Old Archives - BFK Solutions LLC

July 2018

Published by Barbara Kanegsberg at July 2018

What’s in your cleaning bath?

It’s a continual source of amazement, or at least amusement. A manufacturer expends considerable time, engineering effort, and expense in designing a product. The marketing folks tout the product’s advanced superiority in trade publications, conferences, and web sites. Then, the assemblers have to actually build the product. Yield problems arise. […]

June 2018

Published by Barbara and Edward Kanegsberg at June 2018

EPA Lautenberg Update – A Window of Opportunity

The EPA is further scrutinizing cleaning solvents trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE, tetrachloroethylene), methylene chloride (MC), n-methyl-pyrrolidone (NMP), and n-propyl bromide (nPB, 1-bromopropane). We discussed EPA actions in the February issue of Clean Source. Now, the EPA has published new documents relating to these solvents and five other chemicals and has […]

May 2018

Published by Barbara and Edward Kanegsberg at May 2018

It Happened! A Revolutionary Cleaning Workshop

The first Product Quality Cleaning Workshops (PQCW) was at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville Texas, May 16-17. Participants included manufacturers in the areas of automotive, optics, medical, and metal finishing as well as developers of cleaning chemistries, cleaning equipment, and techniques for surface analysis. The workshop confirmed our expectation […]

April 2018

Published by Barbara Kanegsberg at April 2018

Can you follow your own cleaning specifications?

Specific written instructions about the cleaning process don’t necessarily translate into profitable manufacturing. Consider the wisdom imparted by the classic, mid-century T.V. commercial featuring tuna with good taste (a fish exhibiting faux upper-class behavior) and then touting the superiority of tuna that tastes good. Successful, profitable manufacturing requires both the […]

March 2018

Published by Barbara Kanegsberg at March 2018

Cleanrooms, Clean Product

Picture a cleanroom. What comes to mind is perhaps a sanctuary, a safe haven, a place of refuge from the rough and tumble world of manufacturing. The space is carefully designed, certified, and monitored. The furnishings, the consumables are controlled and have specified attributes. The room is inhabited by white-garbed […]

February 2018

Published by Barbara Kanegsberg at February 2018

EPA Happenings – What’s the Impact on Critical Cleaning

Be brave! Read about developments at the EPA. It will be fun – sort of. Welcome to the giant multi-dimensional Sudoku puzzle in the sky. Regulations, both safety and environmental, are so complex and fluid that they result in a monumental headache for manufacturers. Two EPA developments may result in […]

January 2018

Published by Barbara Kanegsberg at January 2018

Residue – The Product

Residue is a major concern for manufacturers. Consequences of inadequate residue removal include undesirable appearance (spotting, staining), poor coating adhesion, low yield, and catastrophic product failure. To successfully remove residue it is useful to understand what that residue is and where it came from. Also consider: what is it you […]

October 2017

Published by Barbara Kanegsberg at October 2017

Balancing the Elephant

“Chemical” is the elephant in the room. Sales reps are told to avoid the word or risk losing the sale (1). Let’s get real! Manufacturing cannot happen without chemicals. Manufacturing product involves removing soil, or matter out of place. To do so involves using chemicals. The issue is not whether […]

September 2017

Published by Barbara Kanegsberg at September 2017

Elephants and Cleaning Agents

A veteran salesman tells reps to avoid four utterances. The first is “problem;” the second is “contract;” the third is “selling/signing up.” And the forth is (drum roll, please!) … chemical (1). Is a chemical more negative than hurricane, famine, or war? The chemical is the elephant in the room […]