Coming Clean on Vapor Degreasing Vapor degreasing is a powerful, proven cleaning technology originally developed in the 1940s. Today, using modern, environmentally-progressive solvents, vapor degreasing can deliver fast, consistent and safe cleaning results even for the most challenging applications. It does so in a manner that is both affordable and environmentally benign. This poster explains the key features and benefits of vapor-phase … Continued
Why Do Heavy, Dense Solvents Clean Better than Lighter Fluids? Most people are familiar with the basic process of cleaning: a solvent dissolves the oil, grease, flux or some other contamination and then the contamination is rinsed away. The key is dissolving: just like sugar “dissappears” in warm water, solvents need to dissolve most contamination to remove it. However, sometimes the contamination cannot be dissolved. … Continued
How Does the Surface Tension of a Solvent Affect My Cleaning Results? MicroCare precision cleaners are the best choice in the industry for cleaning difficult shapes and awkward pieces. The reason for this success is the very low surface tension these products exhibit. Surface tension is the cohesive behavior of a liquid in which the molecules of the liquid are more attracted to each other than to … Continued
What Is a “Kb Value” and What Does It Mean? Kb value refers to a standardized ASTM test that measures the relative strength of a non-aqueous solvent. The test involves measuring the solubility of a very specific type of contamination, called “kauri gum.” Kb values range from 10 (very mild) to 200 or even higher (very strong). Mild solvents with lower Kb values will may … Continued
Are There Any Materials Compatibility Problems with MicroCare Solvents? General, materials compatibility is not an issue with the MicroCare cleaners, but make no mistake — materials compatibility can be a complex question. In general, the higher the Kb value of the solvent, the more likely the material will have compatibility issues. For example, Vertrel™ XF has almost no compatibility problems with any substrate. It has a … Continued
What Is the Meaning of a Solvent Toxicity Rating, Like a PEL or TLV? In general, the “toxicity” of a cleaning fluid is measured through the use of 8-hour “time-weighted average exposure limits” (AEL). Similar terms you might find on labels and SDS sheets include “Average Exposure Limits” (AEL), “Personal Exposure Limits” (PEL) and “Threshold Exposure Limits” (TEL). One special term is “Threshold Limit Values” (TLVs) which only are … Continued
What Is the Truth About the Toxicity of nPB? MicroCare markets the Bromothane™ family of solvent cleaners. The key ingredient in the Bromothane™ family is the brominated molecule known as nPB (also called n-Propyl Bromide, 1-Bromopropane or CAS # 106-94-6). This nonflammable fluid is a powerful cleaner with a low global warming potential. It is used as an alternative to CFC-113, methyl chloroform, hydrochlorofluorocarbons … Continued
Can I Get a Custom Blend of a MicroCare Cleaning Fluid? Absolutely. Maybe. Sometimes. It depends. There are many different blends and mixtures of the MicroCare cleaners lurking in the MicroCare labs. Some involve new ingredients, like the new HFO fluids that are just coming to market. Some include extra additives that enhance cleaning but maybe have other issues, like increased cost or smell. Some have … Continued
Are There Different Solvent Grades of Purity? Yes, there are. MicroCare can make many different grades of our cleaners to satisfy the client’s requirements for purity. For example, several products, such as Vertrel™ XF and Bromothane™ S, have a super-pure grades for the semiconductor, LCD and disk drive industries. This means the accuracy of the blending, the nonvolatile residues and water content … Continued
Is a Bi-Solvent Cleaning System a Good Option for Critical Cleaning? In the world of vapor degreasing, there are four types of solvent degreasing systems: monosolvent cleaning, azeotrope cleaning, co-solvent cleaning and bi-solvent cleaning. Of them all, bi-solvent cleaning is perhaps the most complex but also the most powerful. Here’s how it works: In general, the MicroCare monosolvent fluids or azeotropes can perform all of the … Continued
