Product category:
Cleaning media and cleaning systems
News Release from: IB Industries | Subject: Hockh Multi Clean degreasing system - Presspart
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 February 2008
Degreasing system removes lubricants,
oils
A degreasing system installed at a sheet metal pressed parts plant removes oil, lubricants and coolants from deep drawn parts, while achieving high cleanliness levels specified by its customers.
One of the largest suppliers of deep drawn sheet metal components in the UK, Presspart Manufacturing in Blackburn, has responded to the Solvents Emissions Directive (SED) legislation by installing a Hockh Multi Clean degreasing system Presspart has numerous approvals from leading automotive and pharmaceutical companies and, while specialising in longer runs and repeat orders typical of volume production, has the capability to handle bespoke and small batch work
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 27 Jul 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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* Degreasing - in order to meet these demands Presspart had a requirement for a washing and degreasing plant capable of removing oil, lubricants and coolants from deep drawn parts.
It also had to achieve the high cleanliness levels specified by its customers.
With existing systems consuming large quantities of solvent, and being very labour intensive, the key objective was to rationalise the current equipment to provide a cost-effective system while also complying with the Solvents Emissions Directive.
Presspart's engineering manager, Peter Woolridge, explained: "We were faced with the reclassification of trichloroethylene as well as the increasing solvent and labour costs associated with degreasing parts in six ageing cleaning plants.
Furthermore, growing demand from customers to provide high levels of particulate and residue cleanliness meant that the old processes could not compete with the latest available technology".
With a history of working together a solution was developed with Hockh (Hoeckh) and its UK distributor, IB Industries of Bolton.
This resulted in the installation in January 2007 of a fully-automated Multi Clean hermetically-sealed perchloroethylene system with five process circuits.
"As this machine was to replace a number of other plants, it had to be flexible to meet the requirements of a varied product range from ultra-clean, precision ABS brake components to large water pump parts," said Woolridge.
"The machine also had to be very reliable and easily maintainable as it was to form part of a lean manufacturing cell.
Hockh was the natural choice as Presspart already operated two other Hockh plants; a large, high-volume pin wash machine and a basket-type perchloroethylene degreaser".
With the new system the parts are held in a standard perforated basket size of 660mm x 480mm x 300mm and are fed automatically onto a conveyor.
This conveyor can buffer multiple baskets, allowing the system to run without any intervention.
The basket is pneumatically placed in the vacuum-proofed chamber and the transparent glass door closed with a knee lever lock mechanism, which is an added safety measure in case of power failure.
Once the chamber is completely under vacuum and the seal has been checked, the process begins with a spray pre-wash from Tank One circulating in a circuit through the chip filters with the basket rotating or swivelling.
This captures most of the contaminants within the first stage, using only a small amount of solvent.
After spraying the solvent is pumped directly from the cleaning chamber for recycling ready for the next load.
The chamber is then surged with solvent until fully immersed to allow the parts to be cleaned thoroughly with the support of ultrasonics.
Solvent is then drained back into its respective tanks through the filters to keep the solvent free from particles.
The double-grouped filters allow automatic switch-over to permit filter change-over or maintenance without stopping production, thereby keeping the machine running 24/7.
* Pure solvent vapour - pure solvent vapour, which is generated in a novel Hockh patented distilling system, is directed into the working chamber where it condenses on the cold parts to achieve a lasting finish.
With the vacuum running at up to eight loads/h, depending on the wash program, the Multi Clean system provides Presspart with the flexibility to degrease and clean a 'cocktail' of contaminants resulting from a mix of 120 different types of parts, with 30 types of geometries and up to 15 different materials, with a series of filtered circuits coupled with a more efficient combination of spray, rotation, immersion and ultrasonic capacity.
The last tank allows for anti-rust protection for certain products.
* Vacuum drying - the vacuum drying process starts by lowering the pressure in the process chamber to aid the evaporation of solvent from the parts before the chamber is vented again to the ambient pressure.
A double regenerating carbon absorption system, which can be regenerated automatically, removes the last traces of solvent from the chamber prior to finishing of the cleaning cycle.
For adherence to legal regulations, the system is equipped with a concentration measuring instrument.
This monitors the solvent concentration in the working chamber at regular intervals.
Only after falling below the legally designated concentration value of 1g/m3 of air is opening of the transparent door possible.
"The new plant in the lean manufacturing cell has revolutionised the manufacturing process at Presspart, as all parts are cleaned immediately after pressing rather than remaining in an oily state for long periods," said Woolridge.
"Keeping parts in an oily condition for an extended period leaves them susceptible to staining and they are difficult to store due to the amount of oil present on them".
IB Industries said that Hockh has an enviable reputation for supplying high-quality degreasing plants throughout the world to companies that value automation, high grade cleaning, sparing solvent distillation and reduced energy costs.
Only with a Hockh system is it possible to achieve such low solvent use due to the ability to distillate perchloroethylene with a highly efficient double distillation process, said IB Industries.
* Hockh at MACH 2008 - visitors to the UK's MACH 2008 machine tool show can discuss the Hockh range on the IB Industries stand.
The range features stainless steel construction allied to high quality welding procedures.
There is also fluid management facilities that can be interconnected with the Safe-Tainer system provided by Safechem, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company.
Presspart was already a user of the Safe-Tainer system and so, with the need for new equipment, Safechem's service alliance with Hockh was able to co-ordinate early discussion of various aspects of the project.
With the large amount of oils and the varying types it was decided to check potential problems by carrying out a number of oil compatibility tests on a cocktail of oils used in Presspart's processes.
The results of these highlighted areas for concern and, after consultation between Hockh and the customer, Safechem agreed that a slight change in the stabilisation of Dowper, Dow Chemical's perchloroethylene product, was desirable.
This is now in place and no problems have since materialised.
By installing a hermetically-sealed solvent degreaser from Hockh in combination with the closed-loop Safe-Tainer system, Presspart is benefiting from the high-quality cleaning performance of chlorinated solvents.
The solvents are used in a safe and sustainable manner - thereby complying with legislative requirements and contributing significantly to care of the environment.
* About Hockh - Hockh (Hoeckh ), with 30 years of metal cleaning experience behind it, has installed over 600 plants under the Multi Clean brand and has set the benchmark when it comes to innovation and quality.
It has also achieved various patents throughout its history, notably the Vacuum Drying patent filed as far back as 1987.
The Multi Clean range comprises hermetically-sealed plants that can be used for perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or halogen flammable solvents.
The Hockh system is totally sealed and works under vacuum, allowing solvents to work under reduced temperature and perform consistently on parts with various types of oils concentrations, complex shapes and high throughput demands.
Hockh's speciality is building customised cleaning plants from small to large chambers, all based on standardised modules.
Woolridge concluded: "The approach from Hockh was extremely professional, starting from initial concepts and quotations through solvent compatibility testing, component trials and, finally, delivering and commissioning the machine on time.
Furthermore, we continue to benefit from the on-board diagnostics that together with the design and layout of the machine enable our maintenance technicians and operators to easily monitor the condition of the machine.
The fact that the machine is a completely sealed system means that; solvent loss is virtually zero, so Presspart significantly exceeds all current environmental regulations and has seen solvent consumption decrease more than ten-fold in the first six months of operation".
* IB Industries at MACH 2008, NEC, Birmingham, UK, April 21-25, Hall 5, Stand 5485.
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