Cleanliness is a critical value-added aspect of precision parts manufacturing that ensures the quality of parts and components. Immersion parts washers, spray wash cabinets, rotary basket washers and ultrasonic tanks play a vital role in achieving this level of pristine cleanliness.
To keep these tanks functioning optimally, it’s essential to understand the intricacies of their maintenance. In this comprehensive and practical guide, we will delve into maintaining immersion parts washers that use aqueous detergents, specifically focusing on a wide range of aqueous alkaline and pH neutral process detergents.
From monitoring pH and concentration to assessing cleaning and corrosion performance, we will cover all the essential aspects to ensure your immersion washer is still a reliable part of your cleaning process. So, let’s dive in and explore the world of aqueous detergent immersion parts washers and ultrasonic tanks and how to ensure optimal performance and bath life.
This guideline is most relevant for wash tanks containing aqueous detergents.
Proper maintenance of immersion washers, spray wash cabinets and ultrasonic tanks is a fundamental aspect of ensuring optimal performance in your cleaning process. We’ve simplified this task by identifying three key parameters to keep your detergent solution in optimal condition:
By closely following these guidelines, you’ll be well on your way to maintaining a high-performing immersion tank, ensuring spotless results for every part that goes through the cleaning process.
As an expert in tank maintenance, we understand the importance of frequent pH checks to ensure the highest cleaning performance. Here’s a detailed approach to mastering the pH aspect of your tank’s maintenance routine:
Once you’ve recorded the pH, move on to the Concentration check.
Here’s our definitive guide to performing concentration checks:
A range of factors can cause the concentration to fluctuate, such as detergent consumption by soils, acidity in the soils, evaporation of water, and liquid “dragout” with washed parts.
Monitor the detergent concentration and liquid level in your tank and determine whether they need to be corrected by adding detergent concentrate and/or process water. To avoid any mishaps, we recommend first applying the necessary adjustments to a small tank sample (e.g., 100 mL) and then verifying that the pH of the adjusted sample is within the acceptable range.
After adjusting the detergent concentrate and/or liquid level in your tank, re-test and record the pH and concentration of the adjusted tank to ensure everything is in order before continuing to the performance check.
Keeping your parts washers in top shape involves more than just monitoring pH and concentration. It’s essential to assess cleaning and corrosion protection efficacy as well. Here’s how to conduct a comprehensive weekly performance check like a pro:
By following these guidelines, you’ll ensure your tank consistently delivers exceptional cleaning and corrosion protection, keeping your operation running smoothly.
Striking the right balance between maximizing the service life of your detergent tank and ensuring optimal performance is an essential part of maintaining your immersion parts washer or ultrasonic tank. As seasoned parts cleaning experts and advisors, we at Brulin are here to guide you in making informed decisions about your precision parts cleaning needs.
The key factors determining the detergent’s lifespan include soil loading, soil type, throughput, substrate type, and the specific process setup of your operation. Due to the complexity of these factors, it’s impossible to predict the exact lifespan of your detergent tank without testing it under actual use conditions.
Once you’ve established the service life of your detergent, this becomes a valuable benchmark. With consistent conditions, the tank life should remain stable from one recharge to the next. Keep in mind, though, that any changes in parts, soils, throughput, or operational conditions will affect the detergent tank life.
To stay on top of tank maintenance, maintain detailed records of change-out frequency for each operational unit. When concentration, pH, and performance checks suggest it’s time for a change, verify that the age of the detergent is within the expected range.
At Brulin, we pride ourselves on being your trusted advisor in all industrial parts cleaning topics. No matter what questions or concerns you may have about precision parts cleaning, we’re here to help you navigate the complexities of tank maintenance and achieve exceptional results. Reach out to us and our experts would be happy to guide you to a better process.
Contributors: Chris Jones (Global Business Development Manager, Brulin)
Last Updated: October 7, 2024 | Originally Published: June 12, 2023