Parts Cleaning Archives - Morantz Ultrasonics

How to Stay Clean in Space

At Morantz, we love talking about different kinds of cleaning. In this post, we discuss issues with keeping clean in space. As it turns out, it’s a big problem.

One of the challenges of space missions is keeping clean. While personal hygiene is difficult enough in space, future missions to the Moon and Mars are going to encounter another, very difficult cleaning problem; dust contamination.

Most people don’t realize this, but space is a very dusty and dirty place. Comets are often described as “dirty snowballs” and the Apollo astronauts experienced significant problems on the Moon with lunar dust (see: NASA’s Dirty Secret: Moon Dust , and What a Little Moon Dust Can Do).

On January 16, the Mars Society posted to space.com about the problems they’re having keeping their “mock” Mars base clean. The Mars Society is conducting a mock “mission” to learn about how astronauts might live on Mars at their Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah (for full coverage, click here). The problems they’re having with dirt and dust contamination are pretty serious. These problems include the amount of time it takes just to clean their equipment. Another is that the dust is getting everywhere. And that’s here on Earth (under gravity). Imagine what can happen when the dust is floating around your spaceship.

What’s a wayward astronaut to do?

At Morantz, we’ve provided ultrasonic cleaning systems to NASA for various applications and we’ve identified three problems with dirt and dust in space:

It wears down critical components: Not only can the static electricity damage valuable and critical equipment, the dust itself gets into seals and wears them down. When you’re floating around an asteroid, you don’t want your spacesuit leaking.
It creates health risks: Even after roughly fifty years of space travel, we really don’t know what’s in all that dust, that’s why we want to go and collect samples. While most people worry about little alien space viruses, the chemicals that make up the dust itself could be poisonous. The astronauts on the Moon said that lunar dust smelled and tasted like gunpowder. Nasty!
The unknown: Who knows what else could happen? Space, buy it’s nature, is unpredictable.

Astronaut Gene Cernan on the Moon in December 1972. His spacesuit is blackened by lunar dust. According to NASA, “a real hazard that might have caused hatch and spacesuit seals to fail on a longer surface mission.” [NASA/JSC] — Astronaut Gene Cernan on the Moon in December 1972. His spacesuit is blackened by lunar dust. According to NASA, “*a real hazard that might have caused hatch and spacesuit seals to fail on a longer surface mission.*” [NASA/JSC]

Considering the problems and potential dangers for dust contamination and the limited water supplies (astronauts have to bring everything with them), the solution is both obvious and simple; they need to use Ultrasonics to clean their equipment.

Now, Ultrasonics does require water, something that’s in limited supply in space. That means they would have to bring an extra supply with them, but that water can be filtered (ask us about our filtration systems) or recycled using reverse osmosis. But the benefits outweigh the costs of bringing that water with them. This is because Ultrasonics will remove all of the dust and dirt (and mud and whatever other contaminants they have to deal with) in just a few minutes without the need for toxic chemicals. This leaves the astronauts with more time doing science, and whatever else astronauts do, instead of scrubbing boots.

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Come Visit Us at ISSA Interclean in Las Vegas!

From November 19 -21, we’ll be exhibiting at the ISSA Interclean North America show in Las Vegas, Nevada (Booth: 3805).

We’re really excited to be back in Vegas for this year’s show where we will be demonstrating the ultrasonic machine that started it all, “The Baby.”

If you would like to visit us in the exhibit hall, please contact Lisa Morantz at (215) 969-0266 (or send me a message using the form on the right).

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Schedule

-Tuesday, November 19: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
-Wednesday, November 20: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
-Thursday, November 21: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

6 Easy Ways to Get More Customers

No matter how successful your business is the one thing that it will always need are more customers. After all, serving your customers is why you’re in business, but could you and your sales team use a little help?

Below are six easy and low cost ways for you to get yourself in front of more people so that you can demonstrate your services. While some of these tactics may be focused on specific applications, feel free to change them to suit your needs.

