Unclogging Abrasive Media in Waterjet machining
Q. I am wondering if ultrasonic cleaning would work to unclog waterjet mixing tubes. The mixing tubes are 1/4″ dia. carbide x 4″ long with a .040″ dia. hole. Occasionally the abrasive media gets clogged in the tube.
A. Yes, use a high dispersing detergent such as Alconox. Be sure to mount the tubes … Read More.
Cleaning Aluminum: Parts Change Color
Q. What temperature should we be running for aluminum parts so they don’t change color?
A. Aluminum changing color during cleaning is often due to galvanic reactions with other metals that may be present in the solution.
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Density of Alconox Detergent
Q. Do you have the density of the Alconox detergent?
A. Thanks for your request for Alconox density. Alconox is a hygroscopic dry blended powder with a density that varies with settling and humidity. The density of Alconox varies from 0.85 g/mL to 1.1 g/mL, with a typical density of 0.95 g/mL.
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Cleaning Chromate Finished Zinc Plated Bolts
Q. I need to specify a cleaning protocol for chromate finished zinc plated bolts. The plater commented that any cleaning (except for a very mild one) can damage the chromate finish. The customer is concered about residual oils. My guess at a cleaning protocol would be: clean in ultrasonic bath, 2 min with 1% Alconox solution, rinse with de-ionized water. All we are doing is cleaning fasteners to be installed in a clean room. The level of cleanliness for these fasteners is a bit fuzzy. Does this sound reasonable?
A. Read the answer.
Sonicating hardened tool steel
Q. We need to find an alternative cleaning solution we can use to sonicate metal (hardened steel) tools with that won’t rust them.
A. Hardened tool steel is prone to flash rusting on exposure to water and humidity with dissolved oxygen if there are no corrosion inhibitors present. You can clean tool steel in a warm Alconox solution (less than 120 deg F or less than 45 deg C) followed by an ambient temperature rinse (circa 70 deg C or 20 deg F) and a rapid …