Metal Parts Washers
Parts washers, specifically metal parts washers, are used to efficiently clean metal parts in a way that would otherwise be unachievable with traditional methods. These are especially common in the manufacturing world, as these metal parts can become coated in grease, oil, and other manufacturing related grime that is close to impossible to effectively clean by hand.
Quick links to Metal Parts Washers Information
Metal parts washers provide a streamlined and easy way to clean these parts, which not only provides a more aesthetically pleasing work environment, but also extends the life of the metal part as well as the machine that it plays a part in. In short, metal parts washers add a massive amount of value to just about any manufacturing application that utilizes metal part machinery.
These products can be found in a wide range of applications and industries, from large industrial facilities to residential garages.
Metal parts washers themselves utilize a number of different operating methods to achieve the goals of different application requirements and needs. Typically, solvent-based parts washers offer the most effective cleaning solution, but they can also be potentially hazardous in certain applications depending on what type of material and solvent you utilize. To counter this, water-based metal parts washers are available, and, while they do offer the protection of your material as well as environmental benefits, water-based metal parts washers are not able to eliminate every type of grime. To solve this issue, many manufacturers have begun to offer bio-remediation parts washers, which utilize bacteria instead of water or just solvents. These bacteria eliminate most solvents before the need for disposal which reduces the strain on the environment of solvent based metal parts washers.
How to Test and Reduce the Toxicity of Parts Washer Waste
Parts washers employ a variety of cleaning solutions, which after being used, turn into toxic waste. This toxic wastewater, which is technically defined as industrial process waste, is quite hazardous, as it carries a large number of contaminants and chemicals captured during the cleaning cycle. Some states, including Illinois, have declared the process waste as “Special Waste,” which should be given special treatment before being released into the environment. If your manufacturing process releases some sort of wastewater, how do you determine whether your release is a “special” industrial process waste?
Two types of solutions are used in industrial automatic parts washers: water-based and chemical-rich solvents. Although water-based or aqueous-based cleaning is pronounced safe and non-ignitable, the waste of this process may contain traces of toxins, harmful chemicals, cutting fluids, contaminants, oil, or grease. The presence of all these pollutants makes the wastewater an inflammable and dangerous liquid. Sometimes, these pollutants can be more than the accepted quantity. Therefore, the wastewater should be strategically treated and filtered at the manufacturing plant. Manufacturers should ideally work to control the production of waste by deploying intelligent techniques for parts cleaning.
Here are a few techniques to help you manage the release of toxins from your facility:
- Test for Ignitability
- You can simply take a small sample for testing the flammability of the waste. However, this should be done very carefully and under expert supervision only. Wastewater rich in oily, greasy toxins catches fire easily. You could also hire a team of professionals to perform these tests for you.
- Test for pH Level
- The pH level of the solution that you are going to use or of the wastewater freed by your parts cleaning equipment can also be taken into consideration for assessing the noxiousness. Search for and leverage testing devices to test out the pH level of a solution or solvent.
- Test for Toxic metals, Gases, and Chemicals
- Process waste is a probable source of toxic metal chips and gaseous elements. While most of these elements can be removed using an advanced filtration system, the outliers should be identified and removed from the waste before the discharge. Also, check if your industrial process waste produces traces of toxic organisms and biodegradable elements. Further, you can compare the identified elements in your wastewater with the list of lab-tested toxic elements. Once identified, these toxins can be treated and reduced accordingly.
Whatever your application requires, there is a solution out there that will meet all the needs and requirements in the form of a well thought out metal parts washer. Reach out to an experienced metal parts washer manufacturer to ensure that the product you receive adds the most value to your operation, both on an environmental level as well as cleanliness and cost perspective. Find that manufacturer today by browsing the list we’ve compiled on this page!