Aqueous  Wash Alkali cleaners are used to remove organic soils. Acidic cleaners are used to remove inorganic soils.

This process  can be done by:- Wiping. Using rags, paint brushes & a chemical dispenser the part is "washed" from top to bottom to remove surface oils & greases. Because the rags are used from one part to the next the cross contamination is very high. Dipping. The part is suspended from a hook and is lowered into a tank or drum containing the cleaner. It is left for a period of time to allow the chemicals to react on the surface contaminants. Usually no agitation is used in these tanks therefore the part may still require Wiping or Spraying to complete the cleaning process  the part is being withdrawn from the tank the contaminants lying on the surface of the solution re-attach themselves to the part. Spraying. Using a "pump up" sprayer (usually used around a garden) the cleaner is sprayed onto the part. This is preferred for larger parts. The part may still require Wiping to complete the cleaning process.

Power Spray Alkali cleaners are used to remove organic soils. Acidic cleaners are used to remove inorganic soils.

This process can be done by:- Power Spray Wand. This is possibly the most efficient, economical way to clean & phosphatize (or etch)  parts today. The parts are supported from a cart or a carrier on a conveyor line. They are conveyed into a cleaning station. The power spray wand delivers 180 degrees water at 800 to 1,500 psi with downstream chemical injection. No cleaning chemical goes through the pump or heating coil. The wand can be used to pre-wash (hot water only) chemical wash (clean & phosphate) final wash (hot water only) A very effective 3 stage washing system. Power Spray Washer. The parts are hung on a powered conveyor system and passed through a  multi-stage power spray washer. A common, continuous housing is mounted on  top of a number of process tanks. (usually 2 to 7) Each tank has a pump to supply the solution to the risers inside the housing. The cleaning & coating tanks are normally heated. Inside the housing above each tank is a manifold which the risers are connected to. Mounted on the risers are nozzles on 12" centers to spray the solution onto the parts. The tanks are separated from each other by drain zones to reduce the carrier over (dragout) from tank to tank.

Solvent Cleaning	***Please note*** Solvent cleaners are petroleum based products and therefore leave an oil residue (contaminant) on the surface of the parts being cleaned. The cleaning can be done by:- Wiping. Using rags, paint brushes & a solvent dispenser the part is "washed" from top to bottom to remove surface oils & greases. Because the rags are used from one part to the next the cross contamination is very high. Dipping. The part is suspended from a hook and is lowered into a tank or drum containing the solvent. It is left for a period of time to allow the solvent to react on the surface contaminants. Usually no agitation is used in these tanks therefore the part may still require Wiping to complete the cleaning process. As the part is being withdrawn from the tank the contaminants lying on the surface of the solution re-attach themselves to the part. Spraying. Using a "pump up" sprayer (usually used around a garden) the solvent is sprayed onto the part. This is preferred for larger parts. The part may still require Wiping to complete the cleaning process. The spraying of solvents is a hazardous process & should be done with extreme care.
Vapor degreasing	The part is conveyed into the "vapor zone"  of a heated bath containing halogenated solvents/chlorinated hydrocarbons (hs/ch) The hs/ch vapors condense on the surface of the part and "wash off" surface contaminants. EPA/OSHA laws have virtually eliminated this process.
Blast Cleaning	Using different types of abrasive media to remove surface contaminants like mill scale, rust, old paint, weld splatter, etc. Blast media "indents" the substrate and creates peaks & valleys. The difference between the bottom of the valley & the top of the peak can vary between 2 to 7 mils. Most powders are applied between 2 & 5 mils. These peaks can create an unintended "texture" finish.
Flame Cleaning	Blow torch. Using a gas fired blow torch & a wire brush the part is scorched & scrubbed Hot fluidized bed. The bed usually consists of sand suspend above a perforated plate. Below the plate the flame from a gas fired burner is injected. The pressure from the burner (& an additional fan) keeps the sand in suspension or fluidized. The parts are thrust into the sand where the "boiling" effect of the sand rubs of the charred surface contaminants.

Examples of  ORGANIC SOILS

Mill oils, oily or wax films, rust inhibitors, coolants, lubricants, die release and drawing compounds. The main burden of the cleaning process is to remove the organic soils common to most metallic substrates. The most common form of cleaning chemistries from organic soils is water based chemical formulations, combining surfactant, detergents, alkaline builders, and sequestering agents. Cleaning the products to be coated is normally completed using a power spray wand or a multi-stage washer combining heat and high pressure.

Examples of  INORGANIC SOILS

Rust, smut, heat scale, oxides, stains, and loose particulate matter. These items would normally be removed by media blasting and/or chemical process.

	Using their experiences & technologies in the pretreatment & phosphatizing fields Win Solutions, Inc. have formulated a solution that will remove most organic AND inorganic soils. Contact Mark Schnebly @ 941.416.5097 to arrange for a test.