COVER STORY
ALL THE POWER IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND
We all know that high-pressure washers are a well established part of any cleaning company’s arsenal of equipment, but how
can we make them more user-friendly? At Kärcher, they believe they have a solution and here, we hear all about it.
When it comes to cleaning tasks in the industrial, commercial or public sector, high-pressure cleaners are one of the most frequently used machines, thanks to their ability to remove virtually all types of dirt. However an important prerequisite for efficient use is that the technology and handling allow fatigue-free working, even during long periods of operation.
In principle, all pressure washers are constructed in a similar way. However, those using different models over a prolonged period soon notice significant differences – irrespective of the performance data – such as maximum working pressure or flow rate. When it comes to real-life usage, it is aspects such as convenient operation and ergonomics in particular that enable the operator to work more efficiently.
Based on comprehensive market analysis and supported by extensive user surveys, Kärcher has analysed its professional cold and hot water pressure washers. This showed that the trigger gun still has potential for improvement as an accessory – particularly from an ergonomic point of view. To use a pressure washer, often for hours at a time, requires concentration and strength. And this is where the trigger gun, as the most important interface between man and machine, offers an interesting starting point for innovation. Improved ergonomic handling gives the operator the ability to work more easily and efficiently. For example, high trigger holding or pulling forces can quickly cause finger fatigue. Imprecise control of the spray lance or repeated work
18 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning
interruptions due to cramp in the hand muscles can impact upon comfort and effectiveness too.
Many of those surveyed said that setting up and changing attachments was time-consuming and strenuous. If attaching a pressure hose or spray lance or changing a nozzle becomes a nuisance, because release levers or fasteners are difficult to open, the enjoyment of work is usually over before it even begins. Operators also find leaky valves particularly annoying. Apart from constantly dripping water, pressure can reduce due to a leaky valve in the trigger gun, particularly when the high-pressure cleaner is started up again after a long break. To prevent this happening, a machine with this fault must be switched off completely prior to each break.
OPTIMISED ERGONOMICS Although the previous generation of machines as a whole, and the trigger gun in particular, gave little reason for complaint, data from the survey showed further user enhancements could be made. The trigger gun was extensively improved with regard to handling and technology. The most noticeable feature is the trigger which, for the first time, is at the back of the handle.
The operator no longer needs to press the trigger of the high-pressure gun with their fingers, but can now push it into the handle with the ball of their hand or the area of their palm. An easy safety lock, depressed with the forefinger, is all it takes to release the trigger. One press is all it needs. The new arrangement of the lever at the
back also offers the advantage that hardly any holding force is required during operation.
The necessary holding force is produced virtually as a secondary action of the constant recoil of the high-pressure jet. To ensure that this effect functions reliably, the spray lance, trigger gun and trigger form a working plane so that the recoil acts as a linear force on the operator’s forearm. The force necessary to control or operate the high-pressure gun and hold the trigger is shifted
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