Clean Source Newsletter Archive

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 […]

Twenty-five years for BFK Solutions LLC. Neither “The Cleaning Lady” nor “The Rocket Scientist” have run away from home. We continue to fantasize about that remote beach with the refreshing beverage adorned with tiny umbrellas. That won’t help you. What will help you is to discuss trends, problems, and opportunities […]

March 2019 marks the 25th Anniversary of BFK Solutions. Twenty-five years of helping manufacturers improve critical product cleaning, achieve superior surface quality, and minimize residue level. In celebration, we’re providing you with a heads-up about trends and opportunities that we see happening over the next twenty-five years. Truth be told, […]

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,” […]

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 […]

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 […]

Let’s change just one thing: the substrate. The product line remains the same – same size, same shape, same end-use requirements. Do you have to re-evaluate the cleaning process? Absolutely! To head off production shut downs and to avoid losing business, test the new substrate with the current cleaning process […]

You are off to a trade show to find a great critical cleaning process. I’ve run across a few articles about what to do to make the most of a particular show. Planning and conference apps and checklists are a start; but they won’t give you the full benefits. Effective […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]