LPW receives European patents for the CNp process

../4 Captions: CNp is a cavity-specific special procedure. It exerts its cleaning effect directly on the material surface, even in hidden areas as well as complex geometric shapes.

LPW system in operation: The steam bubbles during cleaning with CNp are typical and can now be seen in numerous industrial companies with various requirements for high-quality cleaning. Photos/diagram: LPW

At the trade fair parts2clean, LPW introduced the new system "ULTRA," which among other features incorporates the technology of cyclic nucleation as a standard and is suitable for the highest demands in the high purity segment.

The production of flat screens, sensor technology, microchips, or medical implants requires a highly pure manufacturing environment. This also results in the highest demands on industrial component cleaning. In this regard, LPW Cleaning Systems GmbH has been among the innovation leaders in the High Purity segment for years, among other things with its CNp technology. Now, the Riedering company has received two additional European patents for the specialized cleaning process.

Already in 2015, LPW acquired several fundamental protection rights in non-European countries. Since then, the patent portfolio for the CNp process (Cyclic Nucleation process) has been continuously expanded and specified. This year, the two new European patents (EP 3717141 B1 and EP 2212906 B1)* were added.

LPW Managing Director Gerhard Koblenzer: “Our cross-industry expertise in the field of technical cleanliness, combined with the experience gained from participation in, for example, DIN standards committees or development projects, and the CNp technology on top, often makes the process engineering difference in the demanding tasks of our customers.”

The process is particularly powerful when cleaning capillary structures and complex geometries and essentially involves this interplay: the vapor pressure curve specific to the liquid acts together with the known cleaning effects, cavitation, and asymmetric volume flow directly on the laminar boundary layer of a component. This results in the extraction of contamination and its transfer to a preparation or analysis sample. Furthermore, the effect of cyclic nucleation can be enhanced by adding a washing-active liquid (e.g., cleaner).

The effective mechanisms are visible across the entire media-affected component surface – even below the laminar boundary layer and between the component and the contamination. Continuous cleaning and rinsing effects are also generated in capillary environments, reaching into the double-digit micrometer range.

Currently, individual pressure changes of 5 to 7 seconds are possible in large systems (current chamber volume between approximately 500-3,500 liters), and up to 1 second in smaller chambers. The new, partially already patented processes (Dynamic CNp) are already being implemented in system engineering and will allow significantly shorter pressure change times in the near future.

“CNp works simply and without problems but poses major challenges regarding technical design, material fatigue of assemblies, and software components. Over the past seven years, we have invested a lot of time and money into this technology and ultimately developed a process that allows users to operate safe and stable processes in a productive environment,” says Gerhard Koblenzer.