To produce durable, corrosion-resistant metal products for a range of essential markets, manufacturers rely on metal treatment formulations that meet the unique demands of each industry. As metal treatment processes continue to evolve, formulators must use advanced metal cleaning additives to ensure effective cleaning processes. Poor cleaning can have a direct negative impact on the following treatment steps, such as chemical conversion.
On the other hand, an effective cleaning can double the time before blisters appear in salt spray tests. Syensqo offers formulators a range of ingredients made to optimize metal treatment solutions, especially for the metal cleaning stage. Syensqo’s ingredients are developed to ensure certain essential qualities are present throughout metal cleaning for more efficient manufacturing processes.
Foam Control Properties
Metal cleaning formulations must be multifunctional, and truly effective metal cleaning depends on reliable foam control that can be promoted through low foam surfactants and foam controllers. Certain cleaning processes are not impacted by foam, but in many metal cleaning environments, foam can severely inhibit cleaning performance. In high-pressure or spray cleaning, for example, foam production can restrict cleaning performance, which affects product performance throughout its lifespan. Formulators require ingredients that are designed to control foam production.
Syensqo’s range of Antarox® low foam metal cleaners aids formulators as they develop metal cleaning solutions to manage foam production. In addition, the AddikleenTM range of products was designed to generate low foam, following the requirements of each specific method of cleaning.
Improved Energy and Resource Efficiency
In nearly every industry today, improved energy and resource efficiency is becoming increasingly vital. In metal treatment stages, certain metal cleaning additives play a part in improving energy and resource efficiency. Many manufacturers are turning to processes that highlight operational and space savings while reducing carbon footprints. Low-temperature metal cleaning baths help manufacturers achieve these efficiency goals, but they require unique solutions from formulators who can also ensure effective metal cleaning. Syensqo’s AddikleenTM T4 KD can help formulators develop solutions designed to reduce energy and water consumption in metal cleaning processes.
Reducing cleaning temperature from 60°C to 45°C for car body cleaning would save 1.9 TWh of energy!
In some cases, Rhodoclean® EFC V2 offers a sustainable alternative to nonyl phenol ethoxylates (NPE) that is excellent in low-temperature metal cleaning environments and in spray and aspersion cleaning.
Effective with Challenging Surfaces
Formulators face a two-fold obstacle when developing metal cleaning solutions for the most challenging surfaces. New metal alloys that are being introduced are more difficult to clean than traditionally used metals like aluminum and galvanized steel. In addition to these new materials, manufacturers continue to use various oils or metal-working fluids that impact a piece’s ability to be cleaned effectively. Formulators can help manufacturers address these issues with metal cleaning formulations designed to be effective with challenging surfaces. Syensqo’s AddikleenTM, Rhodoclean®, Antarox® and Rhodafac® ranges all offer formulators desirable ingredients that are versatile enough to work on a variety of surfaces and powerful enough to thoroughly clean surfaces that have been exposed to oils, soot and other tough substances.
