General | Photonic Cleaning Technologies

What
is First Contact™?
First Contact™ solution is a one-part, easy-to-use product
for cleaning and protecting precision optics and surfaces. First
Contact™ is specially formulated to minimize surface adhesion
and yet clean surfaces safely and effectively. First Contact™
solution applies quickly and easily, dries to a tough, flexible,
elastic film, which pulls easily off the surface when the special peel
tab is used. This process produces an amazing optically clean surface.

First Contact™ designer polymer is impervious to
water, water vapor, sulfur, and oxygen. It is chemically inert and
forms a tough, flexible film. These characteristics make First
Contact™ a logical choice for protecting precision optics in
storage and during shipment.

How does First Contact™ work?
Years of research led to the development of this novel designer
polymer/solvent system. It is a carefully tuned chemical system
optimizing the desired properties of adhesion and drying to avoid
thermal coating stress. First Contact™ cleans without rubbing
or dragging because the user never touches anything but the First
Contact™ solution and the First Contact™ film.
Cleaning with First Contact™ cannot create scratched
surfaces!

What
surfaces can be cleaned with First Contact™?
First Contact™ is a revolutionary product with the amazing
ability to remove organic residues and dirt from precision optics,
crystals, metals, and glass. It really cleans diffraction gratings, too!

First Contact penetrates nanostructure and conforms to all surface contours to clean treated surfaces; a diamond scribed Si wafer illustrates this benefit.

Si wafer with diamond scribed cross. Before and after First Contact™

First Contact™ can clean any surface that is not
soluble in strongly polar organic solvents such as acetone or ethanol,
including all types of glass, metals, silica, Si, Ge, KRS-5, NaCl, KBr,
and all polar inorganic crystals. It works on frosted glass, diffuse
reflective and even many anodized surfaces! First Contact™
even cleans AR and reflective coatings, most commercial first surface
mirrors (protected and unprotected), and some plastics, for example
nylon and Delrin®, that don’t dissolve in polar
organic solvents such as acetone. First Contact™ possesses a
perfectly balanced adhesive force to hold the residues without holding
onto the many expensive precision coatings in use on today’s
optics.

First Contact™ solution is applied to the surface
one wants clean. The solution conforms to the surface shape and dries
to a plastic film in intimate contact with every surface feature and
contour. The dried film is removed, leaving an optically clean surface.
First Contact™ cleans mirrors, lenses, and diffraction
gratings, among other important optics.

First Contact cleans Si mirrors

That said, First Contact™ is not for use on plastics
that dissolve in strongly polar organic solvents. Chief among materials
one should never try to clean with First Contact™ is
polycarbonate which is the most common material used in prescription
eyeglassses. DO NOT USE FIRST CONTACT™ TO CLEAN PRESCRIPTION
EYEGLASSES OR OTHER PLASTIC LENSES.

What will First Contact™ clean from the
surface?
First Contact™ cleans organic residues and small particles
from surfaces. It will remove human skin oils, specifically
fingerprints, from any object suitable for cleaning with polar organic
liquids. If you are unsure, please contact Photonic Cleaning
Technologies at sales.photoniccleaning.com.

Can First Contact™ clean
water soluble residues from precision optics?
In some cases First contact™ does remove water soluble contaminants. However First Contact™ solution is designed to remove organic contamination and small particles. It will not reliably remove water
soluble residues by itself.

But, many water soluble residues can be removed
effectively in a two-step process. Step one is to use suitable
methods to dissolve the water soluble residues, usually a weak detergent solution is sufficient. Step two is to apply First Contact™ solution
to remove the aqueous solution, particulates and organic contaminants from the surface.

What does First Contact™ do in
addition to clean surfaces?
First Contact™ can be used to protect precision surfaces from
physical and chemical damage making it an excellent choice for storage,
shipping, and manufacturing protection.

First Contact™ provides physical protection from
scratching and abrasion. The tough plastic film adheres firmly to the
surface and protects it from physical harm.

First Contact™ provides protection from chemical
attack. First Contact™ is impermeable to water, water vapor,
sulfur, and oxygen.

What can First Contact™ NOT do?
First Contact™ cannot repair damaged surfaces nor can it
clean all plastics.

FIRST CONTACT™ WILL DISSOLVE MOST EYEWEAR OR PLASTIC
LENSES! The solvent system contains strongly polar liquids capable of
dissolving many plastics including polycarbonates and polystyrenes.

First Contact™ will not repair scratches or restore
corroded surfaces. First Contact™ can remove fingerprints as
long as the residue is reasonably fresh and the oils and acids have not
etched the optic surface.