Idea: Host an Open House for Insurance Agents and Adjusters.
Applications: Contents Cleaning and Fire Restoration.
Objectives: Build relationships with Agents and Adjusters. Introduce and educate them about the benefits of Ultrasonic Cleaning.
Tips: Show them how fast and effective your Ultrasonic Cleaning System and services are, and how your service will save them money. Offer to clean their personal items, like golf clubs, to show them how effective your equipment is, plus provide a memorable service!
Idea: Partner with Interior Decorators and Window Blind Sellers.
Application: Window Blind Cleaning.
Objectives: Create mutually beneficial partnerships. Expand your sales reach.
Tips: Offer these partners a Referral Fee or wholesale price for each blind cleaned. Not only will they make extra money, this will build good will with their customers by not “forcing” a new blind sale when all that is needed is a good cleaning. In fact, you should suggest that the designer or seller offer their customers a “Maintenance Plan.” Once these customers know there is an easy and affordable maintenance plan, they are more apt to purchase those more expensive “designer” type blinds. This will also give them an opportunity to periodically visit their customers where they could then sell new blinds for other areas in their home or business.
Idea: Clean Sports Equipment for Local Teams & Toys for Daycares.
Applications: Contents Restoration, Janitorial Cleaning and Medical Cleaning for Infection Control.
Objective: Diversify your services and customer base.
Tips: Your local sports teams, whether they’re professional, collegiate or league-based, are more concerned than ever about the health issues resulting from unclean equipment. Offer to do a free cleaning of a few items to demonstrate the effectiveness of Ultrasonic Cleaning for Infection Control (this could even include your local school’s gym equipment or toys in a nearby day care). Morantz provides our clients with results from independent laboratory tests for you to share with your customers during the sales process. And be sure to bring your ATP testing kit to quantify and support your results.
Idea: Clean Your Doctor’s Offices (Including Pediatricians and Dentists) & Senior Citizen Facilities.
Applications: Medical Cleaning & Infection Control.
Objective: Diversify your customer base.
Tips: Medical cleaning isn’t limited to large hospitals. Because of their small size, your local practitioners and senior centers often have problems maintaining sterile environments in their facilities. It’s not just the medical equipment; it’s the window blinds in the waiting and examination rooms, the computer keyboards at the nurse’s stations, the individual wheel chairs and even the toys in the pediatrician’s office. Morantz provides our clients with results from independent laboratory tests for you to share with your customers during the sales process. And don’t forget your ATP testing kit to quantify and support your results.
Idea: Partner with Your Local Computer Services Companies.
Applications: Electronics Cleaning.
Objectives: Create mutually beneficial partnerships. Expand your sales reach.
Tips: Computer Services companies provide maintenance and technical support for businesses both large and small. Aside from installing software and hardware, Ultrasonic Cleaning gives them a new, “Value-Added” service to sell. Show them the benefits of cleaning their customer’s computers and tools with Ultrasonics. Ultrasonic Cleaning keeps computers running smoothly, prevents them from overheating and starting fires, avoids the loss of valuable data, stops employees from getting sick through sharing infected tools and equipment (which also improves productivity) and more.
Idea: Sponsor Industry Events.
Applications: All.
Objectives: Diversify your customer base. Create mutually beneficial partnerships. Expand your sales reach.
Tips: Local business organizations are constantly looking for companies to sponsor events. They also like to showcase something that can attract attendees. In exchange for a nominal fee (or maybe just free food), you can bring your machine to their event and do a demonstration. And remember, the networking at these events can lead to more business.

All of these ideas help to achieve the following:

They put you in front of new customers. Even if they aren’t ready to use your services at the moment, they now know who you are and what you can do for them.
They get you in the door and help you to upsell additional services.
They help your customers make more money by expanding their services.
This will expand your credibility and enhance your professional reputation.

These ideas are just a small sample of the many ways you can get more clients simply by being creative. Morantz can provide you with more, proven ideas.

