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Curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
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Ultrasonic Cleaning with Micro 90 ruined Electroless Nickel Plated Parts
May 21, 2013
Q. Our customer specified a new cleaning detergent (Micro 90) to use in our ultrasonic cleaner. We kept the solution at our standard temperature of 150 °F and ran the part for 15 minutes. The part is electroless nickel plated.
After running it in the ultrasonic cleaner it looked like this:
What do you think might be causing this staining? It can't be removed with IPA or Steel Ink Remover.
Dave Sheff- Amherst, New York, USA
January 4, 2019
Q. I'm actually looking for any similar issues; I heard Micro 90 should not be used on steel parts -- plastic only to prevent discoloration. I am hearing conflicting statements though.
What is your percentage of Micro 90 to water? I hear it is supposed to be 2% or lower to prevent discoloration.
What is yours?
Precision Swiss Products - Milpitas, California, USA
A. Hi Michael. I don't know if Dave will reply since his posting was from 5-1/2 years ago. More enthusiasm towards participating in the discussion might arise if we can make it a bit more generic rather than being about one specific trade secret formulation ... it seems to be EDTA and surfactants, and the SDS does say it etches nickel.
Regards,
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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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