CLEANING
the start that we didn’t bring any other suppliers on board,” reports Haushammer. “We receive very good advice and have been able to build up a certain amount of expertise in ultrasonic cleaning over the years. Today, we only really need the expertise of Weber Ultrasonics for special projects.”
EDGE ROUNDING AND CLEANING OF KILOMETER-LONG METAL STRIPS One such project was the development and production of a complete solution for processing steel strips of different widths and thicknesses and several kilometers in length. The task actually sounded simple: to produce a defined edge rounding on one side of the parts and prepare them for subsequent preservation by the customer. “The process speed was also an important factor,” explains Haushammer. VULIC ECM designed a modular throughfeed system with pre-cleaning, ECM processing and post-cleaning stations including ultrasonic.
The module for post-cleaning consists of three separate zones. The middle zone is equipped with a 25 kHz Sonosub transducer with 500 watts of power on the floor side. The laser-welded capsule of the transducer is extremely smooth and therefore minimises deposits. With the Sonic Digital HS3 generator, which has been adapted in terms of output, the frequency of 25 kHz is digitally generated, controlled and monitored by a 32-bit microcontroller. The power can be regulated in the range from 10 to 100 percent in 1 per cent increments, which allows optimum adaptation to part-specific cleaning programs.
for example with ultrasonic, since 2018 and also uses them in the service sector. VULIC ECM manufactures the cleaning tanks in-house to customer specifications, now also for applications without ECM. The company was looking for an efficient partner for the ultrasonic equipment.
ULTRASONIC ADAPTED TO THE RESPECTIVE APPLICATION
One company for cleaning media recommended Weber Ultrasonics AG. The internationally active
company develops and produces ultrasonic components for cleaning, welding and cutting. The generators for component cleaning are available in different frequencies, also as multi-frequency systems. In combination with frequency-adapted plate, immersion and rod transducers, they enable the construction of compact cleaning solutions that are individually tailored to the workpieces and cleanliness requirements. “We also spoke to other manufacturers at the time, but the collaboration with Weber Ultrasonics worked so well right from
PROCESSING AND CLEANING AT HIGH PROCESS SPEEDS
The belts, which are slightly contaminated with oil, are unwound on the infeed side using a decoiler and undergo a combined spray and brush pre-cleaning in the first station. Edge rounding takes place in the middle module. At the post-cleaning station, the steel strip is sprayed off in the first zone and completely drawn into the tank filled with cleaning medium via a roller in zone 2. In this liquid bath, the ultrasound develops its effect through acoustic cavitation: the immersible transducer transmits the electrical signals generated by the generator into the liquid, creating an alternation of negative and positive pressure. In the negative pressure phases, microscopically small cavities are formed, which collapse (implode) in the subsequent positive pressure phase. This creates shock waves with considerable energy, which “blast off” particulate and filmic-chemical contamination. At the same time, microflows develop which flush away detached or dissolved contaminants. The belts are transported via another roller to zone 3, which is equipped with a hot-air drying system. They are then protected against corrosion in the customer’s preservation unit before being rolled up again.
Weber Ultrasonics
www.weber-ultrasonics.com
UKManufacturing Spring 2026 45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