What creative things do you and your sales teams do to get more customers? Please share in the comments below. We’d love to hear about them.

Get a Professional In-Line Content Cleaning System for Under $25,000

For a limited time, Morantz Ultrasonics brings the cost of a professional, in-line Content Cleaning system down to under $25,000!

As a manufacturer of premium Ultrasonic Cleaning Equipment, Morantz is proud to offer (for a limited time only) our newest in-line Content Cleaning System, the Z-97 Super System, for under $25,000! Imagine being able to install a Pre-Wash Station, Ultrasonic Wash Station and Rinse Station in your facility for a fraction of the cost of traditional in-line systems. The Z-97 Super System requires very little space, works off of standard 110v power and is entirely portable! For those content jobs that need to be done on-site, just pack up the Z-97 Super System and go clean!

See the Z-97 Super System in action on Facebook.

For more details about this revolutionary new system, Click Here or Call 215-969-0266.

Automotive Parts Cleaning with Ultrasonics

When it comes to cleaning Automotive Parts, the Ultrasonic process does an exceptionally good job. Whether it is grease, dust, rust, carbon, or other dirts, in most cases, these can be removed quickly and easily without hours of hand scrubbing or use of harsh chemicals.

I wanted to share with you some pictures from recent jobs that we’ve done.

Most recently, I had a client visit and he brought with him an intake manifold from a Ford Mustang engine. He was specifically looking for a way to clean parts prior to powder coating them. Here are the “before” pictures:

Here are photos of our client checking out the finished result:

Depending on the type of dirt we are dealing with, and the make up of the parts to be cleaned, we may work with either a 40kHz frequency (our standard) or a 25kHz frequency to get more aggressive. The rule of thumb is that the lower the frequency, the larger the bubble that is being produced and the more powerful the implosion in the Cavitation process. We also have 4 different cleaning solutions that we utilize depending again on the dirt and the part.

Take a look at the following before and after photographs of other automotive parts we have cleaned with Ultrasonics:

A few of the parts you see above are piston heads and exhaust lifters from a motorcycle. There are also rims from a Nascar race car. We have similarly cleaned helicopter parts, boat parts, airplane parts and more. Next week we will be trying something new…lawnmower parts…so check back soon.

Federal Express Uses Morantz Ultrasonics to Clean Ball Bearings

One of the things I love about my work is that I am constantly learning new things. On a regular basis, I am sent parts of all types from all over the world to either test clean or come up with a protocol for how they should be cleaned. Who knew that so many bars, valves, molds, nozzles, and other intricate objects were involved with creating so many others items? (OK…maybe you did, but this was not something I was exposed to until later in life).

So, I’ve come to learn a tremendous amount about parts in my past 15 years at Morantz, but it’s still surprising how primitive the attempt at maintenance is for many of these items. For example…

Several years ago, we were contacted by Federal Express. They wanted to know if we cleaned ball bearings. Specifically, they had ball bearings on their conveyor belts that were seizing up because of dirt, and sometimes de-icing chemical, that was getting into the crevices and preventing the balls from spinning. To rebuild the bearings, the cost was $30/each.

We did a trial cleaning and you could literally see the dirt streaming out of the small groove. When we gave Fed Ex a quote of $1.45 per bearing for cleaning, they were thrilled! The next thing we knew, we had 10,000 bearings at our facility to be cleaned (sent via Fed Ex, of course). Fortunately, our machines could easily accomodate 100 bearings at a time.

It only took about 10 minutes per load in our machines and we were able to complete the job in a day and a half. Again, Fed Ex was thrilled! In fact, when we returned the bearings to their distribution center, we were immediately given another 10,000 bearings! And this one facility had over 300,000 bearings that were contstantly being rotated in and out, and given to us for maintenance. Saying this was a great job is an understatement.

This was the beginning of a National contract that was ongoing throughout the country and utilized many of our clients. Everybody was a winner in this scenario.

Thanks, Fed Ex!