PRODUCT DETAILS

Rotadyne Corporation Material Compatibility Testing

PRODUCT DETAILS

• Excellent Performance: You don’t have to trade cleaning efficiency for safety and material compatibility benefits.

• Less Expensive: This product is made using newer technology and manufacturing processes, so it costs less.

• Use-Cost Effective: QX-424 is concentrated, allowing you dilute with water and use only the amount of product you need.

• Regulatory Compliance: Quatix-based products are formulated to meet current and future environmental regulations.

• Material Compatibility: This formula is safe to use on a variety of substrates, and will not corrode ferrous metal surfaces.

• Non-Soy: QX-424 is not based on soy chemistry, eliminating the associated rinsing, compatibility and slip-and-fall issues.

• Reduced Risk Management Exposure:  Advanced safety attributes reduce injury, regulatory and pollution risks

Quatix represents the latest advances in aqueous cleaning chemistry and the next wave of Mirachem leading-edge technology. Developed from years of in-the-field experience and scientific study, Quatix products set a new standard of performance and safety for cleaning products.

Specific attributes of a Quatix product vary depending on their specialized use. All Quatix formulations, however, have been engineered to meet several criteria, including:  

• Better performance, with dramatic superiority over outdated chemistries, and even improvements versus our comparably positioned legacy technologies.
• Increased environmental compliance, because of products being designed to meet environmental standards likely to be implemented through the year 2015.
• Improved material compatibility and worker safety, attributed to using newer and more advanced base materials.
• Improved cost efficiency, by taking advantage of the latest technological advances and formulating to modern market conditions and financial structures.

Mirachem Pressroom Cleaner was Mirachem’s premier printing cleaner prior to the development of QX-424. Based on Mirachem’s legacy technology, Pressroom Cleaner has been a significant part of Mirachem’s product lineup for many years. Both products are designed for the same type of uses, and in most applications, can be used interchangeably.

Because of the technological and chemistry advances put to use during the development of QX-424, this product is less expensive to manufacture than Pressroom Cleaner, and can typically be used at greater dilutions. This translates to QX-424’s cost of use being less than that of Pressroom Cleaner in most operations.

QX-424, as a Quatix product, is also positioned to meet environmental standards likely to be implemented through the year 2015. The Pressroom Cleaner technology, having been developed over 20 years ago, meets today’s common regulatory standards, but will likely be outpaced by future changes.

Current Pressroom Cleaner users who do not wish to convert into QX-424, perhaps due to the cost of product conversion or re-qualification, can certainly continue to use Pressroom Cleaner. Over an extended period QX-424 is intended to replace Pressroom Cleaner, however, Mirachem has no plans at this time to discontinue or otherwise reduce the availability of the current product.

QX-424 allows water to break the sticky bonds between soils and surfaces, allowing them to be safely rinsed or wiped away. By using QX-424, water becomes the final cleaning agent.

All Mirachem product formulations are proprietary and are a closely guarded trade secret. QX-424’s formulation can generally be described as a proprietary non-soy detergent blend that does not contain any phosphates, petroleum distillates, or chlorinated (halogenated) or hydrocarbon solvents.

Mirachem’s unique combination of performance and safety are not as much about “secret ingredients” as they are about innovative development and manufacturing techniques, and our commitment to develop comprehensive cleaning solutions. Our products are the result of extensive experience in the field and exhaustive laboratory development and testing, an expensive and time consuming process. Most companies that sell cleaning chemistries are unable or unwilling to undertake similar development processes because it is easier and much less expensive to simply market the existing commodity formulas. Mirachem focuses its energies on finding ways to take basic cleaning elements, such as water, heat or agitation, and making them efficient enough to outperform hazardous chemistries.

The result of our approach is a quality product offering that is truly different, rather than an exhaustive line of “me too” chemicals that offer no real advantages.

Customers with a requirement for more detailed ingredient information should contact Mirachem to discuss their specific needs.

What types of cleaning activities are appropriate for using QX-424?

