PARTS AND MATERIALS TO BE CLEANED

PARTS AND MATERIALS TO BE CLEANED

First, consider the parts to be cleaned. They may consist of non- or hardly-processed sections, sheets and wires. But also machined parts or assembled components needing cleaning. Therefore, they may be composed of different metals or different combinations of metals. Plastics and composite materials can frequently be found and indeed are on the increase because e.g. the automobile industry as well as others uses more and more lighter materials.

Mass and size can be very important for the selection of cleaning methods, for example big shafts for ships are usually cleaned manually, whereas tiny shafts for electrical appliances are often cleaned in bulk in highly automated plants.

Similarly important is the geometry of the parts. Long, thin, branching, threaded holes, which could contain jammed chips, feature among the greatest challenges in this technical field. high pressure and the power wash process are one way to remove these chips as well as robots, which are programmed to exactly flush the drilled holes under high pressure.

PLACE OF CLEANING

Another consideration is the place of cleaning. E.g. is the cleaning to be done on site, which can be the case with repair and maintenance work.

Usually the cleaning takes place in a workshop. Several common methods are solvent degreasing, vapor degreasing and using an aqueous parts washer. Companies often want the charging, loading and unloading to be integrated into the production line, which is much more demanding as regards size and throughput ability of the cleaning system.

Such cleaning systems often exactly match the requirements regarding parts, contaminants and charging methods (special production). Nonetheless central cleaning equipment, often built as multi task systems, are commonly used. These systems can suit different cleaning requirements. Typical examples are the wash stands or the small cleaning machines which are found in many insdustrial plants.