Automotive

Customer
Worldwide Automotive Supplier

Application
Plastic & Rubber Parts

Background
Worldwide automotive supplier has 6 plants in Mexico, employing 3,800 people. One of these plants manufactures 10 different small parts of brake assembly components (o-rings, clips, screens, etc.) primarily made of plastic and rubber for several major car manufacturers such as: Audi, GM, Ford, and Chrysler.

Problem
The client had been using several ultrasonic tanks, a process which resulted in hours of downtime, lost man-hours, and high maintenance costs. The end result of this cleaning process was unacceptable. New parts cleaning system requirements were: a) equipment capable of running 24 hours per day/ 7 days per week, b) capable of washing millions of pieces annually (600,000 per day), c) fixtures to wash, rinse, and dry up to 10 different types of parts in less than thirty minutes, and d) able to meet a stringent cleanliness specification. Also, because of where the machine would be installed (a small room with a controlled environment), the sound emissions from the machine had to be suppressed and due to limited space, footprint size was a concern.

Solution/System
Design and introduce a stainless steel Cyclojet 2 tumbling system with a tight system footprint. Capable of washing, rinsing and drying millions of parts in just two (2) Kadon baskets, this unit was equipped with a fresh rinse and a recirculating rinse cycle for additional cleanliness. Total cycle time is less than 20 minutes...wash...5 minutes, rinse... 5 minutes, and dry...9 minutes. This unit included the following options: an Allen Bradley PLC, regenerative heat with steam exhaust, a sound shield, and emergency high back-up sensors for both rinse tanks.

9/27/99