Scoring Leaderboard for Anaheim or Bust!

Hello All and Welcome to the leaderboard page! Here you can track the weekly progress of the contest flex goal, your schools score as well as view the weekly winners.

Social Media Counters Towards Flex Goal

Ecolink Facebook Ecolink Twitter linkedin youtube
Week 5 (11/7) 235 2,198 274 51
Week 4 (10/31) 233 2,210 272 44
Week 3 (10/24) 217 2,166 217 31
Week 2 (10/17) 190 2,128 182 30
Week 1 (10/10) 171 2,089 135 19

Chapter Totals*

Ranking Chapter Points
1 Brookwood  812.5
2 Kell  502
3 Sequoyah  323
4 Lakeview Fort Oglethrope  273.5
5 North Forsyth  265
6 South Gwinnett  127
7 Habersham 103.5
8 Veterans  53.5
9 Tift  93
10 Woodstock  27
11 Kennesaw Mountain  8
11 North Murray  8
12 Houston  2
12 Northside  2
12 Morgan County  2
12 Southeast Whitfield  2
12 Woodville Tompkins  2
13 Hutchings  1
14 Chapel Hill  0

*Please let us know if you feel there is any discrepancy in your score. These scores are calculated through 11/6.

Why Working With a Custom Chemical Company Makes Sense

Toll blending, toll manufacturing, or custom mixing; whatever you choose to call it, the discipline of creating solvents that have a custom chemical formulation is an essential service for many industrial and commercial solvent users. What if your company or organization isn’t among them? Could acquiring solvents from a custom chemical company still offer benefits? At Ecolink, we think the answer is yes for the four reasons below.

You May Need a Custom Solvent in the Future

Even if your solvent needs are set in stone, have been that way for years, and don’t involve using custom solvents, there’s still a chance that you could need a custom solvent in the future. Below is a common scenario by which it could happen.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) severely regulates a hazardous chemical in one of your solvents. You need the same cleaning power from a replacement solvent, but you need the solvent in an eco friendly formulation. If a stock solvent can’t plug the gap, then you’re immediately in the market for a unique solvent from a custom chemical company.

You Avoid Wasting Time Searching for a Solvent

Whether you need a new solvent due to EPA regulations or because one of your cleaning processes changes, a new solvent should be implemented quickly to maintain productivity. If you’re supplier is a custom chemical company, it should be able to tell you quickly whether a readymade solvent or a custom solvent is the best fit for your requirements, and then swiftly formulate a custom solution if that’s what you need.

You Can Also Purchase Readymade Solutions

Many custom chemical companies do more than perform toll blending; they also sell readymade solutions that are marketed as stock products that are available for immediate shipment. This gives you a big advantage when it comes to receiving a solvent that meets your needs: Because the company sells both readymade solvents and custom solvents, there’s no reason for to promote readymade solutions when a custom solution is needed, or vice versa.

You Avoid a Solvent That Isn’t the Best Fit

The situation described above is fairly common. Companies and organizations routinely use solvents that aren’t a good fit for their cleaning applications — and working with a chemical company that only supplies stock solvents is a big reason why. If your cleaning operations are crucial to your core business functions, you need solvents that suit the operations seamlessly. These are exactly the type of solvents a custom chemical company specializes in supplying.

Need the Services of a Custom Chemical Company?

If so, and you want solvents that have a commendable safety profile for workers and the environment, getting your cleaning solutions from us is a good choice. Ecolink is a custom chemical company that supplies both readymade solvents and unique solvents that are tailored to the needs of specific customers. When you use us as your supplier, you never have to worry about not having a solvent that’s perfectly formulated for your cleaning requirements.

For assistance selecting solvents, please call us today (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form. We look forward to helping you select the best cleaning solvents for your requirements.

Replacing nPB: Choosing a Replacement in 4 Steps

Since the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory agencies on the federal, state, and municipal level have increasingly focused on regulating the use of commercial and industrial solvents that are hazardous to humans and/or the environment. nPB (a.k.a. 1-bromopropane and n-propyl bromide) is a perfect example of one these hazardous solvents.

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) considers nPB to be “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” [NTP 2013]. Partly as a result of the conclusion, the EPA added nPB to its toxic release inventory (TRI) list of reportable chemicals. These moves have set the stage for replacing nPB before it is regulated more aggressively. If replacing nPB is on the to-do list of your company or organization, below are five steps for choosing a replacement.

