3M™ NOVEC™ CONTACT CLEANER for fibre optic connector cleaning
3M™ Novec™ contact cleaner effectively removes light oils, greases, silicones, dust and particulates from sensitive electrical equipment, including connectors, printed circuit boards, electro-mechanical devices, scales, contacts, relays, switches, instrumentation and circuit breakers. Novec Contact Cleaner is compatible with plastics and other materials of construction. Based on proprietary 3M solvent technology, it is non-flammable, non-ozone depleting and contains no HCFC's, HFC's, nPB or HAPs. 3M™ Novec™ contact cleaner combines fast, effective cleaning performance with an excellent safety and environmental profile. Designed for a variety of assembly level and field maintenance cleaning tasks, Novec contact cleaner uses an
advanced 3M™ solvent technology that offers a number of significant advantages over many conventional spray cleaners.

For final cleaning of important optical components we recommend 3M Novec Contact Cleaner. This material was originally developed to clean electrical contacts, particularly in low voltage connection. It is now used as the best final cleaner for fibre optical joints as it dissolves many contaminants; it is non-flammable and does not harm most plastics. Best of all, it leaves absolutely no trace on optical surfaces, which makes it superbly suited for cleaning high voltage insulators, the ends of light conducting rods and fibres, lenses, prisms and front coated optical mirrors.

Features

• Fast drying, low odour
• Excellent plastics compatibility
• Non-corrosive, non-conductive - ideal for electrical or energised components
• Streak free - No rinsing and no residue
• Non-chlorinated
• Low in toxicity
• Non-flammable
• Favourable environmental profile
• No HCFCs, HFCs, nPB, or HAPs
• Over 95% active solvent
• Exempt from the U.S. EPA's volatile organic compound (VOC) regulations

Novec™ contact cleaner also features an excellent environmental profile. The product is non-ozone depleting, is exempt from the U.S. EPA's and most state and district definitions of a volatile organic compound (VOC) and contains no nPB or HAPS. It is based on a sustainable technology and offers an alternative for cleaners containing HCFC-141b or HCFC-225.

• Removes particulates, oils, light grease, silicones, dust and other soils from connector end faces
• Quick drying and non-corrosive
• Safe for plastics and metals

Performance
The photos below compare identical connectors that were wiped with isopropanol (IPA) and Novec™ Contact Cleaner. The Novec™ Contact Cleaner does not leave residual contamination on the surface that can affect fibre optic circuit performance.

Ceramic Connector Cleaned with IPA	Ceramic Connector Cleaned with Novec™ Contact Cleaner
MT Connector Cleaned with IPA	MT Connector Cleaned with Novec™ Contact Cleaner

Small clean-room swabs for biomedical or technical sampling, speck and fibre-optic connector cleaning, see page M8

3M™ Novec™ Contact Cleaner for Fiber Optic Connector Cleaning [PDF]

Cleaning optical components and instruments

M051 3M™ Novec™ contact cleaner AUD67.00 /113g Available

ALCONOX®
A concentrated, biodegradable, powdered precision cleaner for manual and ultrasonic cleaning.
Applications:

• Laboratory glassware
• Environmental sampling equipment
• Tissue culture apparatus
• Healthcare instruments and medical devices
• Pharmaceutical process equipment
• Food and dairy surfaces
• Optical substrate preparation
• Protective equipment contamination
• Metal and plastic precision parts
• Glass and ceramic surfaces
• Helps to decontaminate radioactive surfaces.

MSDS

M030 Alconox AUD127.00 /50 x 14g Availability

Terg-A-Zyme®
Enzyme-active, biodegradable, powdered detergent.
Applications:

• Healthcare instruments
• Endoscope decontamination
• Medical devices
• Bioreactors and fermentation apparatus
• Tissue culture labware
• Pharmaceutical process equipment
• Food and dairy surfaces
• Ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis filters
• Fluid-transfer systems

M033 Terg-A-Zyme® AUD150.00 /1812g Available

TRITON® X-100
(Polyethylene glycol tert-octylphenyl ether)
CAS #9002-93-1
Specific Gravity is 1.065

Use 1% Triton X-100 in deionised-distilled water. Used for whole-cell preparations. Marek, L.F., and Kelly, R.O. (1983). A simple technique for the visualisation of whole mount cytoskeletons with transmission electron microscopy. Anat. Rec. 207, 365. Pudney, J., and Singer, R.H. (1980). Intracellular filament bundles in whole mounts of chick and human myoblasts extracted with Triton X-100. Tissue cell 12, 595.