• Time

• Agitation

• Concentration

• Temperature

For hand wipe applications or mop and bucket applications, we recommend applying the product and allowing 5-10 seconds for the product to emulsify the soil. In general, the longer the dwell time, the less agitation will be required.  Please ensure that the surface stays wet while the product loosens deposits.

For soaking, or applications, timing is generally from 10 to 30 minutes.  More difficult soils and encrusted deposits may take longer. Under most circumstances, soak times in excess of three (3) hours are not recommended.

Mirachem has developed several product lines designed to meet specific types of cleaning needs. These include our Printing, Industrial, Commercial, Professional and Specialty lines.

Our printing products have been developed to offer customers the maximum benefit from Mirachem’s 20+ years experience in printing cleaning, and to underscore our commitment to the industry. These products are designed to be effective in multiple printing applications, deliver industry-specific material compatibility requirements and provide unsurpassed environmental safety and regulatory compliance. 

Products in Mirachem’s Industrial line are high performance cleaning technologies designed to be used in a wide range of cleaning applications, and are formulated to be effective at removing multiple soils. Our industrial products also offer the greatest cost effectiveness by allowing one product technology to be used to address virtually all cleaning applications that an industrial operation might encounter. Industrial line products are backed by extensive technical support and have been certified compliant with many industry, regulatory and OEM standards.

If your requirements call for a specific use product in a cleaning application that does not demand advanced technical support or top-of-the-line performance, we recommend our Commercial line of products.  For janitorial and general duty cleaning applications, Mirachem’s Professional line is likely to be the most cost effective choice. If you have an unusual cleaning need that doesn’t fit traditional cleaning categories, look to our Specialty line for assistance.

• Whoever controls the hazard, owns the risk
• Where you are located determines the guidelines
• If you have a hazard, you have responsibility
• The responsibility never goes away

If you are currently using a hazardous product, your responsibility for what happens to the waste material does not end when it is removed from your facility. It has always been a goal of Mirachem to help customers reduce or eliminate the costs and liabilities associated with their cleaning products. Using Mirachem instead of traditional, higher-risk products can help to reduce the costs of waste transportation and disposal, fees and permitting, recordkeeping and manpower.

Unused QX-424 in its concentrated form would be categorized as a Federal non-RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, (42 U.S.C. 6901-6992), waste, and in nearly all jurisdictions, can be sewer disposed in accordance with federal, state and local regulations.

Once used, the QX-424 solution contains additional components that have come out of the cleaning process, and will, in all likelihood, no longer have the same waste characteristics of the unused product. The proper course of action is to have your waste streams analyzed by a reputable firm to determine the exact nature of the waste materials, and therefore, how they should be handled.

A local environmental services or waste transportation company should be able to assist you with obtaining the lab analysis, interpreting the results and handling your waste in an efficient and legally compliant manner. If you need help locating a reputable waste management company, Mirachem may be able to refer you to a local company with whom we have experience.

You may also choose to handle your own waste management needs internally. You can locate an appropriate lab yourself, and local, county, state and Federal agencies can assist you in determining handling and disposal options.

Alternative options, subject to applicable regulations, to off site transport and disposal may include:

• Discharge to local waste water treatment facility
• Utilize waste fluid in other third party processes that may qualify as a recycling procedure
• Evaporation or minimization
• On-site treatment

Product Technology
If you are converting from a solvent product to an aqueous cleaner, you can expect to make adjustments to both equipment and cleaning processes. Often, equipment designed for use with solvents is incompatible with aqueous technologies. Drying is also often an area that requires modification.

If you are converting from a high-alkaline chemistry to Mirachem, you can reasonably expect to need to make some minor adjustments to equipment, but probably not process.

Parts Washer / Tank Construction
Aqueous cleaners work best when used with equipment constructed of stainless steel, polyethylene or polypropylene.  Carbon steel or mild steel construction will eventually corrode, most often due to water vapor being generated above the liquid level by heated equipment.

