Trial Purpose:
Various safer solvents to be tested
Date Run:
12/22/1995Experiment Procedure:
The purpose of this experiment is to find a cleaner for Adhesive Manufacturer that will replace their current 4:1 heptane-toluene mixture. So far, attempts with aqueous cleaners and semi-aqueous terpenes have proven unsuccessful. Various solvents that are safer than the current Adhesive Manufacturer cleaning solution will be tested.
Durotac Adhesive was applied to the 316 stainless steel coupons. Sitting times of the adhesive was between 10 and 15 minutes. Cleaning would be accomplished by first applying some cleaning chemistry (100%) onto the contaminated coupons and allowing to sit for about 30 seconds. The adhesive was then removed with a scouring pad. Time and ease of removal was noted. All chemistries were used at room temperature.
SUBSTRATE MATERIAL: 316 Stainless Steel Coupons
CONTAMINANTS: Duro-Tac toluene-heptane based adhesive
CONTAMINATING PROCESS USED: Adhesives applied on with swab and allowed to sit for 10 minutes to 15 minutes
Trial Results:
The cleaners tested and the results are shown in the table below:
| Cleaning Chemistry | Time of removal (sec) | Notes |
| Brulin Corp. Compliance | 50 | Pretty good removal |
| AW Chesterton 803 Solvent | 70 | |
| Ausimont USA Inc Perfluorosolv PFS-1 | 80 | Very tough to remove |
| Ashland Chemical Co Solvent 6733 | DNC | |
| ISP Tech N-Methyl 2-Pyrrolidone | DNC | |
| Solvent Kleene, Inc. Degrease 500 | 40 | Dissolves at first, but leaves a tacky |
| CSA Inc. Biosafe 1023 | 35 | Not as effective as the 1024 |
| CSA Inc. Biosafe 1024 | 25 | Not much dissolving action, but Adhesive rolls off easily |
| Bush-Allen-Boake K-312 | 45 | Dissolves but leaves a film that is tough to remove |
| Dow Development Solvent 40570 | 65 | Surface still quite tacky |
| Dow Development Solvent 40571 | 35 | Very clean surface |
| Dow Development Solvent 40579 | 45 | No residue left |
| Toluene | 30 | Tacky residue left |
Success Rating:
Results successful using TACT (time, agitation, concentration, and temperature, as well as rinsing and drying) and/or other cleaning chemistries examined.Conclusion:
The Bio-Safe 1023 does a good job of lifting the adhesives. One last experiment will be to try mixtures of the most successful terpenes and aqueous products. Most of the terpenes will dissolve the adhesive to some degree but leave a sticky residue that does not peel off. The aqueous products are just the opposite, they cause no dissolving action, but the adhesive peels off pretty easy after a while. A combination of these traits may be most effective.
