Vapor degreasing is a surface finishing process. It involves solvents in vapor form to cleanse the workpiece in preparation for further finishing operations.
The acting principle behind the vapor degreaser process is that the solvents will dissolve the contaminants on the workpiece and remove them by dripping off the part. A basin of solvent is set up with a heating coil to bring the solvent to boil. As the solvent evaporates it rises to the Fill line in the chamber, above which is air with a much lower density than the solvent. This contains the vaporized solvent in a closed space where the workpiece is placed. The solvent condenses on the more frigid workpiece and the now liquid solvent dissolves the greases on the part. With the impurities contained in the liquid beads, the solvent runs off the part. Some systems are designed to capture and reclaim this solvent, making the process much more economical.
Other adaptations to the simple system include: