Cleaning parts and surfaces costs money - just how much money depends on the required result. Whether the job is simple degreasing or rather cleaning to meet strict technical requirements, achieving the necessary quality quickly, reliably and economically involves factors which go beyond the cleaning method used, including the selection of the proper cleaning media and containers and subjects like bath maintenance and packaging of the cleaned parts.

"Whether we're talking about the automotive industry and related suppliers, medical equipment, aeronautics, precision engineering, optics or electronics - today virtually every sector has strict requirements for component cleanliness, and this places significantly higher demands on cleaning," says Olaf Daebler, in charge of the parts2clean show at Deutsche Messe. To play it safe, an "as-clean-as-possible" approach is frequently taken, which has an impact on cost and therefore on competitiveness. The remedy is to take a suitable cleaning approach that meets all requirements and to optimize cleaning results while reducing costs. "As the flagship trade fair for its sector, parts2clean presents a comprehensive scope of products and services that address every aspect of industrial parts cleaning, from systems and media to bath maintenance, analytics for cleanliness control, corrosion prevention, protection and packaging," explains Daebler.

Fine-tuning cleaning processes for reliability and efficiency

Wet chemical cleaning processes are the method of choice for the majority of industrial cleaning tasks. Here the dissolving capacity of the chosen cleaning media has a decisive impact on operating costs, quality and the stability of the cleaning process. The core principle that applies to media selection is "like dissolves like." This means that solvents are normally used to remove oil-based (non-polar) contaminants such as cutting oils, grease and wax. Aqueous cleaners are generally used to remove water-based (polar) contaminants such as cooling and lubricating emulsions, polishing compounds, additives, salts, abrasion and other solids. Modified alcohols with balanced oil- and water-solubility are able to remove both non-polar and polar contaminants.

There is no magic formula for matching cleaning processes or system and process engineering to a particular scenario. They must be developed with a view to the overall manufacturing process. The following factors play a role: What materials are being treated? At what point in production do the parts get contaminated, and with what? Must this contamination be removed immediately, e.g. to ensure proper results in the next processing step? Does processing involve a variety of materials that can lead to cleaning problems if they are mixed? Does the cleaning of parts made of various materials such as aluminum, steel, titanium, carbide or ceramic create a risk of cross-contamination in the given facility? The answers to these questions can be used to arrive at a cleaning solution capable of optimizing both costs and results.

The parts basket or workpiece carrier also has a major impact on the cost and quality of the cleaning process. Effective filtration and separation systems such as oil separators, particle filters and membrane filters, as well as water treatment and in the case of solvents distillation capacity, also help to prolong bath service life and reduce disposal costs. For water-based media, continuous monitoring of cleaning agent concentration ensures that baths are not changed too quickly due to safety concerns, but instead only when insufficient component cleanliness can lead to problems in subsequent process stages.

Component and surface cleaning know-how

As the only trade fair in the world focusing exclusively on industrial parts and surface cleaning, parts2clean not only reflects today's market in its entirety, but also offers lots of added value in terms of its parallel three-day forum. Lectures on a wide variety of industrial parts and surface cleaning topics will be simultaneously translated (German-English/English-German).

One can explore all these aspects at parts2clean (www.parts2clean.de) at the Stuttgart exhibition center from 9 to 11 June 2015.

Innovative solutions for stable cleaning processes

The performance of downstream processing steps and/or the quality and functional reliability of finished products are critically dependent on adequate part cleanliness. At this year's parts2clean, scheduled for June 9-11, 2015, D?rr Ecoclean will be showcasing innovative developments that set new standards both technically and visually.

One highlight of the trade fair presentation will be the new EcoCVac dry-cleaning system. It has been developed for an energy-saving intermediate cleaning of powertrain parts such as cylinder heads and crankcases in modern engine and transmission production lines. Unlike the pneumatic cleaning equipment conventionally employed between machining operations, the innovative EcoCVac process uses no compressed air at all and hence, eliminates the energy-intensive compressed air generating step. This saves more than 50% of energy. A further advantage is that contaminants will be removed not just from the part, but from the working chamber as well. As a result, the system's process reliability and availability are both enhanced.

For degreasing, pre-cleaning, fine and ultra-fine cleaning in the general industry, D?rr Ecoclean will likewise be presenting innovative solutions at parts2clean. These include the EcoCWave in a new two-tank version for water-based media. Unlike conventional aqueous cleaning machines, it is equipped with round, flow-optimized, upright fluid tanks. This offers various advantages: For example, it prevents the formation of chip and dirt traps in the tanks and thus improves cleaning quality and fluid service life. Powerful pumps and large-diameter piping used throughout the EcoCWave accelerate filling and draining of work chamber and tanks. As a result, non-productive times are minimized and machine throughput is increased. These benefits are shared by the EcoCCore, a machine setting new standards in solvent-based cleaning that will also be on exhibit. It is designed to operate with non-halogenated hydrocarbons and modified alcohols. This ensures its future viability even if the part range or specifications should change. Moreover, this solvent-based system shines with an extensive standard equipment level that includes, e.g., two flood tanks, heat recovery, and full-flow plus bypass filtration. When it comes to ultra-fine cleaning applications as encountered in toolmaking, optics and medical equipment manufacturing, the cleaning systems offered by UCM - a member of the D?rr Ecoclean Group - provide unsurpassed levels of cleaning quality, process reliability and cost efficiency. Moreover, they come with unique design details - e.g., a four-sided overflow on all immersion tanks - as a standard feature.

D?rr Ecoclean GmbH will be exhibiting in Hall 4, Stand B38 at parts2clean on the Stuttgart Fairgrounds.