Looking for a Better Way to Clean Metal Parts?
When it comes to parts cleaning, finding a solution that accomplishes manufacturing goals including sustainability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness is important. Elizabeth Norwood, Senior Chemist at MicroCare, LLC, has been in the industry more than 25 years and she writes why she thinks vapor degreasers with advanced fluids is the best option available.
Companies within the metalworking industry are facing new challenges every day. These include rapid technological advancements including 3D printing, customer requirements for the ever-smaller components, more stringent regional environmental sustainability regulations and of course, improving all-important safety practices. Manufacturers must stay on alert for new changes and be ready to embrace emerging developments, all while staying competitive and profitable.
To guarantee a superior product, parts must leave the manufacturing facility clean, dry, and ready for post-processing.
This also includes advancements in parts critical cleaning, an essential step of the metal fabrication finishing process. To stay ahead of the changes, a fabricator's cleaning processes must be future-proofed with built-in longevity to support their companies' ongoing sustainable manufacturing goals.
Their parts cleaning must not only clean parts effectively today, but also meet regulatory and safety standards that may stretch well into the future. Therefore, choosing the correct cleaning process now is essential to overall metal fabricating success.
Meeting Cleaning Objectives
To guarantee a superior product, parts made for the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries, must leave the manufacturing facility clean, dry, and ready for post-processing.
VIDEO: Vapor Degreasing Explained: What It Is and How It Works
But using a cleaning process that cleans well is simply not enough. The cleaning process must also meet other key criteria including environmental sustainability objectives, worker safety compliance, and energy efficiency targets. Vapor degreasing, used in combination with modern metal cleaning fluids, is one of the most effective, safe and environmentally-responsible methods for meeting that criterion.
The process of cleaning and prepping metal parts for further processing like plating, coating, painting, or welding has changed over the years. Historically, water cleaning or vapor degreasing with legacy solvents such as nPB (n-propyl bromide) and TCE (trichloroethylene) were the choice within the metalworking industry. But with increasing environmental regulations and emerging new health and safety standards, manufacturers are re-evaluating their cleaning methods and choosing other options.
Addressing Cleaning Concerns
The impact to the bottom line is one of the biggest concerns when searching for a new cleaning process. What will the cost implications be? Will it require an investment in new equipment? How will production be affected? Will the cleaning results be of the same high standard required for a quality finish?
Vapor degreasing, used in combination with modern metal cleaning fluids, is one of the most effective, safe and environmentally-responsible cleaning methods.
Next generation metal cleaning fluids for use inside a vapor degreaser have been developed that address these concerns and, in many cases, clean better than their legacy predecessors. They are often a drop-in replacement to most current vapor degreasers and don't require significant changes or upgrades to the existing equipment.
The unique low-boiling cleaning fluids combine high densities, low surface tensions and low viscosities to effectively remove contaminants like grease, machining, stamping oils, metal filings and other industrial soils from parts. The fluids clean thoroughly inside tight spaces, deep grooves and blind holes then evaporate quickly without getting trapped inside. They evaporate quickly without leaving residue, spots or stains behind. This is important as any leftover moisture, oils or particulate could negatively impact the finishing or parts quality, particularly when manufacturing parts for the medical and aerospace industries.
Addressing Cost Concerns
Once established and tested, the vapor degreasing process remains constant and can be automated for more efficiency. In addition, the metal cleaning fluid remains stable inside the vapor degreaser for thousands of uses and does not require daily monitoring, making operation process controls simpler and less costly.
The vapor degreasing process is proven to be a safe, economical, and environmentally friendly cleaning process for the manufacturing engineer.
Unlike other cleaning options, such as water-based cleaning, vapor degreasing is more energy efficient as it requires much shorter cycle times to clean parts effectively. It also does not require nonrenewable resources like water, adding to their environmental credentials and keeping costs down. Additionally, they have a lower boiling point and heat of vaporization than the legacy solvents, requiring less energy use, resulting in overall energy cost savings.
Modern cleaning fluids will not turn acidic unless exposed to a strong base, acid or extreme heat. Because they do not require stabilizers, scavengers or weekly acceptance testing, no training is required to manage the procedure. This means less hours are taken up through completing the process. Vapor degreasers simply concentrate the soils and contaminants as it works, minimizing hazardous waste and lowering removal costs.
There is also a more significant reduction in person-hours when using a vapor degreaser and modern cleaning fluids. Because the cleaning fluids boil at a low temperature, parts come out cold enough to handle immediately. This saves time waiting for components to cool down before moving on to the next stage of the manufacturing process. Workers can finish the process quicker, resulting in better overall throughput and productivity.
The Green Effect
Increasing environmental regulations are causing manufacturers to re-evaluate their cleaning fluids.
Adhering to environmental regulations is easier when using modern vapor degreasing fluids. New progressive cleaning fluids benefit from being ozone-safe and meet standards like those required by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) or the EU's rules of REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals). Additionally, most are approved under the U.S. Significant New Alternatives Program (SNAP) and Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). Many also have a zero Ozone Deleting Potential (ODP) and a low Global Warming Potential (GWP). Importantly, they offer improved environmental properties without compromising on performance.
Improved Worker Safety
One of the most significant benefits of using a vapor degreaser with modern cleaning fluids is the enhanced safety for workers. Most are nonflammable and don't require any special handling, flammable storage areas or explosion-proof equipment. Many have excellent PEL (Permissible Exposure Limit) ratings or OSHA-designated exposure time limits when compared to legacy cleaning solvents.
Going the Distance
Almost all metal parts require cleaning after manufacture to remove contaminants. The challenge is finding a cleaning method that goes the distance in terms of meeting quality standards, environmental goals, and improved costs.
Metal fabricators and machine shops should consider using vapor degreasers with modern, highly advanced cleaning fluids. Not only do they clean small complex metal parts effectively, but with ever-changing health, safety, economic and environmental sustainability challenges, they futureproof the critical cleaning process and can quickly adapt well into the future.
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