ICT
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Cleaning Solutions in the Automotive Industry ACHIEVING CLEANLINESS RELIABLY AND EFFICIENTLY
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omponent cleanliness is a quality criterion in the motor vehicle industry. Requirements are becoming stricter and stricter with each vehicle generation – with simultaneously increasing cost pressure. And thus for the automotive industry and its suppliers it’s becoming more and more important to exploit optimisation potential in the area of parts cleaning.
required in some cases. For example, based on calculations, the outlays required for cleaning technology which fulfils a specified requirement of “no particles larger than 1,000 μm” are two to three times higher than for systems in which cleaned parts are contaminated with larger particles.
Minimising Contamination
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Image source: LPW Reinigungssysteme
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Modular cleaning systems, which allow for adaptation in accordance with actual needs and integration into the production line, offer flexibility. Parts from diesel injection systems advance from the cleaning chamber to vacuum drying.
Global emphasis is being placed upon reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, as well as increasing safety and comfort within the vehicle manufacturing industry. Downsized engines are in demand which run more efficiently with high power output, as are components that are capable of withstanding extreme loads and are distinguished by tight tolerances. However, this is only possible with high precision components – and this is associated with increased sensitivity to contamination. If they end up in the wrong place, even particles with sizes down to 500, 200 or even just 100 μm can cause damage and failure in the field. This is why, in the meantime, the automotive industry has started defining particle size distributions for certain parts in functional modules such as the power train, steering and brakes, for example no more than 1,000 particles between 100 and 200 μm, 500 particles between 200 and 400 μm etc. In order to fulfil and document these requirements, large investments in industrial parts cleaning technology are
The issue of potential for economic optimisation in the parts cleaning process is pursued despite, or perhaps precisely due to the large investment sums involved in some cases. One approach is component design, because the geometry of the workpiece and the individual steps of the manufacturing process, for example turning, milling and assembly, as well as cleanability, are determined during the design stage. The latter usually plays no role at all, for which revenge is taken during the subsequent production process: The parts have corners, edges or drill holes from which particles and processing residues can only be removed with considerable effort, or not at all. Due to the fact that material is removed during the course of chip-forming machining processes, contamination can never be entirely avoided. The quality of cooling lubricants and machining fluids influences the quantity of chips, burrs and particles on the workpieces. Suitable purification/filtration prevents previously washed away contamination from being
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Image source: PERO
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This system has been adapted such that cleaned parts are transported directly into a cleanroom by means of a sealed roller conveyor.
16 AUGUST 2011