Industrial Cleaning Techniques

Question:

I'm looking for information about scientific groups and firms dealing with the cleaning of rust, cutting oils, grease, etc. from metal surfaces.

I'm studying nonconventional electrochemistry methods for surface cleaning. These methods are linked to phenomena accompanying electrolysis, and voltage across a cell containing strong electrolytes is 100-350 v. I'd like to establish contacts with other scientists who are interested in this problem and its practical use. I'm a Ph.D. in physics and math and a senior researcher of applied physics in Moldova. V.G.

Answer:

Unfortunately, I have not found cleaning to be as rigorous a science as you may be used to given your background in physics and math. This is primarily due to a diverse mix of education and experience of the people involved in this discipline, as well as the variety of cleanliness levels required by different industries. Given its industrial focus, I do not anticipate any university programs coming to the forefront to specifically address industrial cleaning techniques and problems. There are a variety of outlets to look to for information on the topic of industrial cleaning. Products Finishing and Plating and Surface Finishing (published by the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers) are two monthly publications that may contain articles and information regarding industrial cleaning and pretreatment methods. CleanTech is another magazine that is specifically dedicated to technical articles regarding industrial and precision cleaning methods on metals, circuit boards, disc drives, etc.