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Chemical-mechanical surface treatments Trib-Tools are mildly abrasive surface treatment tools that when rubbed against a surface clean the surface as they dispense chemicals in trace amounts. The dispensed chemicals are spread and rubbed-in, which acts to activate some chemicals, all done whilst keeping hands clean and dry without the need to use gloves. These tools are useful for applying a wide range of chemically active treatments such as primers, passivating treatments etc. onto solid surfaces of metal, plastic, timber, glass, stone, leather or fabric. These tools may be either a stick sheet or blade, the most practical and useful for engineering purposes has proved to be the stick, which can be sized to treat large or small areas or some part of a larger area. The diagram below illustrates how a single grain in a mildly abrasive tool impregnated with a chemical disrupts the oxide during rubbing of a surface like steel, which provides high absorption of polar inorganic materials (siloxanes in this example) carrying organic side groups that orientate away from the metal, leaving the oxide surface with an organic character, which is highly favourable for wetting and bonding with adhesives or epoxy paint.
Typically stick tools use a stack of pads of compressed non-woven mildly abrasive web soaked in chemical, either in the form of a liquid, a gel or slurry housed in a plastic moulding that resembles a deodorant stick. Providing the pads are not saturated the package is spill proof even when lying horizontal with the lid left off.The diagram below shows a cross section view of a typical chemical-mechanical stick tool. The chemical soaks into mildly abrasive stack of pads. After use the used pad is peeled off to reveal new clean pad ready to treat another area. Typical uses when treating metal surfaces (surface prep) include: • anti-lubricant friction grip enhancer • phosphoric acid for rust removal & prevention • oxide-removing paint cleaning abrasive slurry (T-cut) • primers to improve wetting & adhesion • etching agents that clean and improve electro-plating • solder, brazing and welding fluxes • degreasing & solvent cleaning agents • lubricants For treating timber surfaces: • denatured beeswax and other polishes or sealants • fish oils, vegetable oils, preservatives • staining, grain filling, dyes • anti-fungal & pest control treatments For treating glass surfaces: • cleaning & wetting agents for double-glazing seals and securing automotive windscreens • acetic acid to remove lime-scale For treating skin/leather/cloth surfaces: • lotions, oils, gels, dyes, scents, stain removers etc. |
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for more information email: info8@tribtech.com
The TribTech name derives from "tribos" - Greek for 'rubbing'. 'TribTech' is a trade name used by Ball Burnishing Machine Tools Ltd. Registered Office 12 Brookmans Av. Hatfield, Herts. AL9 7QJ. United Kingdom; Company Reg. No. 1408807, VAT Reg. No. 421 6210 04; a knowledge based company that develops, patents and licenses technology based on aspects of tribology, the science of surfaces. All rights reserved by Ball Burnishing Machine Tools Ltd. Last modified: 01-Oct-2009 copyright © 1999/2009. The information and data provided herein should be considered generally representative for the tools and technologies described. In all cases users should carefully evaluate the tools and technologies to determine their suitability for a particular purpose. |
