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 treatment availability (in house or haul off)
At a high level, here is a chart that describes the pros and cons of the most used types of cleaning chemistries.
| Chemistry | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Non–halogenated Solvents –Hydrocarbons | Relatively low cost Readily available Good for pre-cleaning Good for non-polar soils | Vacuum degreasers only Combustible Less cleaning efficiency Leaves oily residue |
| Fluorinated Solvent Blends | Very stable azeotrope Non-flammable Low surface tension for precision cleaning | High fill cost Not as effective on heavy soils Requires additional cooling coils |
| Modified Alcohols | No pending regulations Low operating costs Effective on water and oil-based soils | High equipment costs (vacuum degreasers) Combustible Moderate fill costs Requires stabilization |
| Aqueous Cleaning | Good cleaning capabilities – soils, oils, waxes Low chemical costs Ability to recycle the chemistry | High energy costs Larger footprint Requires wastewater treatment or haul-off |
It takes a lot of expertise to select the right cleaner. Therefore, companies like Hubbard-Hall ask for documentation on the type of contaminants to be cleaned off, samples of parts to trial, in-depth discussions on cleanliness requirements, current throughput, future projections…there is a lot of work involved in getting you the right cleaner for the process.
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