b'Clean Machine volved an aggressive pre-wash, anAll of Ecocleans cleaning ma-ultrasonic wash, rinsing and drying.chines also dry parts.However, less than 10% of the com- Is it always necessary? Siminovich one measuring 304.8 mm304.8panys cleaning systems have multi- said. Nope, but it does make sense mm (12"12"). Parts go into a bas- ple stages. to have a drying stage. Theres a blow-ket, which a user lowers into a tankConversely, most of Miraclean Ul- off dry process where hot air inside that contains chemistry. The amounttrasonics systems are automatedthe machine will blow-dry the part. of time needed to clean them is cal- and have multiple stages for partsVacuum dry is more effective because culated through trial and error. Partsthat require a high level of cleanli- it will remove all of the contamination then are rinsed. Some operationsness, such as those for the medicalfrom the parts. With blow-off drying, use a second tank for rinsing. Oth- device and aerospace industries. that process can reintroduce contam-ers just rinse parts in a sink andKucklick said he also has beenination onto the parts because when blow off excess water by hand withseeing more automated parts clean- youre blowing air around the part, a compressed air hose. ing, which necessitates proper com- theres a risk of sending the particles A large facility that deals withmunication among various piecesback onto the parts.heavily soiled items, such as injec- of production and cleaning equip- Depending on the process, clean-tion molds or remanufactured au- ment. Most are still manual or semi- ing time can vary widely. An equip-tomotive parts, might need a big- automatic, whereby an operator isment supplier typically helps a cus-ger parts washer that offers morepresent at the beginning and endtomer determine which process is mechanical cleaning action. Thatof a cycle but not through the entireneeded and how to set up a proper may require an ultrasonic tank thatperiod. In addition, there has been acleaning system for it.heats water and has a platform thatfairly constant shift from solvents to agitates up and down. Those partswater-based cleaners, especially inMake an Informed Decisionalso must be rinsed and inhibitedlocations with strict environmentalWhen looking for a parts washer, or dried. regulations, such as California, butan end user must have some infor-An installation by Graymills in- solvents can be more cost-effective. mation ready for a supplier.The EcoCcore is one of Ecocleans best-selling industrial parts washers. The unit shown is a batch cleaning machine. Ecoclean44APRIL 2020PartsCleaning.indd 44 3/16/20 4:42 PM'