Ultrasonic cleaning machine cuts finishing costs
A
Kerry Ultrasonics product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Apr 10, 2001
Manufacturer of metrology equipment Renishaw plc has significantly lowered the cost of product finishing with the introduction of an ultrasonic cleaning machine from Kerry.
Manufacturer of metrology equipment Renishaw plc has significantly lowered the cost of product finishing with the introduction of an ultrasonic cleaning machine from Kerry.
Designed to minimise solvent losses during the cleaning process, Kerry's Microsolve unit has cut weekly expenditure on solvents by approximately 40%.
The machine removes contaminants and swarf from the components of highly accurate measuring devices, which are used in precision manufacturing and quality control applications.
According to Production Engineer Damian Lai, one of the reasons for choosing the Microsolve unit was Kerry's ability to guarantee solvent consumption figures under standard operating conditions.
"None of the other manufacturers we spoke to could do that," he says.
Commenting on the savings achieved by the new system, he adds: "With our old machine we were spending around £150 a week on solvents, but now it's only about £90." The fully automated Microsolve M350/2C machine is fitted with Kerry's innovative solvent monitoring and auto top-up system.
Whenever the fluid in the machine drops below a certain level, the system automatically replenishes it and logs the volume of solvent delivered.
Downloaded into a spreadsheet, this data allows the long-term economy of the system to be checked, and any unexpected increase in consumption to be quickly identified and remedied.
Based in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, Renishaw manufactures metrology components in a range of materials, including stainless steel and tungsten carbide probes tipped with a small, spherical "ruby ball".
Damian Lai reports that, as well as cleaning the components more cost-effectively, the action of the Kerry machine has improved the strength of the adhesive bond holding the ruby balls in place.
The Microsolve M350/2C provides two-stage "co-solvent" cleaning using hydrocarbon and hydrofluoroether (HFE) solvents.
In the first stage contaminants are dissolved by the hydrocarbon, which is agitated by ultrasonic transducers and by the boiling action of the HFE.
The second stage, also ultrasonically assisted, consists of pure HFE to displace the residual hydrocarbon, and is followed by vapour rinsing and drying.
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