Isopropyl Alcohol: What is An IPA Cleaner?

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Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is a compound with the chemical formula C3H8O or C3H7OH or CH3CHOHCH3. Chemical elements that form the compound make it colorless — a desirable quality for cleaning minutely porous materials that could absorb color from cleaners — and highly evaporable, which makes it an optimal solution for cleaning soils from electronics.

Consequently, care must taken when using an IPA in an environment that has ignition sources. Fire hazard must also be considered when storing the popular cleaner. And workers who use IPA regularly can benefit from wearing respirators — and potentially other protective gear, depending on whether IPA is combined with other elements to create an IPA cleaner.

Classes of IPA

There are several classes of IPA based on intended use: industrial, cosmetic, pharmaceutical (USP), reagent, and electronic. At Ecolink, we specialize in IPA for general industrial use and cleaning electronics. Industrial grade IPA is primarily used as a solvent and cleaner. Electronic IPA is used in the same capacity, cleaning printed circuit boards (PCB) and flat panel displays (FPD), along with a many other electrical parts and apparatuses.

IPA Vs. IPA Cleaner

IPA from IPA cleaner is splitting hairs. IPA itself is a formidable cleaner; albeit, one with various purity levels that impact how and where it is used. The term ”IPA cleaner” commonly refers to cleaners containing the compound along with other active ingredients.

An IPA cleaner — as distinguished from pure IPA — commonly refers to cleaners using IPA to create industrial cleaner, such as IPA-based acetone, 2-bromopropane, and propene. However, because IPA with high a purity level is an excellent cleaner, organizations often use IPA alone, both as a general cleaner and a solvent for cleaning electronic components.

IPA Purity Levels

The efficacy and range of application for IPA depends on its purity. For example, pharmacy-grade rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizers, and disinfecting wipes commonly use a 60%–70% IPA solution in water. But industrial grade IPA frequently contains over 99% pure IPA.

The high purity enhances the compound’s natural qualities. Beneficial for cleaning electronics, evaporation rate increases. Another benefit is that high-purity IPA cleaner is affordable and more efficacious compared to other solutions (e.g., ethanol, n-butanol, and methanol). for some of the same applications.

IPA’s primary downsides are high flammability and high evaporation rate. As mentioned previously, the high evaporation is excellent for cleaning electronics; however, depending on the amount used, a special air filtration system and personal protective equipment (PPE) may be needed in the application environment.

Need an IPA Cleaner?

If you’re in the market for an IPA cleaner, check out our lineup of IPA solutions before you buy. We offer high-purity IPA, with the option to acquire it in bulk supply, standard shipments, or as needed. We also offer free samples of all cleaners, so you can try before your buy.

To explore IPA cleaner opportunities at Ecolink, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to supplying high-purity IPA for your general and electronics-based cleaning needs!

IPA Solvent Uses: 4 Examples of Industrial Use

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Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) has a wide variety of uses, from serving as a disinfectant for minor wounds to cleaning a variety of objects and surfaces in industrial settings. In this entry, we focus on the latter area of use, providing three examples of IPA solvent uses in industrial settings. The class of IPA we’re discussing is industrial grade IPA, whose purity exceeds 99%. This level of IPA density is generally unnecessary for commercial and residential IPA applications.

  1. Cleaning General Surfaces

IPA solvent uses include cleaning general surfaces. Types of metal and coated surfaces routinely found in industrial settings are generally unreactive to IPA. However, the cleaner is known to tarnish varnishes and ruin the erasability of dry erase boards.

Varnish and material coating dry erase boards aren’t common in industrial work areas, but IPA’s deleterious effect on these surfaces — an effect that depends partly on the purity of IPA — serve as notice that the compatibility of a material with IPA should be check before the cleaning operation commences.

  1. Cleaning Electronic Components

IPA solvent uses also involve cleaning electronic parts. The list is long, with some of the more popular IPA-cleaned electronic parts and apparatuses being contact pins in ROM cartridges,

magnetic tape, disk heads for legacy floppy disk drives, computer screens, optical disc drive lasers for CDs and DVDs, and IC packages.

What method of IPA deployment should be used to clean these and other components? The answer largely depends on the geometry of a component and where it’s situated in proximity to surrounding components. Due to aerosol particles’ ability to distribute evenly across intricate spatial configurations, IPA in aerosol form is optimal for parts that have complex geometries or are surrounded by parts that make them difficult to access.

  1. Minimizing Solvent Waste

From an industrial user’s standpoint, a potential drawback of IPA solvent uses is the fire hazard they entail. High-purity IPA has an an open cup flashpoint of 11.7°C (53.1°F; 284.8 K) and a closed cup flashpoint of 13°C (55°F).

