MPP chooses biodegradable precision cleaner

Stowlin Croftshaw, a component cleaning specialist, has helped Metallic Protective Plating (MPP), a precision hard chrome platers, to choose Bioact 280E as a de-waxing alternative to trike.

MPP previously used trichloroethylene (trike) for the removal of the residual wax that usually remains after a component has been through an initial de-waxing process following selective plating.

The wax coating is used to mask-off areas that do not require plating.

The de-waxing process involves physically stripping-off the wax and then immersing the components in boiling water to boil-off remaining material.

However, this leaves a residual thin coating of wax - entrapped in recesses, for example - and further cleaning is essential.

Trike is effective at removing this residual wax, but MPP needed to reduce its consumption of trike to below the one metric tonne per year limit required by the Solvent Emission Directive.

The company was also keen to eliminate the use of chlorinated solvents for environmental and health and safety reasons.

An alternative was to install a sealed vapour degreasing machine but this was too expensive, so MPP investigated other methods of achieving the required level of surface cleanliness.

The company, with the assistance of component cleaning specialist, Stowlin Croftshaw, opted for Bioact 280E, a biodegradable precision cleaner.

After the initial physical stripping and boiling water treatment, the plated parts are immersed in hot (80 to 90C) Bioact 280E for about five minutes, followed by a cold water spray rinse and then cold water immersion.

The plated parts are then dried.

The Bioact process tank was designed by MPP.

It incorporates a simple immersion heater arrangement, and was inexpensive to make.

Parts of up to two metres long are accommodated by the tank.

The process was tested and installed in under two months and has proved a successful alternative to the use of trichloroethylene.

Barrie Tooze, managing director of MPP, said: 'The cleaner is slightly slower-acting than trike, but speed is not important for most of the complex plating work we undertake and the switch to non-risk phrase chemistry is a major benefit to the company, both in terms of reducing solvent emissions and complying with the impending REACH legislation.

Bioact 280E precision cleaner has a long bath life and requires minimal replenishment.

The cleaner removes high-melting-point soils such as waxes, pitches, greases, fixturing compounds and buffing compounds.

It is a special blend of aliphatic esters and surface-active agents, which offers an alternative to CFCs, chlorinated and brominated hydrocarbons, caustic cleaners and petroleum-derived solvents in precision cleaning applications.

Its high flash point, low odour, low toxicity and low vapour pressure, make it safe.

The product is non-corrosive, does not contain carcinogens, is biodegradable and is not classed as hazardous waste.

It is approved for use by leading manufacturers across a range of industries including aerospace, automotive, optics and electronics.

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