Metalworking & Precision Manufacturing

Q. We have an other department that makes a vacuum tube that is nearly identical to ours and they have a much better yield. They use Liquinox for their cleaning agent. I would like to talk to one of your engineers regarding their view of our present cleaning method (Sodium Hydroxide, Muriatic Acid, DI water, Methanol) vs. Liquinox. I have no historical information as to why we use the mentioned chemicals. The items that are cleaned are: tungsten plates, kovar pins and glass.
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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.

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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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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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?
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