Solvent Spray Cleaners in Cylinders: A Reason to Replace AK-225 Aerosol

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At the end of 2014, another industrial cleaning solution that produces toxic effects in humans and the environment began the phase out process for discontinuation of use on U.S. soil: AK225 — also known as Asahiklin. This means that many companies and organizations across the nation have already phased out — or are in the process of phasing out — AK-225 and the AK-225 derived solvent spray cleaners below that are used for the following applications.

  • For precision cleaning: AK-225, HCFC-225ca, HCFC-225cb
  • For defluxing: 225AES, 225T, and 225ATE
  • As carrier or heat transfer fluid: HCFC-225ca, HCFC-225cb
  • As a coolant: HCFC-225ca, HCFC-225cb
  • For drying after alcohol azeotrope use: 225AES, 225T, and 225ATE
  • For displacement drying: 225DH
  • For vapor degreasing: AK-225
  • For oxygen cleaning: 225G
  • For aerosol applications: AK-225

Users of AK-225 and associated solvent spray cleaners are government mandated to discontinue using the solutions, but Ecolink offers an incentive that can add a silver lining to replacing AK-225 aerosol acquired in conventional cans. When choosing a replacement solution (FluoSolv CX, for example), users can receive the solvent in aerosol cylinders instead of handheld aerosol cans. Using cylinders instead of cans can offer the following advantages.

  • Better price per unit for volume of aerosol
  • Less room required for solvent storage (36 pounds of aerosol per cylinder)
  • Fewer empty solvent containers (simpler to refill / recycle)
  • Refined nozzle control over the solvent stream
  • Easy to transport through the facility on two-wheel dolly

Imagine if the aerosol section of your solvent storage area contained compact aerosol cylinders instead of cans. If you use lots of aerosol, you’re looking at a nice increase in floor space thanks to the small footprint of the cylinder compared to the equivalent amount of cans. Plus, remove the need to store cans in multiple locations in large facilities by implementing the cylinder and dolly option. There are lots of reasons to replace AK225 aerosol; our cylinders are one.

Making the Changeover

At a time when eco consciousness has penetrated the industrial sector like never before — a time when the nation, states, and local municipalities pass legislation that regulates or bans toxic substances and practices — companies need a way to make critical solvent replacements, and get on with business, as usual.

That’s what we help you do at Ecolink. Whether cylinders or cans are the right solutions for your solvent spray cleaners, we can provide the AK225 replacement you need, and supply it in the form of scheduled shipments or on an as-needed basis. Save money by purchasing in bulk, or save money by buying on-demand. We serve companies and organizations of all sizes.

Request a Free Sample

To get started on receiving an AK225 aerosol replacement, give us a call today at (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form. Whether a stock product or a custom product is the right option, we’ll send you a free sample to test before you place an order. We look forward to helping your organization improve the safety of its operations with solvent spray cleaners.

Solvents for Cleaning Parts: The Case for Aerosol Solvents

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We typically associate the term “aerosol” with liquid that’s compressed in a spray can that emits a fine mist when we press a button on top of the can. However, nature and not humans created the first aerosols. Technically, an aerosol is a “colloidal system of solid or liquid particles in a gas” (Wikipedia). For example, cloud vapor is considered aerosol, and so is fine dust that rides on desert winds for weeks at a time. In one way or another, aerosol is a part of daily existence.

Aerosol for Removing Aerosol

It may seem ironic, but natural aerosol — particularly dust that remains suspended within airflow — can create soil accumulation on parts that a laboratory-formulated aerosol cleans away. Why would a company or organization use aerosol solvent to remove dirt and grime instead of a solvent that can be applied in greater volume and dispensed at a faster rate aerosol?

For outfits that use aerosol solvent for industrial grade parts cleaning, one or more of the following reasons justifies the use of aerosol solvent over solvent that’s packaged in non-aerosol form: cleaning parts that have complex geometries, dispersing solvent in a uniform fashion, the availability of large, aerosol cylinders whose spray nozzle can deliver aerosol with impressive pressure, and the opportunity to reduce waste disposal cost.

  1. Parts With Complex Geometries

Because aerosol spray emits a cloud ultra fine solvent particles, it’s ideal for cleaning parts that have complex geometries. Such parts can be cleaned with pump action spray bottles that have a more robust method of dispersal. However, to cleanse all the nooks and crannies of a geometrically complex part using this method, the part must often be heavily saturated with solvent, which could pose several problems, depending on the part’s composition and function.

  1. Dispersing Solvent Uniformly

Unlike solvent that’s applied with a traditional pump action sprayer, aerosol solvent has a hovering effect that makes it ideal for applying solvent across a given area in a highly uniform manner. For a large surface, this feature helps ensure that the surface is cleansed evenly, and effectively prevents rework in the form of spot cleaning to make the surface uniformly clean.

  1. Availability of Aerosol Cylinders

Purchasing aerosol solvents for cleaning parts isn’t limited to buying handheld spray cans. Through Ecolink, you also have the opportunity to purchase large cylinders of aerosol that come complete with a special spray applicator that controls the density and force of the solvent stream. Large compared to aerosol bottles, these cylinders are still compact enough to transport using a small, two-wheel dolly.