IPA solutions can be diluted with water and made less flammable. But when it comes to solvent disposal, this isn’t quite the point. Rather, the high evaporation rate of IPA helps it evaporate before it enters the waste trap, especially when high-purity IPA is deployed as aerosol, or in the form of wipes. A potential benefit of IPA solvent use is reduced chemical waste disposal cost.

 

Suppliers for IPA Solvent

If your organization needs industrial IPA solutions for IPA solvent uses, Ecolink has them. We provide different purities of IPA across several IPA-based solutions, offering both stock solutions and custom formulations designed for your unique needs. Before you buy, we’ll send a sample of your stock or custom IPA product so you can test it out.

To get started on selecting a solution for IPA solvent uses, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to supplying solutions for your industrial, business-critical cleaning operations!

 

IPA Cleaning Liquid Vs. Other Alcohol Cleaners

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For industrial cleaning, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is prefered over other types of alcohol for several reasons. In addition to IPA cleaning liquid, cleaning liquids containing methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, and butyl alcohol are commonly used for various cleaning operations, from removing grime from work surfaces to cleaning away dirt from electronic components.

So, exactly why should you choose an IPA cleaning liquid over a cleaning liquid that contains a different type of alcohol? Once you see the drawbacks to using methyl, ethyl, and butyl alcohols, the answer is clear. You’ll want to use an IPA-based cleaner instead of cleaner that uses a different alcohol base.

Methyl Alcohol

IPA has a high vapor density that produces a high evaporation rate, but the vapor density of methyl alcohol is three times higher than IPA’s. In addition to profusely filling the work environment with head spinning alcohol fumes, the high evaporation rate of methyl alcohol makes it difficult to use efficiently, especially in the form of saturated wipes. Methyl alcohol wipes dry quickly, making them best for cleaning soils from a small surface area.

Ethyl Alcohol

Ethyl alcohol (a.k.a. ethanol) is found in most alcoholic beverages. For example, a beer that has 7.5% alcohol contains 7.5% ethyl alcohol per volume. Pure ethyl alcohol used for cleaning would taste wretched to drink, as it’s nearly 100% pure. But people have been known to consume it. This is why the U.S. Government regulates the substance, regardless of intended use.

According to an article from Berkshire, “In order to use pure ethyl alcohol (un-denatured) for wiping purposes would require applying for government permits and complying with usage tracking procedures — more trouble than it’s worth.”

Butyl Alcohol

Butyl alcohol has a lower vapor density than isopropyl, methyl, or ethyl alcohol, having about ? of the vapor pressure of IPA. On the downside, in addition to having an exceptionally pungent smell, butyl alcohol has a high hydrocarbon content that limits its solubility. A mixture of 90% water and 10% butyl is about the best you can do. In comparison, IPA cleaning liquid can contain any alcohol to water ratio.

As Berkshire notes, “The banana-like odor of butyl alcohol would render it objectionable to most cleanroom operators for long-term use. More importantly, the higher hydrocarbon content of butyl alcohol limits its solubility in water to about a 10 percent solution. By comparison, IPA is miscible in water at all concentrations.”

Need IPA Cleaning Liquid?

If so, Ecolink can supply a stock or custom solution that meets your needs perfectly with an eco friendly IPA-based cleaners.

We also supply high-purity industrial-grade IPA so you can use in it concentrated form or create your own IPA cleaning liquid. If you decide to use an IPA cleaning liquid from us, feel free to order a free sample, so you can see just how well it works.

For more information about how IPA cleaning liquid compares to cleaners containing other types of alcohol, or to place an order, please call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you!

Isopropyl Alcohol Manufacturers: What Separates Them?

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One of the advantages of living in a technologically advanced nation is that there are plenty of suppliers for almost any technology-based product you could possibly need, including isopropyl alcohol (IPA).

Already know you need 99% IPA? Shop here!

If you require isopropyl alcohol for industrial grade cleaning operations, and you need some assistance choosing the right supplier, check out the following four factors that distinguish isopropyl alcohol manufacturers one from another. They can help you choose the right supplier.

  1. Purity of Solution

Consumer grade IPA commonly has a purity of just under 80%, while IPA for industrial cleaning operations typically has a purity of at least 99%. Looking at the purity levels of a manufacturer’s IPA solutions is a good way to determine whether the company is in the business-to-consumer (B2C) market or the business-to-business (B2B) market. As an industrial IPA user, choosing a B2B IPA manufacturer is the best option.

