Faster, more efficient, and more effective through pulsating beam

With the development of the pulsating nozzle, the cleaning efficiency and the range of applications of the quattroClean snow cleaning are expanded. (Image source: acp systems AG)

The new nozzle produces a pulsating jet with a frequency of 25 to 30 Hertz. It has a higher kinetic energy. (Image source: acp systems AG)

For full-surface and partial cleaning of various components, the quattroClean snow blasting technology has established itself as an economical and process-secure method. A newly developed two-material ring nozzle for a pulsating jet now enables further economic and technical advantages in CO2 cleaning.

Component cleaning is today an essential part of quality-oriented manufacturing across all industries. The cleanliness specifications to be met vary depending on the product, manufacturing phase, and the next step in the production chain, such as coating, bonding, assembly, or packaging. The trend is increasingly moving towards dry cleaning methods, which, like the quattroClean snow blasting technology from acp systems AG, ensure process-secure, demand-oriented cleaning results and can be easily integrated into production lines and linked manufacturing environments. The environmentally friendly alternative to wet chemical processes also offers advantages when only certain areas of the component, such as adhesive, welding, or sealing surfaces, require a defined particulate and/or film cleanliness level, or when cleaning is to be performed on assembled components. Another application area is the simultaneous deburring and cleaning of hard and brittle plastics such as PEEK and PPS.

Four effects for reproducibly clean surfaces

The process uses liquid, infinitely storable, and non-corrosive carbon dioxide as a cleaning medium. It is produced as a byproduct of chemical processes and biomass energy generation, making it environmentally neutral.

A key element of the cleaning system is a wear-free two-material ring nozzle through which the non-flammable and non-toxic carbon dioxide is conveyed. It relaxes upon exiting the nozzle into a fine CO2 snow, which is bundled by a separate, ring-shaped compressed air mantle jet and accelerated to supersonic speed.

When the well-focusable snow-jet compressed air stream hits the surface to be cleaned, a combination of thermal, mechanical, sublimation, and solvent effects occurs. The interplay of these four mechanisms reliably removes particulate and film contaminants. Dislodged impurities are blown away by the aerodynamic force of the compressed air and removed by an integrated suction system. The CO2 sublimates under atmospheric pressure, leaving the workpieces dry after cleaning and ready for immediate further processing or packaging.

Higher cleaning efficiency through new nozzle technology

With the aim of further increasing cleaning efficiency and application scope, acp has further developed its nozzle technology. The result is a nozzle that produces a pulsating jet with a frequency of 25 to 30 Hertz. Compared to a continuously jetting stream, the pulsating snow-jet has higher kinetic energy, resulting in an optimized cleaning effect: on the one hand, the micro-jet effect (mechanical mechanism) is multiplied. It is generated by the impulse transfer when the fine snow crystals with high velocity impact the surface to be cleaned or deburred. On the other hand, the repeated micro-explosions, which occur with each impact of the pulsating jet due to the approximately 600-fold volume increase during the transition from solid to gaseous phase (sublimation effect), enable more effective removal of contaminants.

Shorter treatment times and reduced costs

Thanks to the increased efficiency of the jet, treatment times can be further reduced in many applications. The effectiveness of the deburring process is also enhanced by the increased impulse transfer, allowing processing cycles to be shortened.

This opens up new prospects, especially when integrating the quattroClean system into automated manufacturing steps with very short cycle times. The company conducts trials in its own technical center. At the same time, the pulsating jet allows for reduced consumption of carbon dioxide and compressed air, which in turn lowers cleaning costs per part and contributes to increased economic efficiency. Additionally, the use of snow blasting with pulsating nozzles can be implemented in a more weight- and space-efficient manner.

Highly flexible – also in system design

Tailored to the respective cleaning and cycle time requirements, acp systems develops customized system concepts based on standard modules. These can be implemented as standalone solutions or for integration into automated or linked production environments. The scalable quattroClean process can be efficiently and space-savingly adapted to different component geometries for full-surface or partial cleaning. All process parameters, such as volume flows for compressed air and carbon dioxide, jet area, and jet duration, are precisely determined through tests for each application, material properties, and contamination to be removed. They can be stored as part-specific programs in the system control. Standardized interfaces enable easy integration into and control by higher-level master controllers. For comprehensive documentation and traceability, all process parameters are automatically recorded and transmitted to the master control system.