Background:
Small ammunition cleaning is imperative to remove chips and cutting oils in the manufacturing process in order to achieve optimal product safety and reliability. This company is a key ammunition manufacturer for the defense, aerospace, security, and outdoor sports industries and they needed to clean 7.62mm brass shell casings.
Parts Cleaning Problem:
They were using 70-year-old parts washers that no longer cleaned their parts efficiently or effectively. They needed a new small ammunition cleaning system to clean the shell casings after heat treatment.
The System/Solution:
The solution was a 5-stage D-24 Drum Washer with a 24-inch diameter drum that cleans shell casings after heat treatment.
The system outputs 40,000 shells per hour. Shells are put through the following 5 stages: acid pickling to remove the heat treatment scale, rinse, rinse, lube, and dry. All wetted parts of the system are stainless steel. The drum has “scoops” to bring the fluid into the drum (there are no pumps). In the wet stages, the shells are fully immersed. The system processes 30-35 lbs. of shell casings per minute.
Features include gas heat for the dryers, marine cleanout doors for each tank, a steam exhaust system, and an Allen Bradley Micrologix PLC and Panelview.
Please visit our Drum Washers page or contact us to learn more about cleaning applications and systems like this!
