AK-225 Replacement Options

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AK_225_ReplacementSo how much SHOULD you pay to replace AK-225? That depends on several factors such as Nonflammable? Solvency (Kb value)?  Need for azeotropes? Tolerance of chlorinated solvents? Toxicity exposure limits (PPM)? VOC content?

In order to continue to operate with nonflammable solvents for your degreasing applications you have limited choices. Methylene Chloride, TCE and PERC have documented  health hazards and banned in multiple parts of world and US. nPB, n-propyl bromide hazard alert has proposed 0.1 PPM exposure limit leaving wildly expensive HFC’s, HFE’s and HFPO’s.

Primary suppliers include: Chemtronics®, CRC®, LPS®, MicroCare®, Miller Stephenson, and TECHSPRAY® and now Ecolink offers a complete line of bulk and aerosol options custom made specific to your environment.

Degreasing

The AK-225 phase-out has many industrial consumers navigating expensive cost-benefit trade-offs on replacement options. One of the primary applications of AK-2225, precision degreasing of metals, typically involves vapor degreasing equipment (ex: Baron Blakeslee, Branson) and aerosols. Call 888-996-8436 ext 125 or email to explore custom blends specific to your budget, regulatory compliance requirements.

Fair market value: Bulk = $120-180/gal or $10.50-13.25/lb, Aerosol = $12-22/can

Defluxing

Removing R, RMA, RA Rosin-based flux, no-clean and lead free flux often involves high value parts and people. In bulk and aerosol settings, balancing defluxing performance with worker’s health and safety leaves little margin for error.  There are multiple hot and cold ways of defluxing in equipment or soak tanks and countless aerosol options. So where do you get best bang for $?

Fair market value: Bulk = $110-150/gal or $9.40 – 12.35/lb, Aerosol = $9-18/can

Contact Cleaning Aerosols

Rapid evaporation. No volatile residue (NVR). Plastic Compatible. No ODC (ozone depleting chemicals). Sound familiar? Most of the tried and true blends on the market are slightly different versions of the same recipe. All of them remove oxides, oil, grease and dust from electrical contacts, relays, encoders, slide wires, rheostats, distribution panels and switching devices.

Fair market value: Aerosol = $15-25/can

The tricky part with choosing among aerosol suppliers is two-fold:

1)  Size of can, # of ounces. Simply put, filling more ounces requires fewer cans.

2)  Propellant as % of total fill. This is difficult to catch as there are LOTS of fancy words and CAS #‘s that are impossible to pronounce or determine if it actually cleans.

Bottom line: do not get fooled on price per can. Not sure how to determine if you are paying more than fair market value? Call 888-996-8436 ext 125 or email.