  1. Reduce Waste Disposal Cost

Because aerosol is easy to disperse in the precise amount needed for the cleaning operation, it helps prevent excess solvent from gathering in the waste trap. Over time, this ultimately translates into needing to empty the trap less often, which helps reduce waste disposal cost.

Need Solvents for Cleaning Parts?

If so, you’ve come to the right place. Ecolink has years of experience supplying environmentally preferred and environmentally safe solvents that offer the same or better cleaning power than the highly hazardous solvents they are formulated to replace. In addition to providing stock solvents and custom solvents in handheld aerosol cans and large cylinders, we also supply eco friendly solvents in the form of wipes, spray bottles, and drums of various sizes.

To get started on acquiring solvents for cleaning parts, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form. We look forward to presenting you with aerosol solutions for your industrial parts cleaning needs.

 

Aerosol Cylinders From Ecolink: Is It Time To Replace Your Cans?

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Cleaning agents are purchased in aerosol form for various types of cleaning operations, from performing dielectric degreasing on energized motors to removing everyday soils from work surfaces, to removing flux residue from heat treated metal. However, regardless of the application, industrial cleaning agents like the kind Ecolink supplies are typically purchased in aerosol form for one or more of the following four reasons.

  1. Excellent for Complex Surfaces

Aerosol cleaners emit an exceptionally fine mist of cleaning particles that gravity distributes evenly across the surface to be cleaned. This action of dispersal is especially useful for cleaning parts whose complex geometries make them difficult — if not impossible — to effectively clean with solvents that are dispersed in a liquid consistency. Aerosol excels at cleaning surfaces that are spatially complex.

  1. Perfect For Fast Evaporating Applications

As long as they are properly formulated for evaporative action, aerosol cleaners naturally facilitate ultra fast evaporation due to the infinitesimally thin coating they apply to the surface that needs treatment. This action makes them ideal for cleaning parts that could oxidize from solvent oversaturation and parts that need to dry fast, so they can be quickly reinserted in the work process.

  1. Great for Low-Residue Applications

The infinitesimally thin coating that aerosol cleaners apply to solid surfaces also helps facilitate low-residue cleaning. As long as it is properly formulated, the solvent can drip dry in a matter of seconds, and leave the surface purged of soils while leaving it completely dry. When aerosols do leave behind a residue, its thin consistency can make the residue easier to remove.

  1. Economy of Use

Aerosol is exceptionally easy to use in small amounts, while perfectly distributing the cleaning agent across the surface. This is why aerosol solvents are frequently preferred for parts cleaning operations that are exceptionally limited in scope or are performed infrequently. Aerosol makes it easy to conserve solvent, which makes it easier to reduce solvent expense.

Aerosol Cylinders Instead of Bottles

In addition to being available in handheld aerosol bottles, our aerosol solvents are also available in aerosol cylinders that house significantly more aerosol in a single, non-flammable container than a conventional aerosol bottle (36 pounds of cleaner, to be exact, for a total weight of 46 pounds).

In addition to lowering solvent expense, using our aerosol cylinders instead of aerosol bottles helps simplify solvent storage, container disposal, and provides refined control over the solvent stream.

See An Aerosol Cylinder in Action

To see how easy our aerosol cylinders are to use, check out this video of one of the cylinders in action. Whether you use aerosol solvents in large quantities, small quantities, or somewhere in-between, our aerosol cylinders are both a cost saving opportunity and a way to simplify solvent use in terms of solvent dispersal, container storage, and container disposal (recyclable).

For inquiries, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form. We look forward to providing the option to acquire crucial aerosol solvent in convenient, easy to use cylinders.

Spray Gun Solvent Cleaners: A Solution for Aerosol Solvent

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Does it seem odd that the cans of aerosol solvent your organization uses are about the size of the cans of aerosol cleaner you use at home? If you run an industrial operation that relies on aerosol solvent for business-critical cleaning applications, there’s a good chance that you use more solvent in the workplace than at home.

So, why doesn’t your organization purchase aerosol in cylinder drums that hold 36 pounds of cleaner, and are about the size of a butane drum you might use in a gas-powered grill? Making the switch can help you save money on solvent purchases and achieve a smaller footprint for solvent storage, but these aren’t the only potential benefits. You also have the chance to implement spray gun solvent cleaners, which we discuss below.

Why Spray Gun Solvent Cleaners?

Spray gun solvent cleaners are applied by using a handheld spray gun that’s connected to the cylinder of aerosol solvent, which is positioned on a small to midsize, two-wheel dolly for easy transportation. Dispersing solvent using the gun gives you greater control over the amount of aerosol deployed and the speed of its release, each of which can be controlled by manipulating a valve on the cylinder that holds the solvent.

