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The answer depends on the application. Dust, dirt, grease, and oxidation contamination can cause corrosion, slipping hazards, overheating, increase electrical resistance in contact areas, and many other issues. Degreasing may be required to prep for down-stream processes like painting or plating.

Cleaner Degreasers can clean oil, grease, oxides and handling contamination, from equipment and assemblies that include:

• Metal and fiber optic cable splices
• Motors and transformers
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
• Pneumatic and hydraulic assemblies
• Electronics and electrical equipment
• Meters/measurement devices

Industrial strength degreasers are needed to remove grease, tar, asphalt, oil, and grime in these kinds of applications:

• Clutches, armatures, generators, and compressors
• Electrical motors and equipment
• Bearings, chains, cables, pulleys and gear drives
• Brakes, springs, and flywheels

Manual Degreasing Methods

It is common to clean grease and oil off of parts at a benchtop, work station, or in the field, which generally requires a manual cleaning method. Manual cleaning methods are more labor-intensive and less repeatable, so results may vary from operator to operator.

• Aerosol – Aerosol packaging is a sealed system, which ensures fresh solvent every time. The spray pressure and pattern can add agitation, like a scrubbing action. A straw attachment is generally included to spray into tight areas.
• Trigger spray – Spray bottles are common for water-based cleaners and isopropyl alcohol (IPA), but not for aggressive solvent cleaners.
• Liquid immersion – The part can be immersed in a tray or bucket of solvent cleaner, and then wipes, swabs and brushes used to scrub off tough soils. Heating the solvent can improve the cleaning performance, but for safety sake, should only be done with nonflammable degreasers.
• Presaturated wipes and swabs – For added convenience, wipes are available presaturated with a mild solvent like isopropyl alcohol.

Automated or Semi-Automated Degreasing Methods

For higher volume manufacturing, stamping or forming, or if minimal variability is required, like in critical applications like aerospace and medical, more automated cleaning methods are available.

• Ultrasonic – Ultrasonic cleaning equipment use sound waves to break apart grease and lift it off the part. Ultrasonic equipment usually has the option of heating the cleaning material to increase cleaning performance. Cross contamination can be a concern, so change solvent regularly. Ultrasonic cleaning might be too rough on sensitive parts and materials.
• Vapor degreaser – Vapor degreasing is the best cleaning process for the critical cleaning, like in aerospace and medical applications. Parts are submerged in a sump of boiling solvent or in a rinse sump with ultrasonics, and rinsed in solvent vapors. Specialized azeotropes or near-azeotropes solvents are required to avoid problems as the solvent is boiled and reconstituted over and over again.
• Batch washer – Parts are either stationary in a rack or run on a conveyor, and the degreasing agent (usually water-based and highly caustic) is sprayed over the parts.

Nonflammable degreasers are the safest options if they will be used near sparks, open flames, or hot surfaces. Techspray has several nonflammable degreasers available, including G3® Maintenance Cleaner, PWR-4™ Industrial Maintenance Cleaner, and Precision-V Maintenance Cleaner & Flux Remover.

The most common method of identifying the flammability rating of a degreaser is the GHS (Global Harmonized System) flammable pictogram (see diamond symbol above). Other standards, like NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and HMIS (Hazardous Materials Identification System), provide a rating from 0 to 4, zero being the lowest flammability rating, or nonflammable.

Before you start spraying, shut down power to avoid the potential of sparks, electrical shorts or discharges, and other safety hazards. If disconnecting the power is not an option, look for degreasers with a dielectric strength above 30 kV (30,000 volts). Choosing a nonflammable cleaner would also add a layer of safety in case there is a spark.

N-Propyl Bromide (nPB), Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Perchloroethylene (Perc) are highly toxic chemicals commonly used in degreasers to provide cleaning performance in a nonflammable formula. There are documented court cases where workers suffered major health effects when exposed to high levels of these chemicals. Workers reported headaches, dizziness, and even loss of full body control. There are also possible links to reproductive problems and cancer. All of this has caused maintenance facilities to reconsider their solvent choices, especially with manual cleaning when exposure tends to be higher.

While federal agencies have been slow in regulating nPB, CA OSHSB has a PEL of 5ppm and listed it as a developmental/reproductive toxicant under Prop 65. Pennsylvania has included it on its hazardous substance list. ACGIH has listed the TLV for nPB as 10 ppm, but there is a proposal to decrease it to 0.1 ppm. Comparable to TCE, PCE, and MeCl in toxicity, nPB has been determined by NTP as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” (source: NTP, “Report on Carcinogens, Thirteenth Edition: 1-Bromopropane”, http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles/bromopropane.pdf.) Effective January 1, 2018, Ontario, Canada has implemented the ACGIH recommendations for nPB.

These risks have prompted maintenance facilities to rethink their solvent choices, especially with manual cleaning when exposure tends to be higher than the more automated cleaning processes. degreasing, by its very nature, is very hands-on, so close control of chemical exposure is generally very challenging. How many electricians do you see with a respirator? The best option is to avoid the most toxic solvents, even if they are legal and readily available.

The quickest and easiest method of identifying a potential concern is the GHS (Global Harmonized System) pictograms (see diamond symbol above). If you see the chronic toxicity pictogram (diamond containing person with exploding chest), that means the product contains something that can cause long-term effects. That doesn’t necessarily mean a carcinogen, but it should prompt you to look closely at the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). You may need to take extraordinary measures to reduce personal exposure, or if that is unrealistic for your application, avoid the product altogether. The acute toxicity pictogram (diamond containing skull and cross-bones) means the product can have a short-term health impact. Again, check the SDS carefully if you see this symbol

No Mahavir Chemical degreaser contains toxic solvents like nPB, TCE, and Perc. While you still should pay attention to label warnings, SDS, and wear adequate personal protection equipment (PPE), the requirements will not be as over-the-top to stay within a safe range of exposure.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), solvents that add to smog, or solvents with high global warming potential (GWP) have been a focus of a number of regulators. Some state (e.g. CARB or California Air Review Board), municipal, and even industry-specific regulations restrict the use of high VOC or high GWP materials.

To complicate things, VOC is defined and measured differently by various agencies. A degreaser might be considered low-VOC according to the standard EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) definition, but may be high according to CARB. If low-VOC is the goal, Techspray sells cleaners with minimal VOC under the Precision-V™ brand.