Corrosion Management Practices
QX-424 contains an advanced corrosion protection package that has been developed to be effective in any printing application. However, as with any water-based technology, some attention to corrosion management may be appropriate.

Solvent cleaners typically “flash dry”, that is, they evaporate (volatilize) very quickly in air. Unlike these solvents, aqueous cleaners usually dry at about the same rate as water. Under some circumstances, this increased dry time can lead to potential corrosion issues and may require adjustments to process.

QX-424 also cleans to a film-free surface. Most solvents and high-alkaline formulations leave behind a film or residue which often “accidentally” acts as a corrosion barrier. Users of QX-424 should be aware that unpainted surfaces are cleaned to “bare metal”. In cases of extreme environmental or storage conditions, additional corrosion protection consideration may be appropriate.

Dilution Maintenance
Aqueous cleaners are usually sold as a concentrate, designed to be diluted with water before use. The degree of dilution appropriate for your application will be determined based on four points:

• Cost - The more dilute, the less it costs to use the product

• Method of Application - Example: spray & wipe vs. parts washer

• Product Performance - How fast the product cleans

• Corrosion Management - The more dilute, the less efficient the corrosion protection

  Once the proper dilution level is determined, you will want to exercise some care to maintain this dilution level to ensure consistent, efficient and cost effective cleaning. Mirachem recommends that product be prepared for use at the proper dilution ratio outside of the use container, using some method to ensure accuracy. Estimating is not a recommended dilution method

  Your cleaning application may also be sensitive to changes in dilution. This is common in parts washing applications. Fluid in a heated parts washer will evaporate, and will also “drag out” (small amounts of fluid still left on or in parts) in the course of normal use. For this reason, we again recommend that make-up fluid be pre-diluted before being added to the parts washer.

Not if you choose your product wisely.

Many companies are taking advantage of the current market awareness surrounding environmental issues and cashing in by promoting “green” products. This is especially true in the category of environmentally safe cleaners and chemistries. However, just because a product is marketed as safe, does not mean that it delivers on its claims.

In many markets, regulatory agencies have put restrictions in place that prohibit the use of older chemistries that have been accepted in the industry for many years. Often, vendors will promote their compliance with these regulations as a selling point. Again, the making of these claims does not prove their validity, and even if a product does meet a regulatory requirement, this is no assurance that it will perform in a given application.

It is for these reasons that a stigma has developed concerning environmentally safe products. It is a common perception, especially where cleaners are concerned, that “green” products don’t work. While there is certainly cause to question every marketing claim made, there are reputable companies that offer quality products, and they deserve a fair opportunity to take these products to market. In addition, there are numerous benefits that can be realized from adopting a strategic objective of improving the overall environmental safety of any operation.

While it may be necessary to make adjustments in process to achieve satisfactory results with safer technologies, it should not be necessary to impact production efficiency. As with all purchasing decisions, the best course of action is to fully evaluate products to your specific requirements before you purchase them.

PRODUCT AVAILABILITY, PURCHASING & LOGISTICS DATA

INDUSTRY & MATERIAL COMPATIBILITY

QX-424 has been formulated to be compatible with all surfaces, equipment and materials found in a pressroom environment. This includes a number of polymers, monomers, and composites created from these materials, as well as the blankets, elastomeric-covered rollers and structures manufactured with these components.

Rotadyne Corporation has conducted materials compatibility testing for their printing roller substrate materials with Mirachem QX-424 at both the concentrated (as is) dilution and a normal use dilution of 3 parts water to 1 part cleaner. It was their conclusion that QX-424 was compatible with all of their roller materials. For specific details, please consult Mirachem’s Technical Release titled Rotadyne OEM Material Compatibility Testing.

Base materials tested include:

COST EFFECTIVENESS

QX-424 is a concentrated product that is designed to be diluted with water.  By diluting, you pay only for the product that you actually need.

When comparing the cost of cleaning products, remember to evaluate the cost per use gallon, as opposed to the actual purchase price.  Mirachem offers a Cost Evaluation Worksheet to assist in this process.