Keep process, material, and unit costs sustainably low

The combination of standard procedures such as steam degreasing, spray and immersion cleaning, as well as injection flooding washing with technologies like ultrasound, Ultrasound Plus, and Pulsated Pressure Cleaning (PPC), enables efficient and sustainable cleaning of various parts with high cleanliness requirements. (Image source: Ecoclean GmbH)

For an cost-efficient entry into powerful, economical, and process-safe cleaning with non-halogenated hydrocarbons and modified alcohols at low cleaning volumes, the EcoCbase has been developed in S and M versions. (Image source: Ecoclean GmbH)

If it is about efficiently removing contaminants such as oils, fats, emulsions, and chips, there is no way around non-halogenated hydrocarbons and modified alcohols. The new EcoCbase enables a cost-effective entry into powerful and economical cleaning with these solvents. The compact and flexible plug-and-play system was specifically developed for companies with smaller capacity requirements and high demands on process safety, resource, and energy efficiency. It can be adapted to applications for pre-, intermediate-, and final cleaning as needed.

On one hand, increasing requirements for component quality and cleanliness are being imposed in general industry. On the other hand, more diversified product portfolios lead to lower batch sizes. To remain competitive with these challenges, component cleaning must be process-safe, economical, and energy- and resource-efficient. For these applications, Ecoclean has developed the flexible EcoCbase, a cost-effective yet powerful entry-level solution for cleaning with non-halogenated hydrocarbons and modified alcohols. The compact plug-and-play system, offered in S and M versions, requires only 2,000 x 1,400 mm or 2,500 x 1,600 mm of floor space (L x W). The relatively low transport height of 1,940 mm allows the single-chamber full-vacuum cleaning system to be installed easily even in rooms with low ceilings. The maximum batch size of the EcoCbase S is 430 x 225 x 200 mm (L x W x H), with a weight of 50 kg; the M version is designed for batches up to 75 kg with dimensions of 530 x 320 x 250 mm. The system is typically loaded manually via an ergonomic loading station but can be automated if desired.

High flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and process safety from the start

The system, equipped as standard with a flood tank, ensures that the solvent is always available in optimal quality through full-flow filtration during filling and draining of the work chamber, as well as bypass filtration. If the system is equipped with a second tank, it features its own separate filtration. Continuous solvent purification via the integrated distillation unit also contributes to maintaining constant optimal media quality. The separated oil is continuously drained into an external, level-controlled container. This allows recovery of expensive processing oils, contributing to low operating costs and long media service life.

The filling and draining of the work chamber are performed in stages using frequency-controlled, high-performance flood pumps. To meet different cleaning requirements for various components and achieve desired cleanliness levels, standard procedures such as steam degreasing, spray and immersion cleaning, as well as injection flood washing, can be combined arbitrarily with ultrasound, Ultrasound Plus, and Pulsated Pressure Cleaning (PPC). The cleaning effect of these procedures can be further enhanced by a frequency-controlled rotary drive for product rotation and part positioning. This high flexibility ensures that the required cleanliness for pre-, intermediate-, and final cleaning tasks is achieved process-safely and economically in any case. The necessary process steps are stored as part-specific cleaning programs in the system control and can be easily selected via the intuitive HMI interface. With a total of 50 program slots, the new EcoCbase is well equipped for current and future cleaning tasks.

Resource and energy efficiency also convincing

To minimize energy consumption during cleaning, the EcoCbase does not only heat the medium entirely with waste heat from distillation. The solvent system also incorporates new heat recovery functions that reduce energy consumption and operating costs. For safe and sustainable operation, the system features a redundant safety concept with multiple automatic monitoring of all relevant temperatures and pressures, as well as near-emission-free cleaning. Another advantage is the high flexibility regarding material compatibility, allowing components made from different materials to be cleaned in a single system.

These features enable companies with low cleaning throughput to enter solvent cleaning cost-effectively. Additionally, the system is ideal for decentralized cleaning stations in larger manufacturing environments. An added benefit is that the solvent system can also be operated in regions where water consumption as a cleaning medium and/or wastewater disposal from cleaning applications are regulated. The prerequisite is suitability for solvent cleaning. Ecoclean offers cleaning trials worldwide in its own test centers for this purpose.