Dürr Ecoclean says its latest solvent-based parts cleaning machine increases loading volume by one third, thus reducing per unit cleaning costs, while saving energy and using more environmentally friendly solvents.
The EcoCCore machines offer process reliability and improved cleaning performance for any industry that uses solvents to clean parts, the company says. This includes machining or metal forming, aerospace technology, medical equipment manufacturing and other industries that require grease-free surfaces.
Additionally, the systems are designed for non-halogenated hydrocarbons and modified alcohols, which Dürr Ecoclean says provides optimum cleaning performance, good environmental compatibility and low operating costs compared to chlorinated solvents.
The EcoCCore is characterized by an extensive standard equipment level including, for example, two flood tanks, heat recovery, and full-flow plus bypass filtration capabilities. The company says switching from non-halogenated hydrocarbons to modified alcohols and back is easy, so the EcoCCore — which operates under full vacuum conditions — also addresses a company’s changing future needs. In combination with appropriate solvents, this system can even remove chlorinated oils from parts surfaces.
The work chamber is designed to hold cleaning tanks measuring up to 670 x 480 x 400 mm, offering one-third more loading volume than the 81C/P predecessor system. Throughput can thus be doubled, depending on the basket size. The maximum load weight capacity has likewise been increased by more than 30 percent to 200 kg. With a cycle time of less than eight minutes, this provides a significant reduction in per-unit cleaning cost, the company says.
The new preliminary steam degreasing process provides improved cleaning quality, Dürr Ecoclean says. Here the oil-containing distillate is not passed into the flood tank as usual but is directed straight into the distilling system. This minimizes oil deposits in the flood tank and an undesirable oil enrichment of the solvent. The result is an enhanced degreasing performance that the company says will benefit parts to be coated or laser-welded after cleaning.
In addition, the preliminary steam-degreasing step offers advantages under elevated oil drag-in conditions or when a second flood tank is used for a preservation treatment, the company says. This is made possible by an almost doubled distilling capacity.
The EcoCCore also boosts cleaning performance by its capability to use ultrasound and filtration simultaneously, the company says. Here particles are discharged throughout this process cycle, as opposed to conventional systems whereby they can settle at the bottom of the work chamber before being filtered. To this end the EcoCCore pumps are equipped with variable-frequency drive units and control the volumetric flow rate in such a manner that the ultrasonic system can exert its effect. This combined filtration system ensures an effective discharge of particles, according to the company.
Also, the unit comes with a frequency-controlled rotary drive for turning and high-accuracy positioning of parts. A “gentle” operating mode prevents sensitive parts from getting dropped or displaced during start-up or handling operations.
Internal heating elements have been removed from the stainless steel flood tanks. Here, the design eliminates the potential of particle trap points or chip accumulation thereby reducing any re-contamination of parts.
The EcoCCore machine has a 7-inch color display with self-explanatory pictographs that make operation simple, fast and safe, the company says. For instance, if a temperature needs to be preset only for the first flood tank; a matching setting for the second tank is then selected automatically.
Process tracking and maintenance are also made more convenient by the integrated part visualization system, the company says. An optional full visualization capability can be integrated above the control panel.
In developing this system, Dürr Ecoclean says its engineers paid particular attention to high efficiency and ease of maintenance. Because of this, both flood tanks are heated entirely with thermal energy recovered from the distilling circuit. The heat input from the distilling system can be adjusted as needed in multiple stages. This saves energy and guarantees a high throughput even with high oil drag-in rates, the company says.
For the discharge of oil, a new process based on jacket heating that is fully decoupled from the distilling system ensures optimized, gentle oil evaporation, the company says. As a result, a much broader range of oil grades can be removed in safe and reliable manner. Moreover, the system avoids oil encrustation requiring costly and time-consuming cleaning.
Cost savings are also achievable by the new level control system, which effectively prevents a carryover of preserving medium, thereby reducing its consumption. Switching from cleaning to preserving mode can be made by pushing a button on the operator panel.
The design of this equipment, which received the 2013 Design Award of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, features an integral loading system and its all-round enclosure made of safety glass. Additionally, the universal EcoCCore machine requires around 5 percent less floor space than its 81C/P predecessor, the company says.
A further benefit is that its top height can be reduced to only 2.25 m by removing just a few components where access to the installation area is difficult. This capability can also cut freight charges for shipment to Asia, the US or South America. For these destinations the company will also ship the core unit to the nearest Dürr Ecoclean site at low cost and complete its assembly there.
