Customer Background
Customer is a Tier 1 supplier of air and oil pumps for the automotive industry.
Challenge
Customer was seeking a washer to effectively clean machine coolant, cutting fluids, and chips from aluminum die-cast vacuum housings and oil pump components. Four parts were to be placed on pallets in a single-row configuration. Part positioning was critical for cleaning and drying of difficult areas. Parts needed to be cleaned at a rate of one set of four parts every 26 seconds.
Solution
Alliance provided an Aquamaster CC-1400E conveyorized dual chain part washing system with wash, rust-inhibit, and heated blowoff zones. Stainless steel spray nozzles are positioned to completely surround the conveyor. Alliance designed and manufactured special part fixture components, which were affixed to the customer-supplied pallet for holding the parts. Alliance’s dual chain conveyor system is designed for handshake transfer of pallets from customer supplied tabletop conveyor to the wash system. Pneumatically-actuated pallet stop mechanisms, allowed the chain conveyor to continue operation while pallets are stopped in positions for precise cleaning of critical part contours. Three pallet stops, one each located in the wash, rinse, and blowoff zones were provided. Targeted spray nozzles clean features at stop positions in wash and rinse zones. Compressed air nozzles offer strategic timed direct air blasts in the blowoff pallet stop position. Hot air plenums are also located surrounding the conveyor for thermostatically controlled drying of general part surfaces. Other optional accessories included dual exhaust fans, stainless steel micro-filtration chambers with contamination sensor, belt-type oil skimmer, product sensor at the load end, and canopy interlocking switches.
See it in action:
Following the wash process, pallets containing parts are stopped on the conveyor so that targeted nozzles can dry critical areas of parts with timed blasts of air.