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A Safer Way to Handle Industrial Waste Disposal

August 22nd, 2011 by Frank Pedeflous

You wash your hands with soap and water, so why wouldn’t you wash your industrial parts in the same way? The world is turning “green” and more businesses than ever are choosing safe and eco friendly methods to clean their industrial parts and machinery. One reason ultrasonic technology is superior to other forms of cleaning is its main ingredients: soap and water.

industrial waste disposal

How are you currently handling your industrial parts cleaning and waste water disposal?

Prior cleaning methods used chemicals toxic to the environment, as well as to human skin and organs. These types of chemicals must be disposed of in a particular manner, and usually involve contracting with a third party company who specializes in disposing substances with a petroleum base.

Alternatively, ultrasound typically uses water and water-based cleaning agents which is why it is the most eco-friendly cleaning option in the world. In most instances draining your machine is easy. However, cleaning extremely greasy and dirty parts will require a specialized disposal process. This is because the parts being clean are contaminated, not because of the water-based soaps.

In such a situation, we recommend evaporating the ultrasonic bath, which leaves only greasy sludge behind. The sludge can be collected, and, after several bath changes, you’ll have enough sludge so that it can be transported to a processing plant. This will save you money with disposing your waste.

One of our clients, Mercury Marine, recently purchased a wastewater-recycling machine and began to use it onsite. These smart filters use a flocculation process that first binds the containments, and then passes the bath through a filter trapping all of the particles. The filtered bath is then pumped back into the ultrasonic cleaning tank resulting in even lower cleaning costs. The filtered sludge is dried and easily disposed. Each month they save a great deal of money by simply reusing their water supply.

How are you currently handling your industrial parts cleaning and waste water disposal? Our team at Omegasonics can provide you with more information on how your company can do these burdensome tasks safer, cheaper, and more efficiently. Call 800-669-8227.

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Why Industries have Increased their use of Ultrasonic Cleaning

August 5th, 2011 by Frank Pedeflous

In the 1980’s, the U.S. government began to crack down on un-safe industrial cleaning chemicals, and created the need for new, safer, greener, water-based cleaning solutions: one of the key alternatives being ultrasonic cleaning technology.

industrial parts cleaning via ultrasonics

There are hundreds of industries that use ultrasound as their first choice for safe and effective parts cleaning.

As government regulations on toxic chemicals used in the workforce were tightened, industrial companies were frantically searching for newer and safer ways to clean their dirty, oily, and contaminated parts. Today, it is more important than ever to maintain and achieve the highest quality levels of precision cleaning in many different industries due to constantly changing requirements.

There are hundreds of industries that use ultrasound as their first choice for safe and effective cleaning. Currently, ultrasound is the premier cleaning technology for the automotive, marine, pharmaceutical, aerospace, musical instrument, firearm, disaster restoration and other industries requiring absolute precision cleaning.

Other methods of aqueous-based industrial cleaning can use a lot of water, which goes directly down the drain or has to be collected and disposed of properly depending on the toxic levels. Water waste can come from the manufacturing process, scrubbers, mops, tanks and more. There are several technologies that recycle water but these systems can be costly especially for smaller operations. Despite the effort and resources, none of them have been nearly as effective as ultrasound.

Are you in a specialized industry that could benefit from ultrasonic cleaning? Take a look at some of these industrial ultrasonic cleaning case studies to see how companies of every size are cleaning more efficiently and increasing their bottom line!

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Why Ultrasonic Cleaning is crucial for Food and Drug Companies

May 16th, 2011 by Frank Pedeflous

When it comes to the cleaning of parts and equipment used to process or dispense food, ultrasonic technology meets and exceeds the toughest of standards. In the food and drug industry, as you can imagine, inspectors must be extremely thorough. Using ultrasound will more than please even the most meticulous inspectors, reduce your labor overhead, and increase your bottom line.

Food and Drug Industry

Companies such as Anheuser-Busch and Natural Alternatives are using Omegasonics’ machines to ultrasonically clean processing and dispensing equipment.

Ultrasound doesn’t use any harsh chemicals so you don’t have to worry about putting toxic substances near food, supplements and pharmaceutical items. Ultrasonic tanks generally use water-based soaps or just water alone to easily and effectively remove dirt, scale minerals, grime, oils and other residues from most surfaces. Filler valves, vitamin molds and dispensing equipment to name a few are the more common items being cleaned with precision ultrasonic cleaning systems in the food industry.

