The successful manufacturer doesn’t only avoid costs, but also values knowing as much as possible about the benefits and limitations of a cleanliness test and of staying on top of process trends.
Even if additive manufacturing and medical devices are not yet on your radar, this information may be useful in strategic planning for cleaning complex parts.
The benefits of AM may result in cleaning challenges. The layer-by-layer process of AM allows complex internal support structures and tortuous internal channels.
The EPA has tightened national air standards; more areas do not meet the requirements for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). In response, the OTC is developing a Model Rule to reduce VOC emissions from vapor degreasing and cold cleaning.
Reshoring manufacturing to the U.S. is a hot-button issue that encompasses surface cleanliness in addition to a host of other considerations—product quality, worker safety, environmental issues, customer satisfaction, supply chain management, national security and economics.