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cleaning-process.html
)Metal cleaning process
The metal cleaning processes vary depending on the material or size of an item you are
going to clean, the purpose of cleaning, or the degree of contamination. In general, the
metal cleaning consists of the following processes:
(1)Mechanical pretreatment
Acid picking used to be a common method of removing serious contamination, such as red
rust, mill scales, or scales from heat treatment in the air. Today, the dirt removal methods
without using water, such as shot blasting, are becoming more common from the viewpoint
of environmental conservation.
For products requiring hairline, satin finish, or matting after surface treatments, prepare the
surface base in advance. Create hairlines using emery wheels or wheel brushes in various
sizes and prepare a satin finish using sand, grit, or glass beads.
These treatments do not work well if any oily spot exists on the product. Be sure to remove
all the grease from the products prior to performing these treatments.
(2)Alkaline degreasing
To remove oil-based stains, prepare a solution by dissolving surfactants or chelating agents
into an alkaline solution. Soak the product and heat the solution to 40 to 60℃. Stir the liquid
or swing the product in the solution to remove dirt.
(3)Acid pickling
To remove oxide films generated by metal processing or to eliminate relatively mild
contamination of metallic origin, perform acid pickling using 10 to 20% hydrochloric acid or
sulfuric acid. Add a dissolution inhibitor to prevent hydrogen embrittlement or excessive
dissolution of the basis metal.
(4)Electrolytic cleaning
Both acid and alkaline solutions are available. In practice, alkaline solutions are more
common. Although the bath composition is not so much different from alkaline degreasing,
this method can perform more precise cleaning by lifting up dirt from the substrate using
hydrogen and oxygen generated from electrolysis of water along with the cleaning process
by oxidation-reduction.
Oxidation or reduction occurs on the metal surface depending on whether the product is
positively charged or negatively charged. Select an appropriate reaction based on the type
of basis metal and the degree of contamination. It is also possible to use both reactions by
adopting periodic reverse current electrolysis or pulse electrolysis method that can change
the polarity in a cyclic manner.
(5)Activation bath
Perform neutralization if the final process of pretreatment and the next surface treatment
alkalify or acidify the products. For example, neutralize and activate the surface using acid
picking after electrolytic cleaning that alkalified the product.
Barrel or vibratory tumbling is probably the most economical method for removing scale or rust
from steel parts like Part 10 in Fig. 1, if they are no larger than about 50 to 75 mm (2 to 3 in.). For
similar but larger parts, abrasive blasting is usually a better choice. However, if such parts are close
to finished dimensions and these dimensions are critical, a nonabrasive method of cleaning should
be chosen. If parts are made of low-carbon steel and are not heat treated, pickling in inhibited
hydrochloric or sulfuric acid is satisfactory and less expensive, and hydrogen embrittlement is not a
factor. However, if such parts are made of high-carbon (or carburized) steel and are heat treated,
acid pickling would be hazardous and alkaline descaling would be preferred.
The gear illustrated as Part 7 in Fig. 1 is made of 8620 steel, carburized, and hardened to about 56 to
58 HRC. Although the part is processed in a controlled atmosphere, a descaling operation is
required. Abrasive blasting with fine steel grit or chilled iron shot (SAE G40 or S170) proved the most
economical method for cleaning large tonnages of such parts used in the manufacture of trucks,
tractors, and similar vehicles. Acid pickling was precluded because of hydrogen embrittlement, and
descaling in molten salt was unsuitable because of the softening effect of the high-temperature
bath. Conventional abrasive blasting may deleteriously affect the dimensions of precision gears or
pinions. In these special applications, alkaline descaling or wet blasting with a fine abrasive, such as
glass beads, under carefully controlled conditions, is indicated.
