When machines are in use, grease and oil from machining processes occasionally get left behind and accumulate on machinery components.
Additionally, all machinery will naturally have dirt and dust buildup on the surface.
These contaminants not only affect the look of the machinery but can also accelerate a machine's decay.
Machinery that is poorly maintained will at some point shut down for good, and companies will be forced to spend thousands of dollars in order to replace the machine.
For this reason, machining businesses take care of their equipment by using degreasers to remove surface contaminants.
The company will have an employee apply parts cleaner solvents to these parts using several methods.
The two most common parts cleaning methods involving solvents are spraying and immersion, though some will instead choose to use vapor degreasing.
Each of these methods has its own set of advantages and drawbacks.
This article will highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages so that companies can determine which degreasers to use and how they will be placed on machining parts.
Spraying Spraying is the most common cold solvent technique for cleaning parts and machinery.
This process is typically completed with petroleum or mineral based parts cleaner solvents and the primary goal is to remove a majority of the contaminants before placing the part into a cleaning tank.
This process can also be used as the first step before carrying out vapor degreasing, with spraying taking place in order to remove the majority of the residue.
Spraying is easy to do but is not as effective as other methods, which explains why it is primarily used as just the first step in a degreasing strategy.
Immersion The process of immersion removes contaminants more thoroughly than spraying does, and involves submerging the part into a liquid tank.
This tank is filled with parts cleaner solvents and cleaning takes place in a number of ways, depending on the type of device in use.
Soaking is an immersion technique wherein parts are placed into the parts cleaner solvents and then left there for a set period of time so that contaminants are removed from the surface.
Soaking is the most common immersion technique but some businesses opt to use washing machines to complete agitation.
When agitated parts are submerged in degreasers, the movement of solvents helps speed up the cleaning process.
When businesses need to complete spot cleaning, they will directly whip the parts cleaner solvents over the part.
Each of these two methods are used as an alternative to vapor degreasing, which is a much more dangerous process.
When degreasers are emitted into the air, they also emit hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
These substances have been shown to cause health complications that affect human fertility and central nervous system functioning.
Companies that do not complete vapor degreasing also save money because they do not have to worry about ventilation and therefore have more flexibility in terms of where parts cleaner solvents can be used to complete on-site cleaning.
Ultimately the decision of whether to use immersion or soaking when applying degreasers will depend on budgetary restrictions and available floor space.