Posts by Bob Sandor
Ultrasonic Cleaning for Aircraft Engine Parts
The Tulsa, OK, base of American Airlines overhauls CFM56-7B, GE CF-6, and Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 jet engines, and performs maintenance on Boeing and McDonald Douglas aircraft in its fleet. The base utilizes ultrasonic cleaning as a key part of its nondestructive testing (NDT) procedure to insure aircraft engine parts meet specification.
What is Nondestructive Testing?
Jonathan M. Adair serves as NDT Level III Specialist at the Tulsa facility, and explains that the procedure involves the testing aircraft engine components using one or more of the following methods:
- Ultrasound
- Eddy Current
- Radiography
- Thermography
- Magnetic Particle and
- Liquid Penetrant.
“The last two methods are where we employ ultrasonic cleaning,” he says. … Read the rest
How to Select Ultrasonic Parts Washers
One or more cleaning procedures are generally involved in the manufacturing, finishing and maintenance of thousands of industrial and consumer products. In this post we provide suggestions on how to select ultrasonic parts washers that find wide employment in preparing and repairing most anything that comes to mind. These range from printed circuit boards in your PDA to aircraft jet engines.
But first we’ll provide information that may be useful for those of you not that familiar with the ultrasonic process. For the cognoscenti, feel free to scroll down to the Tips section. … Read the rest
We Want You to Sparkle and Shine!
Need to make your bling sparkle and shine? Yes, we’re talking giving your rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, watches, and other jewelry the tender loving care it deserves. Get your jewelry looking like new and turning heads with the power of ultrasonic cleaning.
Look at these happy folks and their shiny jewelry:
… Injection Mold Life Extended with Ultrasonic Cleaning
Injection molds used to form plastic products can represent sizeable investments and are characterized by complex shapes, precision finishes and vents. Cleaning plastic injection molds must be accomplished on a regular basis and in such a way that removes all traces of burned on deposits from surfaces and residual plastic in vents without scratching or otherwise mechanically damaging mold surfaces.
“Our investment in injection molds can reach tens of thousands of dollars each,” says Roger Wheeler, tooling manager at PAM Injection Molding based in Kernersville, NC. “While different molds have different surface tolerances, customer-demanded tolerances for a mold surface can be as precise as 0.0002 inch. That’s why,” he says, “longer injection mold life depends highly on not only keeping them clean but conducting mold cleaning operations in such a way that extends their life by maintaining surface finish tolerances.”… Read the rest
Ultrasonic Cleaners for Jet Engine Maintenance
Regular maintenance procedures are strictly prescribed for aircraft jet engines and include thorough cleaning and inspection of fuel nozzle assemblies. “An example is the highly popular Pratt & Whitney PT6A engine which requires cleaning engine fuel nozzle manifold adapter assemblies every 400 hours of operation,” says Scott Pottebaum, Director of Technical Services, Elliott Aviation in Des Moines, IA. “Overhaul and maintenance procedures are clearly spelled out in the P&W Maintenance Manual; service organizations such as Elliott Aviation are responsible for performing these procedures then testing the engines before they are approved for return to service.”… Read the rest
Ultrasonic Cleaners for Scuba Gear Maintenance
Perfectly functioning valves and regulators are essential for reliable air supply to scuba diving enthusiasts. Fresh water rinsing scuba regulators after each dive is part of the ritual; ultrasonic cleaning of disassembled regulator components should be a part of any organization renting gear or offering scuba diving excursions.
A good example is Florida based All Star Liveaboards, offering scuba diving enthusiasts “the best in liveaboard scuba diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean.” Living aboard the Aqua Cat or other company vessels participants enjoy week long cruises from Nassau, Bahamas, to the islands of the Exuma Sound. Participants include experienced divers with their own or All Star’s rental gear and novices wishing to learn the sport from All Star’s certified on-board scuba instructors.… Read the rest
E Plus Line of Elma Ultrasonic Cleaners Available
Upgraded E Plus Features Target Parts Cleaning and Laboratory Applications
Ultrasonic cleaning equipment distributor Tovatech announces the availability of the new Elmasonic E Plus line of 37 kHz benchtop ultrasonic cleaners in 9 stainless steel tank capacities from 1/4 to 7-½ gallons. Replacing the Elmasonic E line, the newly designed E Plus ultrasonic cleaner units deliver about 30% more ultrasonic cleaning and mixing power.
Microprocessor-controlled Power Tracking assures reproducible performance run-to-run.
Operator-activated Pulse produces intermittent bursts of high power intensity to remove stubborn contaminants, degas solvents and to mix, disperse and dissolve lab samples. An automatic Sweep mode ensures even distribution of cleaning action throughout the ultrasonic bath. The choice of Sweep and Pulse functions addresses the full range of ultrasonic unit applications in scientific and medical laboratories as well as industrial shops.… Read the rest
Elma xtra ST Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaners
New 25/45 kHz Elma xtra ST Units feature dynamic sweep/pulse mode for enhanced cleaning action
Ultrasonic cleaning equipment distributor Tovatech announces the availability of the powerful new Elmasonic xtra ST line of dual-frequency 25/45 kHz industrial ultrasonic cleaners in 7 stainless steel tank capacities from 8 to 67 gallons. These rugged wheel-mounted ultrasonic cleaner units feature a sweep mode for uniform distribution of cleaning energy, a user-activated pulse mode for a 20% increase in cleaning performance, and a dynamic sweep/pulse function for enhanced cleaning action.
Tovatech director Dr. Robert Sandor says the new Elma xtra ST ultrasonic cleaner line is perfectly positioned to replace spray and solvent cleaning operations across a broad range of industrial cleaning requirements. Typical applications range from removing stubborn contaminants such as lapping compounds, heavy grease and oil buildup at 25 kHz to the more gentle 45 kHz ultrasonic frequency for fine cleaning of parts with … Read the rest
Selecting Scientific Refrigeration Equipment
Scientific refrigeration equipment includes refrigerators and freezers used to store vaccines, pharmaceuticals, biological samples and similar temperature-sensitive products and specimens for healthcare, R&D and related applications. Scientific refrigerators and freezers have critical performance requirements generally unmet by residential and commercial refrigeration systems. For this reason they are highly recommended to protect contents that lose potency or are otherwise compromised by what are called temperature excursions above or below recommended storage settings. Therefore, selecting scientific refrigeration equipment for your needs is key.
Correct storage temperatures are usually recommended by professional or government organizations. The CDC, for example, recommends in its 2016 Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit that frozen vaccines be stored between -50⁰ and -15⁰C (-58⁰ and + 5⁰F); refrigerated vaccines should be stored at 2⁰ and 8⁰C (36⁰ and 46⁰ F). Vaccine manufacturers indicate correct storage temperatures that should apply along what is called the “cold chain” extending from the … Read the rest
Solving Tough Cleaning Challenges with Ultrasonic Cleaning
According to a report available from market research firm IBIS World, “in 2016, the ultrasonic cleaning equipment manufacturing industry is expected to generate $359.6 million in revenue,” and, “over the five years to 2016, industry revenue increased at an annualized rate of 1.8%, including an expected 3.7% rise in 2016.”*
At Tovatech we believe that this positive projection is due in part to the continuing and growing realization that tough cleaning challenges can be overcome with ultrasonic energy. Many of our posts go into detail on the use of ultrasonic energy to solve cleaning challenges. We present here a compendium of applications that may or may not be top of mind to folks grappling with difficult cleaning challenges.… Read the rest