How do you clean the granite on your CMM?

[[To...]]

I am interested in knowing what everyone uses to clean the granite on your CMM.

Also, but not part of the poll, what do you use to clean your probes?

Have a great day....

[[Da...]]

Most of the time I use Isopropyl, but sometimes I will use Starrett granite cleaner and then the alcohol.

[[Th...]]

Denatured alcohol is all I have access to. I'd like to have a proper cleaner like the Starrett stuff or whatever it is Zeiss sells.

[[Ow...]]

90% (the other 10% is water) or stronger Isopropyl Alcohol on the granite and probes for 17 years.

If for some reason there is a greasy/sticky substance left on the granite, I'll use something like simple green or 409 to remove it and then clean it again with 90% Isopropyl Alcohol as the others mentioned will leave a residue behind and must be removed.

I was told not to use denatured alcohol because as it evaporates, it also leaves behind a residue.

[[Je...]]

I agree with Owen.

Denatured alcohol isn't that pure and leaves behind some residue.

I tend to go a little heavy on the ISO. People walk into my lab and say it smells like a frat party.

[[No...]]

https://www.jfa.de/en/hcpg/p/11/clean/
Wait - is that what you mean by Uncle Carl's? 😃

Probes: I don't 🤣

[[Ch...]]

We use denatured for regular cleaning and then we use JFA Clean for deep clean days.

A Zeiss tech recommended JFA to me and it I really like it. It does a really good job of pulling out any dirt and oils that the denatured leaves behind.

[[To...]]

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HA I assumed that Uncle Carl might have their own brand but I didn't know about any particular product. Now, I have learned about JFA.

[[To...]]

I was always told that "some" brands denatured alcohol left more residue than others. The only thing I've seen Zeiss techs use is denatured alcohol but I don't know if this is across the board.

I was also told to not use Starrett Cleaner because it contained a "waxy" element to protect the granite that was not good for cmm's. Maybe it was more about using a competitor's product...lol

I find Windex does a great job. My windows are pretty clean so it can't be that bad. It's less hazardous than some others.

So many options and wives tales too.

[[Ju...]]

I'm surprised OxyClean wasn't an option.

[[Ro...]]

I use whatever is at hand, i dont think it makes 1 bit of difference what its cleaned with.
Remember the granite was once removed from a quarry with dynamite and a crane and a great big dump truck, you're not gonna hurt it with cleaner.

[[Ja...]]

I use alcohol on the guides and granite surface cleaner on the rest. I don't get it from Zeiss.

[[To...]]

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You're probably right but there are some plate inspectors out there that believe otherwise. Maybe it was Starrett marketing?

[[Ri...]]

I use Isopropyl alcohol and either Red or Green Scotchbrite.
The Scotchbrite is used to scrub off aluminum type buildup. Then wipe clean with lint free cloths.
You can take a granite surface plate and return its color to nearly new condition in a matter of minutes.
It takes me about 15 minutes to clean the entire granite surface of a 900x1800 CMM.
I've been doing this for about 20 years now.

[[Da...]]

I use starret surface plate cleaner, If it's really bad I'll use denatured alcohol as a pre cleaner.
I use denatured for probe balls.

Starret is good stuff , try cleaning a white Arkansas stone with whatever you think is good...then try starrets plate cleaner! its unbelievable.

[[Ro...]]

Windex for the initial cleaning to get all the major stuff. IsoClean for the second cleaning.

Quarterly/6 Months/Yearly... I do a deep cleaning on the granite depending on the amount of hours on the plate. We use the Starret Waterless Cleaner.

[[Ow...]]

Yes, at my age I do question my memory occasionally 🙄 .

[[Je...]]

The reason I use ISO is not for what it does to the granite. I use it to prevent contamination of the workpieces (medical, defense etc.), stylus systems and measurement process.

On a side note, my first CMM job was on an old Zeiss Eclipse. The scales were brass. The third shift guy doused the scales with alcohol rather than dabbing them with a lint-free cloth. This caused the scales to completely delaminate 😮 . That was not a cheap fix.

Dampen a cloth, not the scales!

.

[[No...]]

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Recently I had my bathroom renovated and put in stoneware floor tiles. They told me to avoid cleaners containing surfactants, as they tend to build up a slippery film on the tiles over time. I don't know if this is also true for granite and cleaners like JFA Clean, but it may be the reason why Zeiss recommended to remove the JFA cleaner immediately with a dry cloth until the surface is dry. So I wouldn't entirely dismiss that "waxy" argument.

[[Er...]]

99% isopropyl alcohol is what we buy. It is listed for first aid kits at Grainger Supply. MSC Direct sells the same stuff.

I do not apply the alcohol to the CMM. I do apply it to the granite to help lift the dirt out of it. Dymon all purpose foaming cleaner gets used when the forklift "makes a deposit." 🤣

[[Tr...]]

To do a thorough clean, I start out with Starrett surface plate cleaner. If there are difficult spots, like oils or some other stain, let it "soak" for a little while. The granite is porous and the cleaner will pull the offending stain up to the surface. After some scrubbing with a lint-free wiper, and the surface dries, there will be a slightly gritty residue left from the Starrett cleaner. To get rid of that residue, I use denatured alcohol. After all that, IMHO, the surface is clean! Hope this helps! 🙂