Feature Industrial cleaning Cabinet washer keeps components pristine
A customised cabinet washer, developed and supplied by Industrial Washing Machines (IWM), is helping a turbocharger manufacturer achieve and maintain the highest standards of cleanliness in production operations
T
he new washer is used to clean plastic tubs that transport small components for commercial vehi- cle turbochargers between the various processes involved in their manufacture. Keeping these tubs scrupulously clean ensures that there is no risk of these critical precision- engineered components becoming contaminated or soiled.
Approached by the manufacturer to develop a machine for this applica- tion, engineers at IWM faced the spe- cial challenge of having to deal with soiling on the tubs that could include oils of various types and, in some cases, heavy grease. They determined that the best and most economical solution would be provided by a highly customised version of the com- pany’s popular EDi 13 cabinet washer. This is a well-proven machine designed for manual batch loading. All major components, including the body of the machine, are manufactured from stainless steel to ensure durability. Revolving wash and rinse arms are provided to ensure optimum cleaning efficiency, and the machine features easy extraction wash racks for fast con- venient loading and unloading. An intuitive operator interface panel is
provided that uses a membrane key- board to ensure IP67 protection against the ingress of water and dust. After carefully analysing the require- ments and examining samples of the tubs to be cleaned, IWM modified its standard design to include a fine particulate filter system, and a skim- mer to remove oil residues from the wash water. The control system was also customised to meet the user’s requirements, including provision for the wash water to be preheated auto- matically prior to the start of a shift so that the machine would be ready for immediate use. To meet exacting safety standards, IWM additionally provided an auto- matic locking mechanism for the washer door, which ensures the door cannot be opened accidentally while the washer is in operation. To min- imise maintenance requirements and to ensure a long reliable service life, the machine also features an integral water conditioner that guards against the build up of scale.
The customised EDi 13 cabinet washer supplied by IWM employs a hot wash cycle using a low-foam deter- gent specifically formulated for use in the automotive industry, followed by a
A customised cabinet washer from Industrial Washing Machines is being used to keep turbocharger components scrupulously clean
hot rinse. After the tubs have been rinsed, they are retained in the machine for an adjustable dwell period to allow them to dry naturally before being returned to use. “The machine is ideal for our envi- ronment as it’s compact, easy to set up and easy to use. We’re confident that it will be a big asset in our constant quest to ensure that our products always offer the highest possible quality and best possible performance,” says the senior shift leader.
Industrial Washing Machines T: 0121 4599511
www.indwash.co.uk
Enter 325
Converting manual CIP to automatic saves £120,000 a year C
onverting a manual CIP process to automatic across 80 reaction vessels, using pressure transmitters, condition sensors and flow meters, has enabled Burkert to achieve savings of £120,000 per annum for a UK pharmaceutical manufacturer. Prior to the installation of the Burkert system, the reaction tanks were each cleaned for six hours, constantly flushed to drain with hot water at 700C. This was a purely manual process based upon operator experience, rather than positive signals from the process that the cleaning procedure was complete. The weekly costs for the manual cleaning procedure were substantial: energy costs were running at around £4,000, with water at approximately £1,000 and effluent costs approaching the same figure. In total, the combined weekly figure across all activities included in the cleaning was £5,900; or a considerable £295,000 per annum. Keen to reduce these costs, engineers at the pharmaceutical manufacturer contacted Burkert. This resulted in a site visit to view the manual CIP process. Following the visit Burkert suggested a solution for each reaction vessel based upon a Type 8311 pressure transmitter, a Type 8222 condition sensor and a Type 8041 flow sensor. These products were installed on a test group of the vessels and linked the plant SCADA system. The CIP process was then undertaken in an automatic mode, with the 8222 condition monitor providing effective feedback of when the water in the vessel was clean – and hence the vessel itself – to the SCADA system, which terminated the process.
On the basis of the initial tests, engineers at the pharmaceutical plant calculated that their CIP costs would be reduced by 40 per cent, or £120,000 per year using the Burkert equipment.
“This application highlights the savings that can be achieved on even the simplest of processes, as a result of consulting our specialist engineers,” says Burkert UK sales manager, Neil Saunders. “All business sectors are incredibly competitive, so all opportunities to exploit so-called ‘low hanging fruit’ have to be taken and optimised. With our specialist knowledge and leading edge product range this is what we do: and the results speak for themselves, as evidenced by this application.” Burkert
T: 01453 731353 Factory Equipment MAY 2011
www.burkert.co.uk Enter 326 21
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