Vapor Degreasing

New Method Plating is an electroplating and metal finishing provider specializing in cadmium, nickel, zinc, chrome, and copper finishing. Our capabilities include vapor degreasing, a precision cleaning technique that uses solvents to dissolve contaminants on a metal’s surface. Suitable for a range of materials and parts, vapor degreasing safely and effectively removes grease, oil, cutting fluids, and particulates.

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Vapor Degreasing

Overview of Vapor Degreasing

Vapor degreasing uses industrial solvents in vapor form to thoroughly clean a metal workpiece, eliminating the need for extreme temperatures, manual scrubbing, or forceful sprays. This is achieved by boiling the solvent and allowing the resulting vapor to condense in liquid form across the workpiece’s surface. As the condensation accumulates, it dissolves any contaminants present.

In this closed-loop process, the dissolved surface contaminants are removed as gravity forces the liquid solvent to drip from the workpiece into the reservoir below. This allows the cleaning fluid to be repurified and reused for multiple cycles.

Benefits of Vapor Degreasing

The vapor degreasing process offers several benefits that differentiate it from other surface cleaning methods. These include:

  • Superior cleaning. Vapor degreasing is highly effective for removing everything from small surface particulates to heavy greases and oils. The solvent vapors completely surround the part, allowing them to penetrate and clean even the smallest, most intricate components.
  • Speed and simplicity. While most traditional metal cleaning methods rely on complex equipment and skilled operators, vapor degreasing is a relatively fast and simple process involving easy-to-maintain machinery. This simplicity also makes it a highly repeatable, consistent, and predictable method for cleaning metal parts.
  • Eco-friendly and affordable. Vapor degreasing is an energy-efficient process that requires minimal electricity and no water, making it more sustainable and affordable than most aqueous cleaning systems. While the cleaning solvents can be expensive, the closed-loop process allows them to be continuously recycled.
  • Material compatibility. The vapor degreasing process is a safe and effective cleaning method for nearly any type of metal since it eliminates high-pressure sprays, extremely high temperatures, and long cleaning cycles.

Applications of Vapor Degreasing

Vapor degreasing is a common cleaning method in industries that require extensive cleaning of manufactured parts before use or subsequent processing. Specific applications include:

  • Contaminant removal. With vapor degreasing, specific solvents are selected based on the composition and solubility of the oils or contaminants to be removed. This allows for more specialized and higher-quality cleaning.
  • Cleaning of complex parts. The vapors produced during the vapor degreasing process can penetrate cracks, recesses, deep holes, and other intricate design features that would otherwise be difficult to clean.
  • Surface preparation. Vapor degreasing is often used to prepare a workpiece’s surface for welding, finishing, or painting.
  • Water-free cleaning. Vapor degreasing is ideal for cleaning parts or materials that may be damaged by aqueous cleaning methods.
  • Preparing inserts for molding. During the insert molding process, vapor degreasing is often used to clean the surface of metal inserts prior to the molding stage.

Vapor Degreasing at New Method Plating

Vapor degreasing quickly and thoroughly removes oils and contaminants from a metal part’s surface while maintaining its quality and integrity. At New Method Plating, we use vapor degreasing and other precision finishing techniques to prepare metal components for a range of environments and processes. Our NADCAP accreditation and ISO 9001:2015 certification demonstrate our ability to provide industry-compliant services that are tailored to meet each customer’s individual needs.

To learn more about our vapor degreasing capabilities and the industries we support, please contact us today or request a quote.