Ultrasonic Removal of Polishing Compounds from Medical
Cobalt Chrome Femoral and Titanium Tibia Production
Parts Using Detergents

I. Purpose

The purpose of this test was to evaluate the efficiency of the Ultrasonic Removal of Polishing Compounds from Medical Cobalt Chrome Femoral and Titanium Tibia Production Parts using VALTRON^® detergents.

II. Parameters of the Experiment

1. Conditioning of the Substrates:
   Nine (9) cobalt chrome femoral and 8 titanium tibia production parts contaminated with polishing compounds were submitted by the customer for evaluation. No further conditioning necessary.
2. Preparation of Detergent Solutions:
   10% VALTRON DP054
   10% VALTRON DP031
   10% Competitive Product
   
   500mL each of the above detergent solutions were prepared in separate 600mL stainless steel beakers. The detergent solutions were degassed for 15 minutes at a temperature of 170°F/77°C in a Blackstone Ney^® ultrasonic unit operating at 40 kHz and 100% power.

III. The Experiment

1. 500mL of 10% VALTRON DP054 was prepared in a 600mL stainless steel beaker. The beaker was placed into a Blackstone Ney^® ultrasonic unit operating at 40 kHz, 100% power, and degassed for 15 minutes at 170°F/77°C.
2. A femoral production part was vertically suspended in the detergent solution and ultrasonically washed for 20 minutes at 170°F/77°C.
3. The substrate was removed from the ultrasonic wash tank, and it was given a 15-second spray rinse of low-pressure deionized water at room temperature.
4. Next, the substrate was vertically suspended in deionized water, and ultrasonically rinsed for 20 minutes at 170°F/77°C.
5. The substrate was removed from the ultrasonic rinse tank, and it was given a 15-second spray rinse of low-pressure deionized water at room temperature.
6. Next, the substrate was allowed to air dry completely, and then inspected under the 30X magnification of a Leica^® Stereo Zoom 4 microscope for any remaining residue.
7. Steps 1-6 were repeated using 10% VALTRON DP031 and 10% Competitive Product on femoral and tibia production parts.
8. The results are summarized in Table 1.

IV. Results

Table 1: Ultrasonic Removal of Polishing Compounds from Femoral and Tibia Production Parts

V. Conclusion

Several VALTRON detergents were evaluated in the Ultrasonic Removal of Polishing Compounds from Medical Cobalt Chrome Femoral and Titanium Tibia Production Parts. The VALTRON detergents were compared to Competitive Product to determine which product could achieve a higher contamination removal rate. The results indicate VALTRON DP054 and VALTRON DP031 are comparable to Competitive Product in the removal of the polishing compounds from the femoral substrates. The tibia substrates cleaned with VALTRON DP054 and Competitive Product were tarnished as can be seen in the Photo 1 below. VALTRON DP031 resulted in 99% removal of the polishing compounds without tarnishing the tibia substrate.

Photo 1: Titanium tibia production parts after cleaning

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