Manufacturing Technology

Ecoclean has expanded the cost efficient EcoCcompact to include the L and XL model variants to meet the diverse requirements of general industry. The new product family, with three working chamber sizes and batch weights of up to 150kg, enables the capacity and cleaning performance to be adapted precisely to company specific requirements. 

The diverse product range of the general industry includes workpieces produced by casting and machining, stamped, bent, pressed and deep drawn parts, hydraulic and pneumatic components, as well as fasteners. Depending on the subsequent process or application, the parts manufactured from different materials must meet different but increasingly stringent particulate and film cleanliness requirements. High throughputs, increased demands on resource efficiency and, in some cases, low margins pose a challenge.

As a result, the cleaning process must ensure cleanliness in-line with requirements in a stable, sustainable manner and at low unit costs. For these tasks, Ecoclean GmbH has expanded the cost efficient EcoCcompact product family with the L and XL model variants. As with its smaller sister, the machines make it easy to switch between hydrocarbons and modified alcohols (semi-polar solvents) during operation without any conversion work.

The two new, compact plug and play solvent systems have working chambers with diameters of 650mm (L version) and 750mm (XL version), enabling batch sizes of 650mm x 470mm x 300mm in the L version and 650mm x 470mm x 400mm in the XL version. The maximum batch weight for both systems is 150kg. 

Other features include powerful, frequency controlled flood pumps, which ensure fast filling and emptying of the working chamber. During standard injection flood washing, they also generate a high mechanical cleaning effect. This can be specifically supported by an optionally integrated, frequency-controlled rotary drive for fabric rotation and positioning. Adapted to the cleanliness requirements, the systems can also be equipped with all available process technologies for solvent cleaning, such as ultrasound and PPC.

The increased distillate output of up to 180 l/h, and the continuous oil discharge as standard, also contribute to the high capacity and performance of the L and XL versions. The vertical integration of the flood tanks also offers advantages. It reduces sump formation and prevents dirt pockets from forming, resulting in  a longer service life of the baths and thus a reduction in operating costs.

For needs-based cleaning and preservation, the two flood tanks included in the basic version of all EcoCcompact can be supplemented by a third –  fully integrated without increasing the installation area. They each have filtration in the supply and return lines with bag or high performance filters, as well as bypass filtration. Speaking of space requirements, at 4,100mm x 1,900mm x 2,650mm and 4,400mm x 2,100mm x 2,655mm respectively, the new versions are also extremely economical. 

Impressive energy efficiency and sustainability

The EcoCcompact product family also impresses with its comparatively low energy consumption, which has been achieved through optimised system technology. This includes the fact that the flood tank two and optional third tank are heated with heat recovered from the distillation process. 

Like all systems for solvent cleaning, the L and XL versions of the EcoCcompact are characterised by high flexibility in terms of material compatibility. This means that components made of different materials can be cleaned in one system. In addition, they can also be used in regions where the consumption of water as a cleaning medium and/or the disposal of wastewater from cleaning applications is regulated. A prerequisite is the suitability of the solvent cleaning, which can be verified by Ecoclean through cleaning tests in worldwide test centres.