Keeping industrial equipment clean is essential for keeping it safe and functional too. There are common issues that industrial machines face during their lifetimes, with one of the biggest culprits being rust, an incredibly damaging form of corrosion.
Luckily, learning how to remove rust from industrial equipment is fairly simple because you can do it one of two ways: by chemical means or with the help of tools. This guide will take you through each step, both of which are effective at removing this common blemish from your machinery.
Using Chemicals
You can use a wide variety of cleaning chemicals to remove rust from the surfaces of industrial equipment. It’s usually as simple as covering the rusted equipment with the cleaner and allowing it to remove the rust. Once that’s done, you clean up whatever’s leftover, and you should be good to go. If you’re using an acid-based chemical, make sure to wear the right PPE with it, such as durable gloves, safety goggles, and a respirator so you don’t hurt yourself while removing the rust. There are also nontoxic rust removers on the market that, instead of using acid, will utilize a process called “chelation” to cleanse the equipment instead.
Using Tools
If you’d rather not use chemicals, or if the rust is deeper than you’d expected, consider using power tools to help you out. The best tools for removing rust from industrial equipment are grinders and sanders. If your equipment is suffering from heavy rusting, then using a grinder is your best option. However, since grinders are for heavy-duty rust removal, be very careful when using it on your machines. If you don’t use the proper handling, you can accidentally cause cosmetic damage to the machine you’re trying to clean. Sanders are for minor amounts of rust but will still help you remove it thoroughly.
Now that you know how to remove rust from industrial equipment, you’ll be ready to strike when it appears on one of your machines. Aside from knowing how to deal with rust, you should also know how to prevent rust in the first place. For example, one of the best ways to avoid equipment corrosion is by sticking to stainless steel equipment. In fact, there are a number of benefits that come with using stainless steel industrial equipment. Taking these preventative steps is key if you want to avoid downtime from rust removal in the future.
