Cleaning & Handling

Surface Care Recommended Care of Treatment Layers
Since 1987, the SilcoTek (formerly Restek Performance Coatings) Team has been offering leading edge passivation and barrier coating technology to the scientific, analytical, and process markets. You may have questions regarding the appearance, performance, and maintenance of the treated surface. Here are a few tips to keep your treated products working at peak performance.

Appearance
Layer appearance and surface finish can vary from lot to lot. Small variations in surface thickness (measured in angstroms) can impact layer appearance. The surface finish should be bright and free of defects, but original surface condition can have a major impact on final surface quality.Your parts are cleaned after treatment; however, the surface may contain some trace silicon (black particles) as a byproduct of the treatment process. Residual silicon can be removed by rinsing with a solvent or by sonication in water.

General thickness ranges are:

Colors associated with layer thickness are:

Cleaning
Your parts are precision cleaned by SilcoTek prior to processing. Additional pre-cleaning by the customer is often unnecessary and at times can be detrimental to our coating process.

In order to provide the highest quality coating and fastest processing; notify SilcoTek of any prior chemical exposure (regardless of weather the part is new or used). Chemicals like cutting oils, pickling acids, solvents, water based cleaning compounds or other hazardous or non hazardous chemicals may impact the coating process. Many times the customer’s cleaning process or chemical exposure can be eliminated, saving the customer time and money. Before sending parts to SilcoTek, contact your SilcoTek representative at silcod@SilcoTek.com or call us at (814) 353-1778

Galling
As with any threaded fitting, galling may occur when assembling two treated parts. To prevent thread damage, use a thread lubricant or Teflon® tape. Galling potentially can be reduced when assembling a treated part and an untreated part.

Troubleshooting
Under normal use, your treated items should deliver outstanding performance for years to come. However, effective lifetime is dependent on the severity of the environment. Factors that can impede performance are:

• Contamination: Failure to properly clean the surface can allow increased surface activity. If performance changes, thoroughly clean the surface and inspect the layer for damage.
• Erosion: Contact with abrasives can accelerate surface wear.
• Bases: Contact with a base (pH 8 or higher) can accelerate deterioration of the layer.
• Surface finish: Surface finish and color should stay consistent throughout the life of the product.
• Changes in the finish or color may indicate a partial loss of the layer. To prevent further loss, ensure no exposure to bases or abrasives.

For additional information about SilcoTek contact our technical service department at 814-353-1778 or email at Silcod@SilcoTek.com.

About Us
SilcoTek’s involvement with surface coatings began in 1987, when we developed a treatment that made stainless steel surfaces inert to low-level reactive organic compounds. Since this initial project, SilcoTek’s experts have developed a family of surface treatments to address other specific needs and thereby enhance the performance of system components. These treatments are:

• SilcoNert™1000
• Silcolloy™
• SilcoGuard™
• SilcoKlean™
• SilcoNert™2000