  1. Search for “Drop-in” Replacements

Replacing nPB without disrupting solvent-based work processes requires choosing a “drop in” replacement solvent that can immediately replace nPB without making significant changes to cleaning operations or associated processes (e.g. solvent storage in relation to flashpoint).

Drop-in replacements for nPB can be acquired in the form of stock solvents that are ready to ship and custom solvents that are designed for unique requirements. If you can’t find a suitable drop-in replacement among readymade solutions, choosing a custom solvent is the right move.

  1. Check Replacements for HAPs

Most commercial and industrial users replace nPB is because the compound is a hazardous air pollutant (HAP) that can cause serious short-term and long-term health impairments in workers. Consequently, it’s imperative to choose a nPB replacement that contains no HAPs, or contains a low level of HAPs that can be addressed through the use of exhaust hoods at work stations, air filtration systems that capture airborne contaminants, personal protective equipment (PPE), etc.

  1. Compare Solvent Prices

If you choose a custom solvent, this step may not apply, as you’ll accept or reject the price of the solvent before it’s actually formulated, and soon agree on a price that meets your budget. On the other hand, if you’re considering stock solutions, comparing solvent prices can be a big money saver. As you would when purchasing another type of product that’s a significant business investment, it’s a good idea to do at least three price comparisons before you buy.

  1. Request a Free Solvent Sample

Last but certainly not least, request a free sample of the nPB replacement you plan to purchase before you actually buy it. The sample should be large enough for you to perform at least one round of solvent-based cleaning (enough solvent to perform a single cleaning cycle with a parts washer, for example). If the replacement solvent works as well as predicted, then it’s time to place your first order.

Find nPB Replacements Here

At Ecolink, we understand that companies and organizations need the cleaning power of nPB minus the dangers of using the solvent. That’s why one of our specialties is replacing nPB with drop-in solutions that have an excellent safety profile and contain no regulated chemicals. If replacing nPB is on your agenda, start the process today by calling us at (800) 563-1305, or use the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you implement a safer solvent.

Solvents for Cleaning Parts: The Case for Aerosol Solvents

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.

 

How to Replace NPB Aerosols Without Losing Productivity

Also known as 1-Bromopane and n-propyl bromide, nPB is a chemical compound that has been used increasingly for the past 20 years as a solvent for industrial work processes, particularly: aerosol glue applications, asphalt production, synthetic fiber production, and degreasing.

However, since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule that adds nPB to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) list of reportable chemicals, users of the solvent must file TRI reporting forms that document release and waste management data for the solvent. Ultimately, this means large-scale users of nPB products can no longer use them in quantities required to effectively perform the work processes above, among others.

nPB Replacement and Productivity

Because the U.S. Department of Health’s National Toxicology Program (NTP) finds that nPB is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,” all users of the solvent have at least one good reason to replace it. However, for outfits for which nPB plays a crucial role in work processes, one of the greatest barriers to replacement is the temporary, potential loss of productivity that can occur when swapping out one industrial solvent for another.

Is it possible to eliminate a lag in productivity when you replace nPB aerosols? When your company or organization works with an experienced supplier of environmentally friendly and environmentally preferred industrial solvents, the answer is yes. Here is a simplified, four-part version how the ideal replacement process works:

  • The supplier evaluates your solvent needs while nPB is in place.
  • The supplier recommends a solution for nPB replacement.
  • The new solvent is “dropped in” quickly to replace nPB solvent.
  • Leftover nPB is discontinued or used in small quantities until gone.

Because nPB has demonstrated ill effects on human health, discontinuing nPB swiftly after receiving a replacement is the best option. You may not recoup your full investment in nPB if you don’t use your reserve supply. However, considering that financial setbacks that could occur from health problems that nPB exposure causes (i.e, workers comp claims, chemical injury lawsuits, and increased sick days taken) absorbing the loss could actually be the most cost effective option.

Need to Replace nPB Aerosols?  

When you replace nPB aerosols, there are four things you need in the replacement products: solutions that have the same or greater efficacy as nPB, solutions that are available in aerosol form, “drop in” solutions that can be used to immediately replace nPB, and solutions that have a good safety profile for workers and the environment.

Ecolink can provide you with stock solvents or custom solvents that meet all three requirements, and supply them on an extended basis to support business productivity. In addition, by providing free solvent samples, we help you purchase our products with the utmost assurance that they will meet your solvent application needs that nPB once met.

If you need to replace nPB aerosols, give us a call today at (800) 563-1305, or use the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you replace nPB aerosols without losing productivity.