Barbara Kanegsberg

January 2020

Two Terrifying Cleaning Questions

(This article originally appeared in the January 2020 issue of Clean Source Newsletter) We were helping a client set up cleaning evaluations at a provider of cleaning equipment; and the client received a questionnaire asking for details. The first question: what manufacturing steps occur before the cleaning process to be […]
November 2019

Great Ways to Learn about Critical Cleaning, Part 2

To achieve and maintain world-class manufacturing, many of you ask how to become a Cleaning Lady. This is not surprising, because critical product cleaning is essential for successful assembly, for effective coating, and for product quality and reliability. In Part 1, I covered ideas ranging from articles and podcasts to […]
October 2019

Great Ways to Learn about Critical Cleaning, Part 1

Manufacturers ask how they can become a critical cleaning expert. I am not aware of college major called “Cleaning Lady.” Therefore, in this two-part feature, I’ll show you how to find good resources. I will explain the benefits and limitations of those resources and show you how to use them […]
June 2019

Cooked Soil

Dr. Darren Williams and Ethan Debrosky, Sam Houston State University And Ed Kanegsberg and Barbara Kanegsberg BFK Solutions LLC If you put a few drops of a water-soluble metalworking fluid on a metal surface, it wipes right off. After machining, removing residue of that same oil often requires aggressive cleaning. […]
May 2019

Residue

Residue is the enemy of a properly-functioning product. Manufacturers demand a “perfectly clean” surface. We are experts in critical cleaning – but critical cleaning is not the same as achieving zero residue. Rather than aiming at a perfectly clean surface, aim for the right cleanliness relative to subsequent storage, assembly […]
February 2019

New Substrate, New Cleaning Part 2 – Polymers, Glass, and More

Back in the mid-1960s, an iconic movie featured a recent graduate, played by Dustin Hoffman, who was attempting to find himself. One of the “old boys” came up to him and, in a solicitous voice, whispered a single word: PLASTICS. If you manufacture product, I am here to whisper: “plastics,” […]
January 2019

Rosie, Robots, and Critical Product Cleaning

Everyone in manufacturing – men and women – can benefit from the experiences of “Rosie the Riveter,” an icon of the World War II era.  I was reminded of Rosie while reading a thought-provoking article on LinkedIn that reviews fifty ideas to watch this year. Some trends are disturbing in terms […]
November 2018

Dust Storms, Detecting Contaminants, and Critical Cleaning

How clean is clean enough? You test for a contaminant. The results indicate contamination level is zero, but the product still fails – it’s as if the contaminant is still there. What happened? Even with a clean manufacturing facility, you can be caught in a detection dust storm, one that […]