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A preceding blog discussed the possible effect of too many available sites for the formation of cavitation bubbles to the point that there isn’t enough energy available to grow a significant enough portion of them to sufficient size to implode. This leads to the question that the reverse may be possible as well. In short, … Continued
Automatic chemical addition and makeup is an attractive on feature on today’s sophisticated cleaning machines. Who wouldn’t appreciate eliminating the drudgery of taking samples, titrating, refractometer readings, or whatever and adding chemistry to a cleaning or rinsing bath manually? The trouble is that automatic chemical makeup is just not possible or applicable in all cases. Although there are … Continued
The tests described in the last couple of blogs are rudimentary ways to assess the surface activity of the surface being tested. In fact, they are all based on the concept of contact angle. A drop of water resting at equilibrium on a surface will intersect that surface at a measurable angle called the contact angle. The … Continued
In a recent blog, I touched on the fact that there is a limit to how long a cleaning solution will continue to produce clean parts as it becomes increasingly contaminated from use. Chemistry and disposing of spent chemistry are both expensive. Changing a bath usually results in a gap in production as the tank(s) … Continued
I admit, I stole that title from my grandma Bertha. But even in this day, the concept is applicable. Cleaning one thing is one thing, cleaning thousands of things is another. Let’s think about that. Cleaning, as we have discussed before, really amounts to moving contaminants from the surfaces being cleaned and sequestering them in another … Continued
When particles are the enemy, my general rule is filter, filter, filter! The cost of filtration is small compared to the overall benefit even if it is only “insurance.” There is, of course, the initial cost of installation (filter housings, pumps, plumbing, etc.) but the cost after that is going to be pretty much fixed provided … Continued
A few years ago I wrote a post about the possible perils of automated valves. The thrust of the post was that many automated valves rely on significant line pressure to hold the valve tightly closed. In applications where there is only gravity pressure, as in drain lines for example, valves that are perfectly effective under high … Continued
What happens when parts exit the cleaning process dirty? First of all, PANIC, especially in the case of critical cleaning for optics, semiconductor, disc drive and other industries where particles that can’t even be seen with a microscope render product worthless and unrecoverable! Then there is the inevitable quest for, “Why this is happening?” Although this scenario is … Continued
The applications for wire seem limitless. Wire is used for electrical conductors as well as in structural applications including suspension bridges and other architectural creations. There are about 1 ½ miles of wire in a typical car today and often over 150 miles in a jetliner. A cruise ship? Somewhere around 3,000 miles! Wire diameters … Continued
At first glance, plumbing a filter into a system doesn’t sound like a big deal. In fact, it really isn’t, but there are right ways and wrong ways to do it. Here are a few ideas. First, liquids should always be PUSHED, not PULLED through a filter. Most pumps used in industrial and precision cleaning … Continued
