do to improve the run time?… Read more »
Removing Metals from Wastewater
A conversation with Hubbard-Hall’s Robin Deal Robin is a Field Service Engineer specializing in industrial wastewater treatment for 7 years. She spends much of her time in the field educating customers while helping them meet their wastewater permit requirements. When in the lab Robin is working toward finding efficient ways for customers to transform their… Read more »
Reducing Total Suspended Solids in Zinc-Nickel Lines
A question from a customer: “We are a zinc-nickel plater with a discharge of 80,000 gpd. While we are able to meet our zinc and nickel discharge numbers, we struggle with our total suspended solids (TSS). We have a small floc formation with slow settling. We have solids coming over our weir. What can we… Read more »
“Soft” Metal Staining, Post Cleaning
I work with many metal finishers that clean the “soft” metals, specifically aluminum and copper alloys. One common, and more recurring issue I see, is staining of these alloys after the forming lubricants are removed in a cleaning step. In the push to go green, many fabricators are switching to water emulsifiable metal working fluids…. Read more »
Cleaning is more than chemistry….. Again
I present to industry on a regular basis, about the importance of “Process over Product” when it comes to getting clean parts in your metal finishing operation. This was reinforced to me more than ever, during an onsite cleaning trial at a new customer this week. In this particular case we are cleaning a critical… Read more »
5 Steps to Adding Electropolishing
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,… Read more »