First Contact™ neither repairs nor creates surface
imperfections. When properly applied, nothing touches the optic surface
except liquid First Contact™.

How is First Contact™ applied?
First Contact™ may be brushed onto the surface, sprayed on, placed on the surface using an eyedropper or pipette; it may even be applied by simply dipping the optic into First Contact™ Polymer Solution. Application techniques may be found on the First Contact™ Instructions page.

How much First Contact™ will I need?
The First Contact™ solution must be applied generously enough
to create a thick, dry film on the surface that will peel off without
tearing. The film is a tough, flexible plastic.

For a smooth surface – like a mirror –
plan on using about 1 ml First Contact™ solution for four (4) square inches
of surface area treated. (1 ml per four square inches is the same as 1 ml per 26
square cm.) Rough surfaces and grooved surfaces need more solution than this.

How long does it take for First
Contact™ to
dry to a strong, flexible film?
The short answer is that First Contact™ solution takes about 15
to 20 minutes to dry on a typical mirror or lens. Rough surfaces like
diffraction gratings need at least 2 to 3 times longer.

The long answer is it depends on many factors including
ambient temperature, amount applied per surface area, etc. The more
First Contact™ solution applied, the longer the dry time; the
cooler the room, the longer the dry time.

How is First Contact™ removed from the
object?
When First Contact™ solution has dried thoroughly, the film
will peel off quickly and easily using the special peel tabs provided
in the regular and deluxe kits. Simply expose the sticky side of the
peel tab, place it on the film, make sure the sticky tab and film are
in intimate contact, wait about 15 seconds, and gently pull up. For
best results, pull from an edge of the film towards the center.

The First Contact™ film
tore while removing, what should I do?
First Contact™ film is a very tough,
flexible material. If the film tore while being removed, the coating is
probably too thin. Stop peeling, apply more First Contact™,
and allow it to dry. The old, torn film and the new application will
form a thicker film coating that should be easily removed without
tearing. Leave the peel tab in place when applying additional solution
and use it to remove the dried film.

The First Contact™ film is
sticking to the surface. What is happening?
First Contact™ is a solution of polymer in solvents. The
polymer forms a film as the solvents evaporate. Even though the film is
present, the solvents may still be evaporating and the film is not as
strong as it will be when it is dry.

If possible, lay the film back down on the surface and apply
more First Contact™ solution to re-dissolve any polymer
adhering to the surface where the wet film was lifted. Allow the
solution plenty of time to dry before attempting to remove the film a
second time.

What
ventilation is needed when using First Contact™?
First Contact™ solution contains volatile solvents including
acetone and ethanol. Adequate ventilation is necessary when using the
product.

It may not need saying, but these solvents are also quite
flammable and the product should not be used near open flame or other
ignition sources.

Is First Contact™ solution flammable?
Yes, First Contact™ solution is flammable. Use only with adequate ventilation and
protect from open flames or other ignition sources.

Is First Contact™ solution toxic?
Yes, the solution is toxic. It contains several organic solvents. See
the instruction sheet and MSDS for more information about the product.

The solution is not a serious irritant however. If it should
get the skin, it can be easily peeled off when it dries.

Is the First Contact™ polymer film
flammable?
The dry First Contact™ polymer film is essentially inert and
will not easily burn.

Can First Contact™ be used on
larger surface areas?
Yes, First Contact™ can be used on any surface suitable for
the solution compostion.

On larger surfaces it is suggested to use more substantial
removal techniques than the small peel tabs provided in the regular and
deluxe kits. Intermediate surfaces may be peeled using bumper
sticker-size tabs that Photonic Cleaning Technologies can supply on
request. Very large surfaces may require special fine mesh cloth, available
from Photonic Cleaning Technologies, be applied between a double
application of First Contact™ solution. The cloth becomes
part of the coating without ever touching the surface and provides a
strong matrix to pull and remove the dry film.

Can First Contact™ be applied as a spray?
First Contact™ solution can be applied as a spray. Photonic Cleaning Technologies provides Spray First Contact which is ready-to-use from the bottle. PCT also identified three manual spray bottle systems which are compatible with Spray First Contact. Spray First Contact and manual spray bottles can be purchased on the Yahoo! store link, First Contact™ Store

Research and experimentation shows that HVLP spray technology is compatible with First Contact™ application. Standard First Contact™ can be sprayed with this technology. Contact us for more information.

How
do I work with or remove cured First Contact™?

The dry First Contact™ film should remove easily
using a peel tab. See ‘How is First Contact™
removed from the object?’.

If the dry film does not come off easily, try applying a new
coating of First Contact™ solution. This should re-dissolve
the old film. Let the application dry thoroughly and remove the dried
film.