ICT - INDUSTRY NEWS
F
Š acp systems AG
Partial or Full-Surface Inline Removal of Filmic Contamination ilmic contamination is becoming ever-more important in the component
Dry and environmentally friendly cleaning process With the quattroClean technology
manufacturing industry. No
from acp systems AG, a proven
wonder, because the quality of
solution is now available for
manufacturing processes such
components made of practically
as bonding, sealing, welding
any technical material. The
and coating depends to a large
environmentally-friendly process
extent on surface cleanliness.
works with liquid carbon dioxide,
With its environmentally friendly
which has a virtually unlimited shelf
quattroClean snow jet technology,
life and is generated as a by-product
acp systems AG offers a proven
from chemical processes as well as
solution for the partial and
energy generation from biomass.
full-surface cleaning of parts made
In the cleaning process, carbon
from any technical material.
dioxide is fed through the
In addition, the scalable and
non-wearing two-component ring
inline-capable cleaning step is a dry
nozzle of the quattroClean system,
process that leaves no residues
expanding as it exits to form fine CO2
from the medium itself.
snow (Fig. 2).
This is then bundled by a jacketed jet While component cleaning used to
of compressed air and accelerated
be mainly concerned with removing
to supersonic speed. The patented
particulate contamination, today
technology ensures uniform cleaning
filmic residues are increasingly
results - even with large-surface
becoming the focus of attention in
applications using several nozzles.
industries such as the automotive
When the easily-focused jet of
and associated supplier
snow and compressed air impacts
industries, medical equipment, aviation, precision engineering, micromechanics and mechanical engineering. This is due to new and modified manufacturing, joining and coating processes. Filmic
on the surface to be cleaned at a
1
temperature of minus 78.5°C, a
Figure 1: Filmic contamination (here an anti-corrosion oil), which impairs quality in subsequent processes such as welding or bonding, is removed reliably in an inline process with the quattroClean system.
contamination, such as residues of
combination of thermal, mechanical, sublimation and solvent effects take place. Thanks to these four mechanisms of action, the quattroClean system reliably
processing and preserving media,
for the subsequent process need to
removes filmic contaminants such as residues
separating agents, silicon and other
be cleaned, e.g. where sealants and
of cooling lubricants, machining oils, separating
auxiliary manufacturing materials,
adhesives are applied or for welding,
agents and silicon. The quattroClean cleaning
as well as fingerprints, can impair
bonding, coating or assembly
process also reproducibly removes particulate
quality (Fig. 1). Added to this, often
steps – with a requirement for a
contamination. The cleaning process is so
only those areas of the component
production-integrated process wherever
gentle on materials that it can even be used to
that are relevant to cleanliness
possible.
clean delicate and finely-structured surfaces.
132
N. 54 - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 - international PAINT&COATING magazine