In an industry with a wide range of products that need to be cleaned, ultrasonic machines are built to accommodate your particular work area. Ultrasonic cleaning units can also be customized to meet your specific needs, size, power and other specifications. By using only a variety of mild solutions including citric acid and water, ultrasound is able to meticulously and safely remove dirt, scale minerals, grime, oil and other resides from virtually any surface without exposing employees or your product to unsafe chemicals.

Our friend, Dave Pierson formerly of from Pepsi Bottling Group had this to say about his experience with ultrasound machine, “The ultrasonic cleaners are working great! The precision parts in our fillers have never been cleaner or rebuilt as well!”

Companies all across the nation such as Anheuser-Busch and Natural Alternatives are all using Omegasonics’ machines to clean ultrasonically in the medical, food and drug industry!

For more information, please see www.Omegasonics.com

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Six Reasons to use Ultrasonic Cleaning

May 3rd, 2011 by Frank Pedeflous

Some of the benefits of ultrasonic cleaning include being SAFE for the environment, SIMPLE to use, and SAVES on money, time, and labor.

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The Evolution of Ultrasonic Cleaning

April 19th, 2011 by Frank Pedeflous
ultrasonic cleaners clean parts on naval ships

Currently, there are Omegasonics’ machines on almost every ship in the United States Naval Fleet.

Unlike today’s fast paced world economy, ultrasonic units were not always used on American Navy vessels for cleaning engine components and tools. Fire restoration companies were not commonly using ultrasound everyday to restore memories and magically bring household objects back to life…

Currently, there are Omegasonics’ machines on almost every ship in the United States Naval Fleet. These machines are used rigorously everyday by the men and woman serving on aircraft carriers, battleships and submarines. Restoration companies are now saving previously un-recoverable contents in addition to cutting costs and increasing profits!

I have seen the world of ultrasonic cleaning grow leaps and bounds from when I arrived at Omegasonics in 1996. During this time, we were only focusing our efforts in the blind cleaning industry. Blinds would accumulate massive amounts of dust and bacteria from sitting for long periods of time. If they sat untouched for too long they could become a health hazard if inhaled by a sensitive nose. Look around your office or house and notice the wide range of shapes, lengths and widths of your mini blinds. Imagine trying to clean each type slat with a towel and some spray. Doesn’t that seem like a long, tedious task?

However, we came to realize, like blinds, other items and objects could benefit from ultrasonic cleaning. Other companies were already proficient and were constantly in the industrial side of ultrasonic cleaning. Soon enough, Omegasonics evolved our marketing approach and began shifting our focus to industrial application cleaning.

Ultrasound is still used to clean mini blinds just as it was before. However, the wide range of applications for ultrasonic cleaning has greatly increased over the years as well as the benefits and rewards. For that matter, ultrasound is a technology that has made an environmentally beneficial impact on many different industries. Our ultrasonic manufacturing business has evolved from cleaning simple window blinds, to automobile restoration, cleaning medical supplies, power sports, aerospace technology, disaster restoration and will continue to evolve for years to come!

For more information, see us at www.omegasonics.com

 

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Go Green with Ultrasonic Cleaning

April 5th, 2011 by Frank Pedeflous

Ultrasonic cleaners are quicker and better than manual cleaning methods, and do not use harsh or harmful chemicals. Ultrasonic cleaning provides faster, safer and more thorough results than toxic solvents ever could. Many cleaning solvents such as carburetor cleaner, brake cleaner, MEK or petroleum-based solvents have been outlawed due to their detrimental effects on people and the environment. Many still remaining are toxic to a lesser degree. Using water-based soaps may not always give you the same cleaning power as the old solvents. They need some type of mechanical help such as ultrasound. High frequency ultrasonic scrubbing action combined with the proper water-based cleaning soap provides a faster, safer, more thorough result than solvents could ever deliver.

Ultrasonic Cleaning is:

(1) Safer for you and your employees;

(2) More forgiving to the environment;

(3) More automatic, thorough and consistent than manual cleaning;

(4) An eliminator of expensive,  time consuming labor;

(5) More cost effective for cleaning precision parts and can give you a competitive advantage in today’s global economy.

In a nutshell, ultrasonic cleaning is better for your workers, the environment, and your wallet.

 

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The Danger of using Toxic Cleaning Solvents

April 1st, 2011 by Frank Pedeflous

Millions of workers are exposed to toxic solvents on a daily basis. Cleaning in an industrial environment almost always includes using some type of solvent to remove dirt, mold release, grease or grime, but did you know that many health hazards are associated with solvent exposure?