For Diamond Knife Soaking Solution use 0.08% solution of Triton X-100. It is a non-ionic (neutral pH) solution used to soften dried debris on the edge of the knife prior to recommended cleaning.

M035 Triton X-100 AUD26.00 /100mL Availability

CLEANING AGENTS - especially for ultrasonic cleaners.

• Ultrasonic cleaners on page E13

Effective ultrasonic cleaning requires the right combination of chemical agent, instrument and temperature.
Plain water is not an efficient cleaning agent. The addition of detergent at temperatures up to 60°C will increase the effectiveness of an ultrasonic cleaner. Best results are achieved with a cleaning solution that is formulated for removing particular contaminations and that will not attack the material itself.
Cleaning solutions can be used repeatedly until their effectiveness diminishes. Using exhausted cleaning solutions wastes time and effort.
Temperature is an important factor and heat is required to maximise cleaning. However, above 60°C the cements used for fixing ultrasound transducers may fail. There is also a safety consideration as above 50°C scalding can be dangerous. Higher temperature increases the detergent solution's vapour pressure and reduces the energy required for cavitations, which underlie its cleaning performance. Using some heat will greatly increase cleaning power with any cleaning solution. All our cleaning solutions are concentrates and may be diluted with hot water.

General Purpose Cleaner is a specially formulated cleaning solution for use in ultrasonic cleaners. It is effective in removing a wide variety of soils from metals, glass and other materials. This concentrated solution is biodegradable - phosphate and caustic-free alkaline cleaner formulated for general purpose and normal maintenance cleaning applications. General Purpose solution removes general soils, fingerprints, dust, packaging particulates, light oils, and greases. GP solution is safe for use with most base metals and alloys, thermoset and thermoplastic resins, and other synthetic materials. GP solution is easily mixed with water to form a concentration of 10-12% by volume, and can be used at temperatures ranging from ambient to 82°C.
MSDS

Jewellery Cleaner Concentrate is an ammonia based detergent which, when mixed with water, forms an ideal cleaning agent for water-soluble contaminants. These include buffing compounds, shop dirt, blood and animal and vegetable oils, inks, milk residues, chemical salts and food particles. See MSDS for incompatible materials. This is a very effective cleaner, which is safe for plastics, and for metals and most stones (not pearls) used in jewellery plus steel, stainless, chrome and pewter. However, the jewellery cleaner, like dishwasher detergent attacks metals like aluminium, zinc, copper, silver and brass. Dilute as required between 10 and 100x.
MSDS

Cleaning optical components and instruments

M031 General purpose cleaner AUD54.00 /950mL Availability
M037 Jewellery cleaner concentrate AUD50.00 /2.5L Availability

CHEM-DET
Chem-Det is an aqueous alkaline concentrate of anionic and non-ionic surface-active agents suitable for use in medical, research, educational and industrial laboratories.

Features

• Biodegradable
• Phosphate-free
• Chlorine-free
• EDTA/NTA-free
• Enzymes-free
• Anti-bacterial
• Non-flammable

Chem-Det is ideal for the cleaning and/or radioactive decontamination of glassware, ceramic, plastic, stainless steel, ferrous metals, rubber.
Not suitable for use on polycarbonate, non-ferrous metals (e.g. aluminium, zinc).
MSDS

M039 Chem-Det cleaning and decontamination agent AUD33.00 /1L 20% discount for 5 Available

COTTON TIPPED APPLICATOR single end
A low linting, cotton tipped applicator, 152mm long on a wooden shaft. Head size is 4.8mm ⌀ x 16mm long. Suitable for cleaning delicate parts.

Also see swabs on page M8.

M061 Cotton tipped applicators AUD10.00 /pk/100 10% discount for 10 Available

NYLON BRUSHES
For brushing weighing pans and other small areas to clean these of contaminants.
ABS handle, 110mm long widths of brush is 7mm. Bristle/ hair is fine Nylon.

MLB-N-110 Brush, nylon, ABS 110mm long handle, 7mm brush width AUD13.00 /pk/2 Available