27.03.2012 - Pickling and Passivation -- Sterilize Your Tools

When you're working in the medical field, cleanliness is not just next to godliness; it's everything. Back before sterilization became a normal part of practicing medicine, more people died of infection from treatment than from their original injuries or diseases. These days, sterilization is pretty commonplace, and almost reflexive. Passivation is a part of the process that helps with medical device cleaning. This is a process that forms a protective coating over metal in order to strengthen it and to improve its appearance and give it a smoother surface, giving bacteria less places to hide. It can prevent infection and promote sterility.

The most common pickling and passivation technique is to use metal oxides to form a protective layer over the metal instrument in order to protect it from corrosion, to strengthen it against damage, and to make it easier to sterilize. This is an important step in medical device cleaning, to make sure that the instruments being used are effectively disinfected every time you clean them, so that they next patient that they're used on is not exposed to the germs and other contaminants that the previous patient was dealing with. Sterility is very important in the control and prevention of disease.

Passivation is not only important for the health of the patients, but also for the health of the physicians and medical personnel such as nurses and medical assistants. These are the people who are handling these tools all day, who have to perform the actual medical device cleaning. These are the people who are exposed to the most contaminants because they're dealing with multiple patients throughout the day. If you want to protect your own health, then you should be thankful that these procedures exist. They exist to protect you from infection, as well as to protect the patients that these tools are being used on.

Most laymen don't know much about passivation, but that doesn't mean that they don't benefit from it. It's good that such a technique exists to prevent the spread of disease, and not everyone has to know what it is in order for it to be effective. But if you have to do any medical device cleaning, you should be thankful for it, and for the protection it affords to you. And it also makes it a lot easier for you to keep your tools and devices clean and germ-free to prevent the spread of disease.

14.02.2012 - Passivation –Sterilize Your Tools

When you are working in the medical field, cleanliness is not just next to godliness; it's everything. Back before sterilization became a normal part of practicing medicine, more people died of infection from treatment than from their original injuries or diseases. These days sterilization is pretty commonplace, and almost reflexive. Passivation is a part of the process that helps with medical device cleaning. This is a process that forms a protective coating over metal in order to strengthen it, improve its appearance and give it a smoother surface, which in turn gives bacteria less places to hide. It can, more importantly, prevent infection and promote sterility.

The most common passivation technique is to use metal oxides to form a protective layer over the metal instrument in order to protect it from corrosion, to strengthen it against damage, and to make it easier to sterilize. This is an important step in medical device cleaning to make sure that the instruments being used are effectively disinfected every time you clean them. This ensures that the next patient the instruments used on is not exposed to the germs and other contaminants that the previous patient was carrying. Sterility is extremely important in the control and prevention of disease.

Passivation is not only important for the health of the patients, but also for the health of the physicians and medical personnel such as nurses and medical assistants. These are the people who are handling these tools all day who have to perform the actual medical device cleaning. These are the people who are exposed to the most contaminants because they are dealing with multiple patients throughout the day. If you want to protect your own health, then you should be thankful that these procedures exist. They exist to protect you from infection, as well as to protect the patients that these tools are being used on.

Most laymen don't know much about passivation, but that does not mean that they don't benefit from it. It is good that such a technique exists to prevent the spread of disease, and not everyone has to know what it is in order for it to be effective. But if you have to do any medical device cleaning, you should be thankful for it, and for the protection it affords to you. And it also makes it a lot easier for you to keep your tools and devices clean and germ-free to prevent

30.01.2012 - Passivation – Proper Equipment Cleaning is Vital to the Medical Community

When it comes to medicine one of the most important things that needs to be cared for that is left in the background of the medical profession is making sure that equipment is clean. Passivation is often used for deep cleaning of the metal on medical equipment leaving no chance of an unclean surface being left behind. It is vital that the equipment be germ free and ready for use in the medical facility and this is one way to ensure that this is done. Patients rely on the medical equipment being safe for their use.

Using Passivation for cleaning of medical equipment is an impressive step that the medical community has taken to get the best results possible. Disinfecting the equipment is the only way to ensure that the patients are not being left at risk for infection or disease or the transfer of illness. Without these securities it would be impossible to ensure that each patient was safe from harm and able to undergo procedures that could save their lives. Sending out equipment for this process is costly but is certainly worth the payback.

Regardless of how the medical device cleaning is accomplished it is the facilities job to ensure the each patient is protected from risk and this is something many patients likely take for granted. Hospitals are an excellent example of a location where patients could easily be at risk for thousands of illnesses, disease and infection daily. Hundreds of people move through a hospital every day and not maintaining clean equipment would cause major havoc on the systems set up to help the patients. Not only do patients come in contact with the equipment but hundreds of employees, visitors and other passersby that go through the facility.

