At the latest in-house trade fair, Silberhorn presented a groundbreaking procedure for partial parts cleaning which will save time and costs and significantly improve efficiency in manufacturing processes. This new procedure, which has already proven itself in practice, marks a major advancement in industrial parts cleaning.
A Closer Look at the Innovation
The new partial parts cleaning procedure constitutes a real paradigm shift in the industry. “Imagine you have parts that have already been cleaned, only to get dirty again during the manufacturing process – through subsequent milling work or test runs”, explains Markus Heinloth, Head of Research and Development at Silberhorn. “Until now, these parts had to be fully recleaned, which was not only time-consuming and expensive, but in some cases impossible, especially when sensitive electronics were installed. Then they had to be cleaned manually. And this is where our solution comes into play: Partial parts cleaning.”
Technology in Detail: How Partial Parts Cleaning Works
The partial parts cleaning technique is based on an innovative approach that allows for precise and targeted cleaning of individual areas of a component. The procedure uses a specially designed “hood” which is placed on the subsequently soiled area of the component. Under this hood, all cleaning and drying processes take place in an extremely efficient and targeted manner.
In detail, the system works as follows: The hood has a contour that is adapted to the component (as well as any variants of the component). It is automatically – and very carefully – placed on the component. Cleaning fluids are now applied to the dirty area inside the closed system. Specially positioned nozzles distribute the fluids evenly to effectively remove dirt and residues. The cleaning fluid containing the residues is extracted immediately. The treated area is then dried – including under the hood – so that no moisture remains. This closed process reduces the impact on adjacent areas to almost zero and significantly reduces the consumption of cleaning agents and energy. Whereas it previously had to be carried out manually, the cleaning process is now automated, process-reliable and integrated into the overall cycle time of the production line. After the cleaning and drying process, the hood returns to its home position and is reset, so other components can be cleaned.
“The challenge was to develop a system that provides both an exact fit and flexibility for different component variants”, explains Markus Heinloth. “Our solution combines these requirements with an adjustable and mechanically optimised hood that adapts to the different component shapes and thus ensures maximum flexibility”.
This precise and targeted cleaning process is efficient while simultaneously minimising the ecological footprint: It keeps the consumption of energy and resources at a minimum. “Only those areas that really need it are cleaned and dried”, says Heinloth, “this conserves resources such as energy, water, chemicals and many more”.Areas that were already cleaned in a previous process and have not been recontaminated will not be recleaned.
Background and Challenges
With increasing environmental regulations and the need to reduce CO₂ emissions, the view on optimal cleaning solutions has changed. While in the past, the focus was purely on cleaning quality, these days call for a more holistic view. “Our approach not only takes into account cleanliness but also the conservation of resources and cost efficiency”, explains Heinloth. “The partial parts cleaning process provides a solution tailored to the special requirements of our clients while also meeting sustainability requirements”.
Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness
The new technique offers remarkable benefits. For example, one project completed for a Silberhorn customer had the following impressive results:
- 23 % decrease in consumption costs per year
- 25 % smaller footprint
- 25 % decrease in space utilised by equipment
- 25 % decrease in investment costs
- 30 % shorter process times
- 45 % decrease in energy consumption
- 45 % decrease in cost per part
- 80 % decrease in use of resources
- 34 tons less CO₂ emission
These calculations are based on a period of 8 years. The efficiency gains result from precise and targeted cleaning, which not only saves costs but also reduces the company's ecological footprint.
Outlook and Further Developments
To even further increase sustainability, Silberhorn is planning to integrate all of its client’s subprocesses even more comprehensively into its constructive solutions. “We’re proposing to examine all the pre- and post-cleaning processes in order to exploit additional savings potential”, Heinloth says, looking ahead. “For example, we could optimise milling processes in a way that makes energy-intensive cleaning processes redundant, or use discharge conveyor belts for post-drying to eliminate the need for vacuum drying”.
With this innovative technology, the company once again underlines its commitment to state-of-the-art, resource-conserving solutions that meet the modern requirements of the market.
Photo: Technology of the partial parts cleaning process: A specially designed hood is placed on the dirty area of the component. All cleaning and drying processes take place under this hood.
