Parts Cleanliness Tester; CleanTrack^TM CT3500

Sharpertek’s Particle Cleanliness Tester CleanTrack^TM CT3500 verifies that cleaned parts meet user required specifications iso 16232, ideal for automotive, medical, electronic, and aerospace industries where high precision cleanliness is essential. The test results are similar to a Millipore patch test.  These tests are configurable as a built-in step for a multistage machine or as a stand-alone machine to test parts after completion of a separate cleaning cycle. Whether every part needs to meet a cleanliness specifications or the user wants to periodically verify that their cleaning process is still performing correctly, Sharpertek has the experience and knowledge to meet every project’s individual needs.

The process is completely automated without the need of the conventional patches for microscope analysis.  The test would take as little as 2 minutes and is automated for all day testing without user interruptions to collect data.  All data is logged with date and time stamp and operator ID with parts details accessible VIA USB flash drive for Excel analysis.

During the testing process, cleaned parts are placed in a basket in the testing tank. A short ultrasonic cycle removes any particulate remaining on the surface and extracted for parts cleanliness testing. A particle counter samples a small volume of the tank fluid generating a histogram with each bin representing a range of particle sizes. These values are directly compared to the user defined contamination levels (i.e. qty 50 of 0.5-15 micron particles, qty 50 of 15-25 micron particles, qty 150 of 25-50 micron particles per 100ml, etc.) to definitively determine if the part was properly cleaned. Between each test, a multistage filter removes any particles in the user’s detectable range to ensure that contamination from prior tests does not affect future test results.

As a low cycle time, automated machine, Sharpertek’s Particle Cleanliness Tests increase productivity, reduce costs, and verify parts are clean. The use automated particle counter instead of a Millipore Patch test eliminates the expensive microscope and counting technician while simultaneously speeding up the testing process without a significant variation in accuracy. Standard calibration of both tests with Polystyrene Latex beads lead to similar results. Accuracy can be obtained regardless of particulate material with ample calibration time. All particle cleanliness test machines come fully calibrated and can be recalibrated yearly at Sharpertek’s or the customer’s facility to ensure the machine continues to work properly. With the customizable bin sizes and a detection range between 0.5 and 125 microns (larger particles are not ignored but instead placed into a 150+ bin), Sharpertek’s testing machines can verify most user selected or industry mandated requirements. Contact Sharpertek for more information on how to streamline this test into your production cleaning system.