While doctor's offices and clinics have a much smaller volume of individuals at risk through the doors in a day it is still essential that the medical device cleaning procedures be set and adhered to on a daily basis. Clinics, in particular, are often faced with an overwhelming number of individuals with health issues that could be easily spread from patient to patient without proper cleaning of the equipment. Making sure that the time is taken to care for the equipment on a regular basis is all that stands between the patients and outbreaks of substantial potential. Taking the time to decide on a procedure and sticking with it is the only way of making it standard and a part of the routine ensuring it is consistently accomplished.

11.10.2011 - passivation - Protecting Stainless Steel

Unless you work with stainless steel or have a number of stainless steel items in your home, you likely know little about protecting the material. Some people believe there is no way to really protect stainless steel and that protection is often unnecessary. Stainless steel is a strong material, which is why it is such a popular material for making appliances and durable goods. Luckily, there are ways to protect your stainless steel against damage. Passivation is a chemical process that creates a barrier on stainless steel, protecting it from damage. The process protects against corrosion and is an excellent way to maintain the value of stainless steel materials.

Some metals naturally form passivation layers without any assistance from man. Over time, a layer forms and provides protection from damaging elements. It is possible to recreate this layer when a person wants to keep their stainless steel items in like-new quality. The natural formation is usually stronger than the man-made version, but man-made versions of protection do offer some barrier to corrosion. Acid is often used in the passivation of stainless steel tanks. It is used when the tanks are cleaned, creating layers of protection inside of the tanks.

If you want to passivate stainless steel, you want to create a surface of protection. The film on the surface of the steel causes the surface to lose its chemical reactivity. This is why it is such a popular option for tanks that hold chemicals. It lowers the corrosion rate which means the tanks are going to last longer. Companies can use non-passivated tanks, but in the long run it ends up costing them a lot more than if they had their tanks treated.

Passivation occurs when free iron, oxide scale, metal chips, iron particles and various other deposits affect a metal. This corrupts the stability of the surface. When you put dangerous chemicals into a container and these chemicals cause a reaction and mix with the steel, it can create dangerous breathing conditions and even explosions. Even if the chemical is not originally dangerous, mixing the chemical in an uncontrolled stainless steel container can make it dangers. The chemical interaction leads to a separate substance that is often much different than the original. This is why passivating stainless steel is such an important part of working with the metal. In order to protect steel from corrosion and maintain a safe storage environment, you need to do everything possible to create a protective passivated layer.

20.09.2011 - Passivation - What You Should Know

Once stainless steel is cleaned, it needs to go through the passivation process. This is a chemical process that helps to eliminate oxidation and ensure that the stainless steel is in its best shape possible to be used for food and other manufacturing and transportation needs. This process is done to make the surface resistant to corrosion, or more passive, so that it can be used effectively and safely. Passivation is performed using materials like citric acid to ensure that the iron and iron compounds are removed from the surface, but the treatment ensures that the stainless steel itself isn't affected.

In some cases, passivation of stainless steel will include the process of electropolishing. This process allows for a much more effective result because it uses electrochemical technology to produce the best results. Between the chemical cleansing and the polishing stages, stainless steel can be kept cleaner and made ready for use in a variety of different situations. During the handling and processing of stainless steel, things can cause abrasive particles to become embedded in the stainless steel, which is where the process of polishing becomes so helpful to ensuring that the material is prepared accordingly for any type of situation that it may face.

In some cases, stainless steel is used to transport liquids and other materials that leave a greasy residue on it. This is when the vapor degreaser comes into play. This process includes using solvents in vapor form to remove the grease from the surface of the stainless steel, further cleaning it and making it more ready for the next task at hand. All together, these steps are designed to ensure that stainless steel is all ready to use for whatever it is going to be used for, no matter what type of situation that might be.

With passivation of stainless steel, a lot of things can happen. Companies that deal with any type of stainless steel materials for foods and liquid consumables need to make sure that these processes are always followed carefully for the best results. Of course, there is also a need for this process in some other applications. No matter what the process is used for, it is an effective one and a necessary step for proper use of stainless steel holding and processing containers of all types. There are a variety of ways to approach this situation, depending on a company's specific needs, but the basic process is always the same.

18.08.2011 - passivation - Keep your industrial steel and metal clean with passivation and degreasing

Passivation is the process of making a material “passive”, usually by the deposition of a layer of oxide that adheres to the metal surface. Passivation affects the properties of almost all metals; prominent examples being aluminum, zinc, titanium and silicon. With regard to corrosion, passivation is the spontaneous formation of a hard non-reactive surface coating that inhibits further corrosion. This layer is generally an oxide or a nitride layer, a few nanometers thick.

Specialized companies manufacture a comprehensive range of Industrial Degreasing Equipment for the washing of industrial parts that deliver unparalleled precision cleaning for all types of component parts. Degreasing equipment is both sold and hired out by these specialized companies. Aqueous based component degreasing equipment is suitable for a wide range of industries including; Aerospace, Automotive, Remanufacturing, Rail, Heavy Industry, Recycling, Oil and Gas, Printing and General Engineering. Degreasing equipment can be designed to suit virtually any production requirement, batch or continuous, simple wash to wash, rinse and dry and electric or gas fired. Detergent concentration monitoring and dosing, oil removal systems, advanced filtration systems and RLC control are just some of the features that can be incorporated into the machine designs. Vapor degreasing machines are also very popular. They are a genuinely safe alternative to solvent cleaning.

