Component cleaning - Combining ultrasonics with aqueous washing achieves stringent cleanliness targets

摘要

An extremely high level of component cleaning, which exceeds a requirement for just one particle above 100μm in 100ml of wash-down fluid, is being achieved by a leading manufacturer of hydraulic components, following its installation of a new washing system, Birmingham-based Hydra-force, which manufactures a wide range of valves, primarily for customers in the off-road and agricultural vehicle sector. is using a Midi system from MecWash Systems Ltd, Tewkes-bury (Tel: 01684 271600), to clean six individual component types - including a new transmission manifold for a leading manufacturer of construction equipment, The manufacturing process sees machining followed by resin impregnation, an operation that can - under some circumstances - result in machined residue adhering to the component, However, the MecWash Midi's ultrasonics capability is used to dislodge this material, leaving the washing process to remove it. This combination of processes results in highly cleanedcomponents that can be transferred directly to the assembly line, Discussing one of Hydraforce's most important customers, manufacturing engineer Andy Fellows says: "We are required to clean components to a precise customer specification, which calls for no more than one particle above 100μm in size to remain in 100ml of wash-down fluid drawn from a one-litre sample, However, early results using patch pull-through tests indicate that these stringent aims are actually being exceeded by the MecWash system,"