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Monthly Archives: August 2011
Is It Clean? – Particles – Evaluation – Filtration/Evaporation
In preceding blogs we have talked about harvesting particles for evaluation and talked about specifications. Specifications may or may not dictate the harvesting process but almost always provide detail on how to evaluate the particles harvested in a process involving re-washing. The … Continue reading
Is It Clean? – Particles – A Word (or two) About Specifications
Before we get into quantifying the particles we have harvested in the last few blogs, I would like to take a minute or two to talk about the specifications that define and govern the evaluation process. In upcoming blogs we … Continue reading
Posted in Cleanliness Testing, Definitions, Lab Tales, Uncategorized
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Is It Clean? – Particles – Particles That Don’t Count?
Those of us who have played the particle counting game know that there are some tough calls when it comes to harvesting particles as part of the cleanliness testing procedure. In some cases, adhering strictly to the specification would result … Continue reading
Posted in Cleaning, Cleanliness Testing
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Is It Clean? – Particles – Harvesting Particles For Evaluation
Although manual re-washing techniques for harvesting particles are effective for a wide range of particle types and sizes, they may fall short in collecting particles that are very small (less than 10 or 20 microns) or difficult to remove from the surface of the substrate … Continue reading
Posted in Cleanliness Testing, Definitions, Ultrasonics
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Is It Clean? – Particles – Harvesting Particles for Evaluation
The evaluation of cleanliness is often based on a quantification of the particles left on a surface following the conventional or production cleaning process. The first step in evaluating a part for cleanliness with regard to particles is to harvest … Continue reading
Is It Clean? – Introduction to Particles – Microns
Removing foreign particles from surfaces is the target of many cleaning operations. The spectrum of the definition of particles as contaminants is very broad and encompasses size, number, shape and composition. Because of the diversity of the nature of particles, … Continue reading
Posted in Cleanliness Testing, Definitions
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Is It Clean? – Other Tests for Films Etc.
So far in this series we have concentrated primarily on the detection of oil and other hydrophobic films on surfaces. However, not all contaminating films are oil and all are not hydrophobic. What about contaminants that are not hydrophobic and may even by … Continue reading
Is It Clean? – Oil and Hydrophobic Films – Contact Angle and Beyond
The tests described in the last couple of blogs are rudimentary ways to assess the surface activity of the surface being tested. In fact, they are all based on the concept of contact angle. A drop of water resting at equilibrium … Continue reading
Is It Clean? – Oil and Hydrophobic Films – More Simple Tests
I will get to the “high power” stuff in upcoming blogs but thought it would be a good idea to introduce a few more tests that are simple and require little or no specialized paraphernalia. Simple is good in my … Continue reading
Posted in Cleanliness Testing, Rinsing, Water
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Is It Clean? – Oil and Hydrophobic Films – Water Break Test
The last thing you want on a surface that is to be plated, painted or otherwise coated with something that needs to adhere to that surface is a film of residue that prevents that adhesion. The water break test is … Continue reading
Posted in Cleanliness Testing, Definitions, Rinsing
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