Barbara Kanegsberg

February 2020

What’s in a Name? – Cleaning Agents

Cleaning agents have truly amusing trade names! However, the name is not the molecule; and mixtures with similar trade names may behave very differently. I’ll give you some tips to understand the chemicals or mixtures behind the trade name. Choose the right cleaning agent, and you make critical product cleaning […]
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 […]