Optimally adjusting cleaning saves money and resources

The system operating under full vacuum can be operated with solvents and modified alcohols. In combination with application-specific process technologies, the solvent system covers a wide range of applications from degreasing to fine cleaning. (Image source: Ecoclean GmbH)

When cleaning with water-based media, the equipment with multiple work chambers and flood tanks, as well as various process and drying technologies that can also be used in combination, offers an unprecedented level of flexibility. (Image source: Ecoclean GmbH)

The industrial transformation presents challenges to all production areas, which also affects component cleaning. The tasks have become not only more diverse and demanding but also need to be solved more efficiently and resource-conservingly. This requires effective, sustainable, and optimally tailored solutions to cleaning needs.

New products, altered production techniques, and process chains lead to a requirement for component cleaning to meet an extremely diverse range of tasks. Ensuring consistent compliance with very different cleanliness requirements – from grease- and/or particle-free to the removal of fine particulate contamination in the sub-micrometer range and nanolayer film residual contamination – must be guaranteed, as well as achieving maximum cost-effectiveness. To keep the CO2 footprint as low as possible, cleaning must also be energy- and resource-efficient. These numerous demands require solutions that are optimally adapted to the cleaning task.

Define requirements for cleaning processes and plant technology

When selecting the most suitable solution, the achievable cleanliness, type and amount of contamination to be removed, as well as the material, geometry, dimensions, and weight of the component, are among the key factors. Company-specific criteria such as throughput requirements, automation, and digitization must also be considered. This complexity requires a partner who masters the entire spectrum of cleaning technologies and possesses the relevant application know-how. As an experienced full-service provider of future-oriented and efficient solutions for industrial component cleaning, surface treatment, and automation, Ecoclean has both. With modular system platforms and custom-designed special systems for water-based media, solvents, and modified alcohols, the plant manufacturer covers the entire range of aqueous chemical processes for batch and single-part cleaning in virtually all industries. Various application-specific process technologies, such as spray, high-pressure, immersion, ultrasonic, and plasma cleaning, steam degreasing, injection flood washing, Pulsated Pressure Cleaning (PPC), or Ultrasound Plus, ensure that the required cleanliness specifications are achieved in a stable, reproducible, and resource-efficient manner.

Optimal cleaning solutions tailored to the task

The modular design allows for easy and quick configuration of cleaning systems that are precisely adapted to the tasks and company-specific requirements. For large components and high capacity demands, for example, the EcoCstretch can excel in operation with solvents and modified alcohols. The system, operating under full vacuum, is available in two sizes with two different working chamber diameters. This type of system is used, among other things, for manufacturing-integrated cleaning of aluminum contacts for cell contact systems before welding. The parts are automatically placed into cleaning vessels immediately after stamping. The supply to the system is via a dual-track feed system with double loads of four baskets each, measuring 600 x 400 x 125 mm, stacked and placed side by side. To meet cleanliness requirements such as "no particles larger than 500 µm and a surface energy ≥ 36 mN/m," ultrasonic Plus is additionally used alongside traditional processes like immersion and flood washing. The pressure is adjusted according to the component geometry to remove contamination from hard-to-reach areas. After cleaning and vacuum drying, a robot removes the vessels and places them in the unload area equipped with filter-fan units. From there, the parts are transported through a lift door into a cleanroom.

The modular construction also opens up a broad application field for the EcoCvela, designed for cleaning with water-based media. The system can be equipped with one or more sealed working chambers in different sizes and several flood vessels. This flexibility has convinced, for example, a leading manufacturer of vacuum valves for high and ultra-high vacuum used in the production of semiconductors, displays, and digital technologies. The company uses a fully automated system of this type for final cleaning of components made from various aluminum alloys, glass, quartz, and different plastics before surface inspection and assembly, which is carried out in a cleanroom. The EcoCvela L is equipped with two working chambers for large batches of 800 x 500 x 600 mm and three flood vessels. After cleaning, which involves spraying, flooding, high-pressure, ultrasonic, and PPC – sometimes in parallel – the parts are dried using vacuum, hot air, and infrared technology. The various drying technologies can also be combined, with process air being filtered through HEPA filters. Following cleaning, rinsing, and drying, the parts undergo a component conditioning process, also equipped with HEPA filters, before being introduced into the cleanroom.