Cleaner, Faster, Smarter Metal Part Cleaning
Vapor Degreasing will upgrade your part cleaning operation quickly and efficiently.
Vapor degreasing has been around for decades but many companies still do not use it because they do not know about it! And many do not realize it will upgrade their part cleaning operation significantly. In this blog we will discuss 3 key features of vapor degreasing: Cleaner parts; faster processing times; overall smarter process that enhances your parts cleaning easily.
What is Vapor Degreasing?
Even though vapor degreasing has been around since the 1960’s, many companies still do not utilize this powerful and efficient cleaning process. In fact, just the name “vapor degreaser” sounds more like something you use as a part of smoking versus a cleaning process. Large and small companies alike use vapor degreasing to clean their metal fabricated parts and printed circuit boards.
What makes vapor degreasing unique and effective is because the solvents used (which are non-flammable) have a low surface tension which allow them to easily penetrate blind holes and complex geometries while being evaporative a.k.a. dry quickly and have a high Kb cleaning value.
Over the years vapor degreasers have gotten a more sophisticated, in that they have better solvent containment, upgraded safety features, ultrasonic immersion and automation, but basically they operate in the same efficient way.
Many industries from electronics firms to aerospace companies to metal fabricators use vapor degreasing to precision clean metal and machined parts. Because of the comprehensive and fast cleaning capability combined with no need for rinsing and drying - vapor degreasing is a valuable part of any manufacturing line. Vapor degreasing utilizes non-flammable, non-hazardous solvents that can be recycled and reused for reduced operating costs.
How Does Vapor Degreasing Work?
The basic way a vapor degreaser works is the equipment boils solvent to create a rich “vapor zone” which comprehensively covers the entire part (ID & OD). The solvent takes the hydrocarbon contaminate into solution, some applications require ultrasonics immersion, comprehensively cleaning the part. Additionally, as the part is cooled in the refrigeration zone (which is the solvent containment system) the contaminated solvent drops back into the vapor degreaser tank. This is a relatively simple process, that efficiently cleans large and small parts fast - like in seconds - and the parts come out clean and dry.
CLEANER PARTS
Complete cleaning can be difficult with many cleaning methods. Blind holes get missed, complex geometries stay dirty. A significant benefit of vapor degreasing is all aspects of the part get cleaned: ID, OD and complex geometries. And adding ultrasonic cavitation enhances the cleaning process outperforming conventional hand scrubbing or dipping.
Additionally, vapor degreasing solvents have very low non-volatile residue so they are not left on the part, where detergents and water spots left on the part can effect down stream processes, like plating or adhesion quality.
FASTER PART PROCESSING
Many parts cleaning processes are time consuming, from hand cleaning to aqueous parts washing, the cycle times can range from 30 minutes to an hour. With vapor degreasing faster cycle times are assured as typical cleaning steps like scrubbing, rinsing, and drying are eliminated.
Reduced cycle times increase throughput and allow more parts to be cleaned and made available for the next manufacturing process. A hallmark of vapor degreasing is faster comprehensive cleaning,
SMARTER PART CLEANING
Cleaner parts, completed faster using an efficient and comprehensive method is smarter. Reduced cycle times, reduced manual labor, and reduced residue all contribute to increased throughput and reduced overall costs. All of these benefits combined with a robust simple to maintain system make vapor degreasing the smarter choice.
Conclusion
It is time to look into vapor degreasing for faster, cleaner parts. Metal fabricators around the world need to consider if parts are getting clean enough and if the overall throughput required is enough for keeping production humming. Many companies find the efficiencies of vapor degreasing combined with the simplicity of the process make vapor degreasing the smarter choice. Vapor degreasing will upgrade your part cleaning operation significantly.
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Give us a call or contact us to discuss your parts cleaning needs and how vapor degreasing might be an option for you. We can test clean parts in our vapor degreasing system and share our recommendations for optimized cleaning.
At Reliance, we take a comprehensive, systemic approach to supporting our customers to finding solution to their cleaning needs. Reliance Technical Support Department at 847-640-8923. We are glad to be of assistance.
