Ultrasonic Cleaning Rescues Componex

In manufacturing, problems sometimes seem to gang up. You may be dealing with a process in your plant that's not delivering the results you need, but on top of that, it's also labor intensive and time-consuming, affecting your ability to move product out in a timely manner. Componex found themselves in just such a difficulty, and found the perfect solution was ultrasonic cleaning. Componex is an Edgerton, Wisconsin manufacturer that produces high performance aluminum idler rollers. They needed to remove oil, dirt and metal chips from their dead shaft idler rollers, but the geometry of the parts made this a real challenge. The rollers had deep, narrow grooves that were difficult to completely clean. Power washing and hand cleaning were both ineffective, and they were searching for a process that would produce a perfectly clean part every time. After contacting Ultrasonic Power Corporation (UPCORP) in Freeport, Illinois, Componex took advantage of a complementary service UPCORP offers: A free test cleaning. The tests showed that the entire surface of the sample idler could be made spotless. Because microscopic bubbles do the cleaning, there was no surface that couldn't be reached. Helpful technical personnel at UPCORP were able to fill in further details and design a total solution to Componex's cleaning problem. Based on this experience, Componex purchased a custom built 2000 watt, 40 kHz, heated ultrasonic cleaning system and employed a water-based, biodegradable alkaline detergent. The cleaning system uses Vibra-bar transducers, which use Simultaneous Multi-Frequency technology to produce a wider range of ultrasonic frequencies and clean more effectively. The end result? Componex went from using a method that was extremely limiting‚ and producing very poor‚ results to being able to deliver rollers to their customers that are completely free of contamination, even in the deepest grooves.‚ And they were able to do so while saving on labor and processing time. It's easy to see why they soon came back to UPCORP to inquire about 15 foot long units to clean their line of larger rollers. To read the full details of Componex's experience with ultrasonic cleaning, click here to download the full case study.