Medical Device Cleaning – 303 SS Pins
Q. The 303 staiinless steel pins we are attempting to clean appears clean but the silicone adhesive Dow Corning 3-8264 does not consistently adhere to the pins. Is the Alcojet cleaner the correct cleaner to remove the maching oils from the pins and leave the surface residue free for bonding. I am looking for the proper cleaner to use to prepare some small parts for bonding. We are attempting to use silicone to seal 303 stainless steel pins into a black polycarbonate housing.
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Cleaning Aluminum without Corrosion
Q. How is galvanic corrosion prevented when cleaning aluminum?
A. Aluminum is an active metal that is somewhat high on the “anodic index” of the galvanic series. If aluminum is cleaned with other metals present, you can create a battery and get galvanic corrosion. Aluminum should not be cleaned in the presence of metals that are significantly higher or lower on the anodic series; higher on the anodic scale such as zinc, magnesium or beryllium metals and lower on the anodic scale such as tin, brass, bronze, copper, silver, nickel and rhodium.
Cleaning Aluminum with Alconox
Q. Which Alconox cleaners can be used on Aluminum?
A. The Alconox brand cleaners recommended for cleaning aluminum are Alconox, Liquinox, Tergazyme, Alcojet, Alcotabs, Detojet, Citranox, Luminox, Citrajet, Solujet and Tergajet. Detergent 8 is not recommended for cleaning aluminum. Aluminum forms a natural passive layer in air that allows it to be successfully cleaned without adverse reactions with cleaner. A passive layer forms in under an hour, provided there is no oily film present. Once the passive layer is formed, the recommended Alconox brand cleaners can be used to clean the aluminum at concentrations of less than 5% at 90 deg C or less for up to one hour.
Cleaning Aged Aluminum
Q. How to clean weathered oxidized or aged aluminum with a dark grey buildup of oxides especial architectural aluminum or decorations on buildings.
A. We do not have a product suitable for this but we do have recommendations. Citranox and Citrajet are well suited to cleaning freshly manufactured aluminum items, but not aged and weathered aluminum items.
Alcojet for Cleaning Soft Metal
Q. Equipment says use soft metal safe detergent. Can you recommend a product?
A. I recommend you use soft-metal-safe Alcojet in your Labconco washer. Download the Alcojet MSDS for more information.