  1. Custom Formulation

High-purity IPA, without additional ingredients, is often used as a cleaner for general surfaces and specific types of parts (especially parts from electronics) However, IPA is also used as a base for cleaners that contain multiple ingredients. This opens the way for custom formulations of IPA cleaner that are designed to meet the needs of specific customers.

Not all isopropyl manufacturers offer custom formulations. If you can’t find a stock IPA cleaner that meets your needs, a custom IPA formulation can solve the problem.

  1. Free Samples

Many isopropyl alcohol manufacturers advertise industrial IPA cleaners as “drop in” solutions for quickly replacing other cleaners. The only way to be certain an IPA cleaner can be immediately substituted without additional measures is to test the solution before you buy.

Some manufacturers offer free samples and others don’t. When it comes to evaluating the efficacy of a IPA cleaner, working with a manufacturer that offers free test samples is optimal.

  1. Supply Options

Isopropyl alcohol manufacturers are also distinguished by the supply options they offer. For example, some offer supply-on-demand for low-volume users and some don’t. The same applies to bulk orders for high-volume users.

The supply options at your disposal can have a significant impact on the economics and logistics of using an IPA cleaner. Focus on choosing a manufacturer that offers a wide range of supply options designed to accommodate all users.

Contact Ecolink Today

If this is your first time evaluating isopropyl alcohol manufacturers, the range of options can be dizzying. When you choose Ecolink as your source for IPA, you receive industrial grade IPA, the option to produce a custom formulation through dilution with water or the addition of other ingredients, a free test sample of the degreaser you plan to buy, and the opportunity to customize supply options based on your volume and patterns of IPA use.

To get started on ordering the perfect IPA solutions for your industrial cleaning needs, call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to providing IPA cleaner that tackles you toughest IPA-based cleaning operations!

 

 

 

IPA Chemicals: Isopropyl Alcohol as a Solvent Ingredient

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Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is one of the most widely used industrial chemical compounds in the world. Common applications include: cleaning electronic components (e.g., contact pins) cleaning magnetic tape and disk heads, cleaning laser lenses in optical disc drives (e.g., CD and DVD), removing thermal paste IC packages (e.g., CPUs), and dissolving various types of accumulations, including oils, gums, alkaloids, and natural resins.

Using IPA to Create IPA Chemicals

High-purity IPA is often used as cleaning solvent by itself, but it can also be used to create other solvents and potential solvent ingredients. As a solvent ingredient, the alcohol is commonly used to produce the following IPA chemicals, among others:

  • Isopropyl acetate (solvent)
  • Sodium isopropylxanthate (herbicide and ore flotation reagent)
  • Titanium isopropoxide (chemical catalyst)
  • Aluminium isopropoxide (chemical reagent)
  • 2-bromopopane (solvent)
  • Acetone (solvent)

As a chemical base for solvents, IPA is highly prefered for any application for which using aqueous solvents would be counterintuitive. Often, the primary value of IPA for these applications is its fast evaporation rate compared to the evaporation rate of water, and the fact that isopropyl alcohol leaves no residue on any type of material.

These qualities are major reasons why IPA and IPA chemicals are used to clean complex electronics. IPA’s fast evaporation rate helps prevent metal and other materials from corroding and failing prematurely. IPA’s lack of residue helps prevent cleaned materials from attracting soils that readily attach to residues, and require cleaning to be performed more frequently than if  non-residue solvent were used.

Choosing an IPA Chemicals Supplier

Some organizations order industrial strength IPA (99% purity) and create their own IPA chemicals that have unique properties — a process that essentially amounts to solvent customization — while other users order custom IPA chemicals straight from the manufacturer. If you need custom chemicals, and you don’t have the time or infrastructure to produce them in-house, Ecolink can formulate the customized solutions you need on short order.

We also offer a wide selection of solvents that use IPA as an active ingredient and display great efficacy for cleaning materials from which IPA excels at removing soils. Step one is determining whether a viable stock solution exists, as stock solutions are ready for shipment and tend to cost a bit less than custom solvents. If stock solvents aren’t an option, you need a custom solution.

Need IPA or IPA-Derived Chemicals?

If so, Ecolink is a great place to find what you need. We offer both industrial strength IPA and chemicals derived from high-purity IPA, with the latter available in unique custom blends. If you need a custom product, we’ll create one whose ingredients aren’t regulated or scheduled for regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and supply it in the volume you need, when you need it.

To get started on ordering high-purity IPA and/or IPA chemicals, call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email using the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you achieve a great first pass yield (FPY) rate for all of your IPA-based cleaning operations!