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Neuffen – On the average, 27.5% of the production time required for manufacturing a cylinder head for a 4 cylinder diesel engine goes to cleaning, and manufacturing costs amount to 6.6%. Thus the cleanliness of components is not only a quality feature, it also plays an essential role as a factor in the value added chain. Considerable, but nevertheless unheeded quality and cost optimisation potential is frequently harboured by the parts cleaning process. Information regarding how this potential can be exploited will be provided by parts2clean, leading international trade fair for cleaning within the production process, at the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre from the 28th through the 30th of October, 2008.
The proportion of production time and costs required for cleaning is considerable for many components: Cleaning time comes in at roughly 10% for an auto body frame component made of steel, and the expenditures amount to about 5% of total manufacturing costs. This figure can be as high as 25% for ball bearings. These, as well as the above cited figures, were calculated by the Market and Trend Analysis division of the Fraunhofer Alliance for Cleaning Technology. Despite its great significance with regard to quality, as well as for efficient production of the respective components, cleaning in the production and value creation processes is underrated.
Cutting Costs and Increasing Quality with an Optimised Cleaning Concept
A requirements-oriented, well matched cleaning concept often makes it possible to exploit optimisation potential throughout the entire production sequence, and makes manufacturing more efficient. However, this can only be realised with the necessary know-how regarding the performance characteristics of the various cleaning technologies and how they can be ideally implemented. As Europe’s only trade fair for cleaning within the production process, parts2clean offers this know-how in a concentrated fashion at a single location. At the exhibition centre directly adjacent to Stuttgart International Airport, renowned foreign and domestic suppliers will present comprehensive product and service offerings covering the entire process sequence for cleaning within the production process from the 28th through the 30th of October, 2008.
Solutions for a Great Varity of Industries and Materials
In order to efficiently and reliably obtain the required degrees of cleanliness for workpieces and components made of various materials, for example in the automotive, electronics, semiconductor and food industries, machinery and equipment manufacturing, aviation and aerospace, hydraulics and pneumatics, optics, precision mechanics and precision engineering, as well as turning shops, foundries and hardening plants, parts2clean offers systems and equipment for individual parts cleaning and functional surface cleaning, as well as for batch processes, even in the cleanroom The criteria which must be taken into consideration when selecting the ideal cleaning process include the spectrum of parts, contamination, the material or combination of materials, part geometry and cleanliness requirements with regard to film-like contamination and particulates, as well as production throughput. The most suitable process (wet-chemical cleaning, blasting with liquid or solid media, plasma or laser cleaning and shock-wave cleaning, as well as special processes and combinations), process parameters and the number of process steps can be derived from this data.
In particular in the automotive industry and for its suppliers, the growing variety of variants and ever shorter product life cycles necessitate a great deal of flexibility. The use of modern automation and handling systems such as robots allows for quick adjustment to varying components and changing requirements within the cleaning process itself, as well as in manufacturing. Where cleaning agents are concerned, the suppliers are assuring improved economy, environmental compatibility and shorter process times by means of ongoing development and innovations. Media treatment also has a great influence on the efficiency of the cleaning process – especially in the case of aqueous cleaning. In this respect, effective, ideally matched filtration and separation systems are in demand (e.g. oil separators, particle filters, membrane filters and water treatment), which will be presented by the exhibitors at parts2clean.
If a batch process is used, the utilised cleaning racks have a great influence on cleaning results, time and costs. If the parts can be easily accessed from all sides, the right racks offer optimisation potential with regard to parts cleaning results, time and costs. Whether inspection for technical cleanliness of functionally relevant components for the automotive industry in accordance with VDA 19 and ISO 16232, or checking for workpiece cleanliness in other industries is involved – the inspection of component surfaces for cleanliness is a significant factor for quality oriented manufacturing. Thus quality assurance and analysis systems for inspecting surface cleanliness on workpieces, as well as for monitoring cleaning baths, represent further exhibition topics. In addition to this, solutions for temporary corrosion protection, preservation and packaging will also be presented, which assure that parts which have already been cleaned arrive at the customer’s facility in accordance with the specified cleanliness requirements.
Supplementary Program with Expert Forum and Special Show
As a supplement to exhibitor information offered at the event, the parts2clean expert forum will present comprehensive know-how covering all aspects of cleaning within the production process on all three trade fair days. The special show covering the process sequence for economical parts cleanliness in accordance with specified requirements will offer food for thought regarding optimisation of the cleaning process.
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