Normally stainless steel is resistant to surface attacks in mildly corrosive environments. When corrosion does occur, pits form on the surface or within details of the component. In order to prevent it, stainless steel passivation is carried out to protect it from corrosion and oxidation. Stainless steel passivation removes free iron or iron compounds from a stainless steel surface with the use of chemicals. To passivate stainless steel; typically an acid solution such as nitric acid or citric acid that removes the surface problem but doesn’t affect the stainless steel itself is used. If the iron and foreign particles are not removed, they will appear as rust or oxidation. Passivation will dissolve the particles and allow a thin permanent film to form on the surface. To passivate stainless steel surfaces, one can approach many of the specialized companies that dedicate themselves to it. Many of them have online portals and comply with US stainless steel passivation standards.

For more information visit:

http://www.astropak.com

270 E Baker St, Suite 100

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

16.07.2011 - Medical Device Cleaning – Degreaser

There are several processes that go into making products. Every commercial company that runs an industrialized factory knows that there are so many components that have to be just right. One of the important things to do while you are using high tech equipment is cleaning them. Mechanical parts always seem to shed grease from every moving part. The use of industrial degreasing equipment can save a ton of time for the people that are cleaning the mechanical parts. Grease is an essential part of the overall process, but too much of it is not safe and can contaminate products.

Two main ways to degrease and maintain equipment are with a vapor degreaser, or by the process of passivation. Vapor degreasing involves using natural water vapor to control and clean up the grease on mechanical parts. Specialized vapor degreasing equipment is required because it does take someone trained to use it. Hot water vapor is directly applied to the grease to make it much easier to remove. Grease is a difficult thing to clean and the addition of vapor degreasers has made it much easier for industrial businesses and their equipment to maintain a high level of cleanliness and performance.

The process of passivation is an interesting development. Old equipment is very prone to degrading and rusting. This can cause health issues with medical devices, and especially for the workers. Rust and weakened metal are not strong enough to stand the test of time on their own that is where passivation comes in. This process adds strong new metals to the side of an existing metal façade. The new metal makes the equipment look nicer and newer. However it does much more than that. It actually improves the structural integrity of the individual piece and the overall structure. Industrial cleaning had come a long way.

Certain products are a type of thing that has to be guaranteed clean. These are medical devices. Any product manufactured for the medical field must be certified and guaranteed clean from start to finish. No grease or any other contaminate can get into a medical device while it is being made. Medical device cleaning is essential to getting the safest and best equipment to hospitals and to doctors everywhere. Sterilization also needs to take place before medical equipment can be shipped anywhere. Before packaging medical products are examined rigorously to make sure they are clean and perfect for use in doctor's offices and hospitals.

21.06.2011 - passivation – A Look at Advanced Cleaning Techniques

There are many industries that require numerous types of advanced cleaning techniques. From the aerospace industry to the health care field, certain materials and tools must be cleaned with exacting, advanced cleaning techniques. Stainless steel lab equipment may need to be treated and cleansed on a regular basis and fuel lines often need to be cleaned to ensure that good product flow is maintained. For these jobs and more, precision cleaning companies are relied on due not only to their expertise but because of the unique tools and equipment that is needed to undertake these advanced cleaning processes. Several types of advanced cleaning exist, and some are more complex than others.

Industrial pipelines of all types will likely need to be flushed or cleaned from time to time. Oil or gas pipelines along with other types that carry paint, toiletries, and chemicals will need to be cleaned and inspected periodically. Pipeline pigging is the process normally used to handle this task. During the process, a pipeline inspection gauge, or 'pig', is used. The pig is inserted into the system at a 'pig launcher' and is then pushed through the line by the pressure inside, eventually being retrieved by a 'pig catcher' and removed from the system. This process ensures that the flow of the product within the pipe maintains optimal levels.

Many materials used in laboratory or medical settings are constructed of high grade stainless steel. Nevertheless, these materials can still develop chemical buildups or suffer from rust if not cleaned and maintained properly. Passivation is the process of coating a metal with a passive layer of oxide that doesn't react to the air. It resists corrosion by shielding the metal that has been treated. Different methods are used to treat different types of metal, and the tools needed can be expensive and the process itself complex. All materials will need to undergo the treatment regularly in order to remain in high quality.

Oxygen cleaning is commonly used to help products to operate in or help contain an oxygen rich environment by removing any contaminants through a complex chemical process. Both inorganic and organic contaminants are eliminated and the process can be completed on a number of materials. Due to the expertise needed to undertake these exacting cleaning processes and the high expenses that accompany the equipment required, most companies hire third party cleaning specialists to handle their advanced cleaning needs. In their skilled hands the processes normally take little time and are completed with the best possible results.