On average, 27.5 percent of the production time required for manufacturing a cylinder head for a 4-cylinder diesel engine goes to cleaning, and manufacturing costs amount to 6.6 percent. Thus, the cleanliness of components is not only a quality feature, it also plays an essential role as a factor in the value-added chain. Considerable, but nevertheless unheeded quality and cost optimization potential is frequently harbored by the parts cleaning process.
The proportion of production time and costs required for cleaning is considerable for many components: Cleaning time comes in at roughly 10 percent for an auto body frame component made of steel, and the expenditures amount to about 5 percent of total manufacturing costs. This figure can be as high as 25 percent for ball bearings. These, as well as the above cited figures, were calculated by the Market and Trend Analysis division of the Fraunhofer Alliance for Cleaning Technology. Despite its great significance with regard to quality, as well as for efficient production of the respective components, cleaning in the production and value creation processes is underrated.
Cutting Costs and Increasing Quality with an Optimized Cleaning Concept
A requirements-oriented, well-matched cleaning concept often makes it possible to exploit optimization potential throughout the entire production sequence, and makes manufacturing more efficient. However, this can only be realized with the necessary know-how regarding the performance characteristics of the various cleaning technologies and how they can be ideally implemented.
Solutions for a Great Varity of Industries and Materials
In order to efficiently and reliably obtain the required degrees of cleanliness for workpieces and components made of various materials, for example in the automotive, electronics, semiconductor and food industries, machinery and equipment manufacturing, aviation and aerospace, hydraulics and pneumatics, optics, precision mechanics and precision engineering, as well as turning shops, foundries and hardening plants, parts2clean offers systems and equipment for individual parts cleaning and functional surface cleaning, as well as for batch processes, even in the cleanroom. The criteria which must be taken into consideration when selecting the ideal cleaning process include the spectrum of parts, contamination, the material or combination of materials, part geometry and cleanliness requirements with regard to film-like contamination and particulates, as well as production throughput. The most suitable process (wet-chemical cleaning, blasting with liquid or solid media, plasma or laser cleaning and shock-wave cleaning, as well as special processes and combinations), process parameters and the number of process steps can be derived from this data.
In particular in the automotive industry and for its suppliers, the growing variety of variants and ever shorter product life cycles necessitate a great deal of flexibility. The use of modern automation and handling systems such as robots allows for quick adjustment to varying components and changing requirements within the cleaning process itself, as well as in manufacturing. Where cleaning agents are concerned, the suppliers are assuring improved economy, environmental compatibility and shorter process times by means of ongoing development and innovations. Media treatment also has a great influence on the efficiency of the cleaning process – especially in the case of aqueous cleaning. In this respect, effective, ideally matched filtration and separation systems are in demand (e.g. oil separators, particle filters, membrane filters and water treatment).
If a batch process is used, the utilized cleaning racks have a great influence on cleaning results, time and costs. If the parts can be easily accessed from all sides, the right racks offer optimization potential with regard to parts cleaning results, time and costs. Whether inspection for technical cleanliness of functionally relevant components for the automotive industry in accordance with VDA 19 and ISO 16232, or checking for workpiece cleanliness in other industries is involved – the inspection of component surfaces for cleanliness is a significant factor for quality-oriented manufacturing.