CASE STUDY:
Precision Cleaning of Ball Bearings:
Replace nPB Solvent with AeroTron-AV-5408
Precision ceramic & steel ball manufacturer needed to determine whether AeroTron® AV-5408, a Boeing-approved solvent, can deliver equal or superior cleaning performance as compared to nPB on ceramic and chrome balls.
The Objective & Challenge:
Reliance Specialty Products conducted a controlled test cleaning on ceramic and chrome balls to evaluate the effectiveness of AeroTron-AV-5408 as a replacement for nPB in precision ball bearing aerospace cleaning applications.
Key challenges included:
Complete cleaning of all balls en masse in basket
Remove visible oil contaminant on parts
Remove machining oils trapped in space between balls
Ensure balls completely dry after cleaning cycle
Results
AeroTron-AV-5408 achieved consistent and high-quality cleaning results across both ceramic and chrome ball bearing substrates
Key outcomes:
Effective removal of machining oil contaminants
Uniform surface cleanliness across all ball bearing balls
No visible residue on entire basket of ball bearing balls.
The results met the customer’s cleanliness requirements and switched from nPB to AeroTron-AV-5408.
Equipment & Chemistry
Solvent: AeroTron-AV-5408 (Boeing-approved)
System: Reliance ULTRA 2012LE Ultrasonic Immersion Vapor Degreaser
Cleaning Process
The cleaning process was designed to simulate production-level conditions:
1 minute immersion dwell
3 minute ultrasonic immersion
1000 watts of ultrasonic power
*Six oscillations with 10-second immersion in and out of solvent (2 minutes)
90-second refrigeration zone (freeboard flash-off)
TOTAL PROCESSING TIME: 7.5 minutes
(*Oscillations allow the basket to be fully submerged in the ultrasonic liquid solution for a select period of time and then raised just above the liquid level for a select period of time. This allows the solvent to flush/fill IDs/blind spots and tight geometries of part(s). The ULTRA BHE automated lift allows you to program the cleaning recipe to your desired need including oscillations if preferred)
Process Highlights
Ultrasonics enabled penetration into crevices between balls
Controlled oscillation ensured uniform exposure and repeatability
Refrigeration Zone drying delivered residue-free finishing
VAPOR DEGREASING
EQUIPMENT USED FOR THE CLEANING:
Reliance ULTRA 2012LE Vapor, Immersion, Ultrasonic Immersion & Distillate Spray Vapor Degreasing System.
SOLVENT USED:
AeroTron-AV-5408 is Boeing Approved Vapor Degreasing Solvent.
AeroTron-AV-5408 is specially formulated for metal, plastic and elastomer compatibility in aerospace cleaning and can be used to clean titanium with improved health, safety, regulatory, permitting and environmental benefits.
