Metal cleaning is the process necessary to remove organic contaminants (oil, grease, etc.) and inorganic contaminants (chips, dust, etc.) built up on the surface of industrial manufactured articles due to their production and/or machining. Cleaning is a fundamental stage of the production process that not only affects the following machining and/or assembly, but also final product quality and operation.
WHAT CAN IT CLEAN? ANYTHING! Applications are countless: the diagram shows some of the most common machines producing the parts that can be cleaned using our metal cleaning machines.
ILSA manufactures specific systems working with different cleaning product types, so that customers have a wide range to choose from and a higher possibility to find the solution most suitable to parts to be treated and type of dirt to be removed.
| TETRACHLOROETHYLENE PERCHLOROETHYLENE |
ISOPARAFFIN from C9 to C12 | MODIFIED ALCOHOLS |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| SPECIFIC WEIGHT [kg/l] | 1,62 | 0,75 - 0,77 | 0,88 |
| SPECIFIC HEAT [kJ/kg K] | 0,9 | ca. 2,0 | 2,0 |
| HEAT OF VAPORIZATION [kJ/kg] | 210 | 255 - 300 | 280 |
| BOILING TEMPERATURE [°C] | 121 | 180-200 | 170 - 175 |
| VAPOR PRESSURE AT 20 °C [mbar] | 18,9 | 0,3 - 1,5 | 1,1 |
| FLASH POINT [°C] | - | 56 - 80 | 63 |
| SURFACE TENSION [mN/m] | 32 | 23 - 25 | 26,1 |
| KAURI-BUTANOL VALUE | ca. 90 | ca. 30 | > 1000 |
The systems may exploit a combination of different stages to solubilize organic dirt and mechanically remove any inorganic dirt. Such stages might be spraying, immersion, ultrasonic, high-pressure injection and vapour degreasing. After cleaning, parts can be protected against corrosion, if necessary.
Specific optional configurations allow to apply protective products on pieces at the end of the cycle. The phase can be carried out by direct nebulization of the product or by a total immersion phase in a solvent and protective mixture.
Parts are dried in VACUUM, a technology that has always characterized ILSA systems. VACUUM drying, in facts, allows almost instant evaporation of the solvent on the surface of treated parts, regardless of their shape that might be more or less complex. Drying stage is therefore short and efficient. In facts, this process, into a vacuum plant, happens on the base of the principle for which by reducing the pressure a liquid evaporates at lower temperature than what necessary at atmospheric pressure. By acting on the temperature of the load during the cleaning phase and sucking the air from the treatment chamber until reaching the necessary vacuum degree (< 40 mbar with chlorinated solvents and <5 mbar with modified alcohols), it is got the solvent evaporation from the load. The solvent is condensed by the cooler and comes back to the tank through the separator.
The parts to be cleaned are usually inserted into the cleaning systems by means of suitable baskets/frames of different dimensions and shapes.
According to product features and baskets/frames characteristics, the parts could be inserted in bulk or in a certain position or even fixed in place, yet allowing load movement.
Shaped covers could be used to hold parts in loading position, fasten them or restrain their movements.
The baskets contain the parts that make up THE LOAD and can be combined in different ways to optimise exploitation of the overall volume of the chamber.
The load is inserted, secured in place inside the machine in an automatic or manual way.
LLoad can be inserted and removed by hand, by means of roller conveyors and platforms, or by matching automatic or robot-controlled systems to the machine, possibly together with storage areas at infeed for the dirty parts and at outfeed for the clean parts.
According to parts requirements and features, the load can be completely turned around or swung at a set speed and by a set angle.
These two settings can be programmed by user and also allow for leaving load static. This solution allows to make uniform mouvements and exposure of the load to the phases of the cycle, even with multi-basket configurations.
If baskets did not have their own covers, it is possible to design automatic or semi automatic covers to prevent parts from falling out during rotation.
The cleaning fluid removes and takes up all impurity from the parts.
ILSA machines feature specific devices and programmes that allow the fluid to keep ideal conditions.
During these stages, suitable filters are used, having different capacity and type, to hold any dirt particle such as chips and dust, while oil and grease are separated from fluid thanks to built-in and continuous distillation system.
Cycle is programmed and controlled by means of a PLC Siemens and a software specifically designed for use on ILSA cleaning systems.Is possible to control all system functional and information features (Log, Alarms, Set Up, Maintenance Programmes).
These activities can also be performed through the ethernet that is also used to obtain on-line assistance.
Moreover, ILSA can supply all devices and complimentary services to offer a “turnkey package” with drives and controls for the cleaning systems.
LSA R&D has always focused on enhancing and optimising the safety conditions and the environment protection, and implemented the regulations about the use of the cleaning systems.
An example of attention to energy consumption, then to the environment, is the system “ILSA OE” which, through a suitable hydraulic construction and an automatic management software, allows to manage and exploit the solvent vapors generated in the distiller for both degreasing of the components to be cleaned that for the heating system, reducing both power consumption that the refrigeration energy used for the condensation of the vapors.
The configuration “Plug & Play” incorporates a condensing system with air exchanger that eliminates any type of connection to external cooling water or additional equipment such as chillers