No toxic solvents

Many companies are turning to ultrasonic cleaning with water based detergents and eliminating the use of toxic solvents.

Generally speaking, inhaling or touching any type of solvent can pose potentially dangerous health concerns and should be avoided. Many workers are unaware of the potential hazards in their work environment, which makes them even more vulnerable to long term health issues. Employers are responsible for informing employees of the hazards and the identities of workplace chemicals to which they are exposed and providing the proper protective handling equipment.

Certain solvents that are inhaled can adversely affect the respiratory tract and central nervous system. Every solvent has the ability to cause dermatitis by dissolving the oils that protect your skin and drying/chapping it. Skin irritation is the most common side effect. In fact, if you do have to use a solvent in your industry, we recommend a citrus-based one, as it is not as harmful to your skin.

If for no other reason than the health of their employees, many companies are turning to ultrasonic cleaning with water based detergents and eliminating the use of toxic solvents. What they are also discovering, in addition, is that in industrial settings where heavy duty cleaning is warranted, ultrasound cleans more precisely, even better, than solvents!

If you have had success with solvents but are weary of the health effects it may cause you and your employees, try using ultrasonic “soaps”. These water-based soaps by themselves are often not as effective as industrial based solvents, however, when they are combined with the powerful mechanical agitation of ultrasonic cavitation, they will easily outperform solvents and hand scrubbing. Ultrasonic soaps are especially unique because they are specially designated for almost all types of cleaning applications. To see if there is a soap for your needs, here is a link that can help: www.Omegasonics.com/industrial/chemistry.shtml.

With ultrasonic cleaning, we can all breathe a little easier… on several different levels!

 

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Ultrasonic Cleaners: Powerful Equipment for Utility Companies

February 3rd, 2011 by Frank Pedeflous
Ultrasonic Cleaning helps Utility Companies

Many power companies are turning to Omegasonics’ ultrasonic tanks to clean turbine parts faster and ensure high-availability.

Electric and gas companies are relied upon to produce and provide uninterrupted power to their customers. To accomplish this goal, keeping turbines exceptionally clean and in good condition must be a top priority. There are more and more power and utility companies relying on Omegasonics and ultrasonic cleaning to wash turbine parts faster and more efficiently.

The alternative method to cleaning these types of parts via ultrasonics is to wash each by hand with the use of toxic solvents. This takes more than double the time compared to using an ultrasonic cleaner. Thankfully, ultrasonic technology can clean both gas-powered, hydro turbine parts, and solar turbine fuel nozzles with much less time and hassle.

One recent example involves the Southern California Gas Company,  the nation’s largest natural gas distribution utility.  They use several Omegasonic ultrasonic cleaning systems inside their natural gas processing plants. Currently, they employ several Omegasonics Power Pro 8000’s to effectively clean parts from gas compressor engines during routine maintenance.

By switching to ultrasound, Southern California Gas, along with many other power plants across the nation, are able to extend the life of turbine, engine and compressor parts, reduce scheduled downtimes, and improve on their delivered production. Because of this, personnel can spend less time on mundane maintenance and more time on more important tasks… like providing safe and reliable energy to 20.9 million consumers in more than 500 communities!

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Eliminate 70% of Your Cleaning Costs Next Year

October 6th, 2010 by Frank Pedeflous

Cleaning industrial parts has traditionally demanded a variety of requirements. This mostly includes costly and time intensive manual labor using chemical solutions that are dangerous for both workers and the environment. Cleaning by hand also runs the risk of not effectively reaching those nooks and crannies. In today’s sensitive economy it is no longer a monetarily wise decision to waste time and labor trying to clean tedious parts in an industrial setting.

To make this all very simple, ask yourself, “When you come home at night, do you prefer to wash your dishes with soap by hand, or effortlessly place them all in your dish washer while catching the last inning of the game?

Applying this everyday mentality to your business and using an Omegasonics cleaning system, you can easily eliminate 50% of your cleaning costs for next year!
For example, cleaning a carburetor by hand (a very labor intensive operation) requires a substantial scrubbing time of 1.5 hours. It then calls for supplemental cleaning using expensive and hazardous solvents. Using an Omegasonics parts washer, three carburetors can be cleaned in just 17 minutes (including loading and unloading times).

The increases in ultrasonic cleaning solvent and energy output will be more than offset by the immense savings in both labor costs and waste discarding.  An Omegasonics system can save you up to $1,000 or more per month, paying for itself in less than a year. Also, don’t forget to cancel your order for hazardous cleaning chemicals; you won’t be needing those any more.

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