For many organizations, these characteristics are ideal for dispensing aerosol for industrial cleaning applications for two reasons: A wider stream of particles can be emitted compared to using a spray can, making spray gun solvent cleaners ideal for cleaning the largest parts; and the force of the solvent stream can be stronger compared to using a can, making the cleaners ideal for powering through tough accumulations.

Using Spray Gun Solvent Cleaners

The best way to see how spray gun solvent cleaners operate is to watch one in action. Here’s a video of a spray gun that’s used with our solvent cylinders. As you can see from the video, setting dispersal parameters for the solvent stream can be done in a matter of seconds, and the spray nozzle through which it’s dispersed is easy to handle. We design our solvent sprayers ergonomically to support the productivity of cleaning operations.

Receive More Information Today

Ecolink has a rich history of helping companies and organizations of all sizes implement environmentally safe and environmentally preferred cleaning solvents. Many of our customers can meet cleaning needs with the help of our stock solvents that are ready to ship, but we also accept orders for custom formulations to help users that have unique cleaning requirements. In either case, you can receive a free test sample of a solvent before you place an order.

Whether a stock product or a custom formulation best meets your needs, you also have the option of receiving it in a cylindrical drum for use with the spray gun cleaner. For additional information about using our products in the form of spray gun solvent cleaners, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, our use our contact form. We look forward to helping your organization implement the best business-critical solvent solutions, and use them most efficiently.

Is Reducing Aerosol Can Disposal on your Earth Day Resolution List?

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For heavy industrial aerosol users (over 5,000 cans per year) one of the growing concerns is disposing of spray cans commonly used for degreasing, contact cleaning and flux removal. Aerosol cans are not considered to be hazardous waste when both the product and the propellant are emptied (punctured) out of the cans. However, the non-empty cans are regarded as hazardous waste. It is a combustible substance, which has every chance of exploding when exposed to heat. It might end up hurting workers if discarded on empty landfill indiscriminately.

Proper disposal of spray cans and empty aerosols

Proper disposal regulations are defined and vary by state. If you are in a state that designates solvent sprayer and aerosol sprayers as universal waste than you might want to consider adopting sure shots as refillable options you pressurize with shop air. For example, California Health and Safety Code, Division 20, Article 9 Section 25201.16 reduces the regulatory and financial burden of managing hazardous waste aerosol cans by designating them as “universal waste.” This requires you to aerosol puncture and gives you the option to recycle spray (i.e. capture unused chemical and repackage into refillable sure shot, shur shots, atomizers). The limitation is you are trading cans 1 to 1 so still having to issue, refill and dispense, repeat.

Alternatives to aerosol can disposal systems and aerosol can crusher machines

Tired of aerosol propellant bleeding out when inverting cans (spraying sideways, upside down)? Working with a leading renewable energy supplier at a massive wind farm, we documented over 15% of the contents from their 30,000 cans per year equated to 5 x 55-gal drums per year of purchased but unused solvent for wind turbine maintenance. Hydrofluorocarbons ( HFC ) propellant in aerosol cans,  is under attack for global warming potential (GWP) as part of proposed amendment to Montreal Protocol to phase down HFC’s.

Due to the cost associated with aerosol propellants, unused chemical, labor associated with handling individual aerosol cans and end-of-life can puncturing and universal waste labeling the economics and environmental benefits of pressurized cylinders has tipped the scales in a very sustainable ways. Pressurized cylinders have served as the solvent spray delivery system of choice for decades with the plastic injection molds (nonflammable solvents) and furniture manufacturing (adhesives). Now these are making their way into power generation, mass transit, shipyards, mining and manufacturing.  Available in 11 pound comparable to 12 aerosols (1 case) and 38 pound comparable to 36 aerosols (3 cases) are paired with numerous reusable spray nozzles to adjust spray pattern along with various reusable length hoses (6 feet up to 100 feet). Better yet, these are easily outfitted with portable caddy, dolly systems (similar to suitcases on wheels) for expanding service radius.

Are you a candidate for fewer, bigger and safer pressurized cylinders? We can show you how easy is it to cut your aerosol can disposal. You can keep or upgrade the chemical or solvent inside for additional health/safety/environmental and economic benefits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Environmental/Health/Safety benefits:

·         Improved ergonomics (less inbound and outbound handling)

·         No frosted fingers or numbing with spray valve common with standard aerosols

·         1 cylinder versus 12-36 cans puncturing

·         Easier to recycle scrap metal

·         Portable to bring cleaner to dirty parts, equipment

·         Extension hoses are safer especially with high heights

Economic benefits:

·         25-50% acquisition cost savings (price per ounce of usable content)

·         15-30% ‘extra’ savings from not bleeding out propellant and dumping unused solvent

·         10-25% cash-flow, inventory, floor space and compliance (emissions) reporting savings

Call Kevin 800 886-8240 x 34 or email aerosolalternatives@ecolink.com to discuss what’s available off-the-shelf, request a sample or collaborate on a custom blend, label.

Can today’s actions greatly impact tomorrow’s future? Universal waste disposal of aerosols is one of the easiest Earth Day resolutions you can make and keep for future generations.