PRODUCT REVIEWS Industrial cleaning tasks
The EcoCwave .
At MACH 2024 in Birmingham , UK ( 15-19 April 2024 ), Ecoclean will present its portfolio of cleaning products with high cleanliness requirements . An advanced EcoCwave machine will be shown live on its stand ( Hall 6 , Booth 829 ) to illustrate various features and process options .
Regardless of the industry sector , parts cleaning is one of the critical processes in manufacturing today . Due to increasing demands on component performance and reliability , new products , changed manufacturing , coating and bonding technologies as well as modified materials and the requirements for particulate and filmlike cleanliness are constantly rising .
“ As a supplier of future-oriented , flexible and energy-efficient solutions for industrial component cleaning , Ecoclean and UCM ( our Group ’ s division specialising in precision and ultra-fine cleaning ) cover the entire spectrum of wet-chemical processes using waterbased media , solvents and modified alcohols . Cleaning processes and systems , including the most suitable process technologies such as injection flood washing , spray cleaning , high-pressure , immersion , ultrasonic , megasonic and plasma cleaning , plus Ultrasonic Plus or Pulsated Pressure Cleaning ( PPC ) and drying techniques for both batch and individual part cleaning , can be very efficiently tailored to product- and companyspecific requirements ,” said Ecoclean .
Machine and process design is carried out in the company ’ s own test centres , which include cleanrooms as well as adapted plant and measurement technology available for tasks in medical technology and for high-purity applications .
At this April ’ s MACH in Birmingham , Ecoclean will showcase its broad range of adapted system concepts for batch and single parts cleaning with aqueous media and environmentally compatible solvents , as well as matching high-purity equipment packages . The latter will be demonstrated on the advanced EcoCwave for immersion and spraying processes with water-based cleaning agents .
“ The system technology , media routing , media preparation and design of this full-vacuum , single-chamber system have been specially adapted for highend cleaning applications . It is capable of achieving consistent results that meet high requirements , even for geometrically complex components . Process options that
Left : The EcoCwave for aqueous media can handle large product quantities for high-purity cleaning results .
can be combined in almost any way ( such as high-pressure spray cleaning , ultrasonic , plasma cleaning as well as PPC ) contribute to this ,” added Ecoclean . Forward-looking service solutions will also be highlighted at Ecoclean ’ s booth . These include an iOS- and Androidcompatible Service app for maintenance and repair requirements ; tailored service and maintenance concepts ; developments for the digitisation of cleaning processes ; options for modernising and adapting systems as well as training programmes for customer employees . n
www
. ecoclean-group . net
Launch of counterbalance forklift AGV
The compact FL1500 from Stäubli is an inventive response to the challenges of modern production and intralogistics . The automated guided vehicle ( AGV ) counterbalance forklift , with a flexible payload of up to 1.5 tons , is also the result of a partnership between Stäubli and Mercedes- Benz Logistics Planning .
The specialist in automated heavy-duty transportation focuses its developments on efficiency and practicality as well as solutions such as the PF3 , the latest AGV platform from Stäubli . Now the company has taken it a step further . The FL1500 AGV counterbalance forklift is the product of a partnership with Mercedes-Benz , which is also a customer . Stäubli benefited from extraordinary insights into the car manufacturer ’ s plants during development . For Jan Louwen , global head of AGV and managing director of the Stäubli site in Sulzbach-Rosenberg , this was a stroke of luck .
“ It was important for us to find answers to specific challenges in production and intralogistics for the FL1500 . We are very grateful for our partnership with Mercedes-Benz , as it has given us deep insights into its logistics processes . Seeing the many applications first-hand , and in colour , offered a unique opportunity to use this knowledge to develop a solution for the broader industry ,” he said . The FL1500 compact and automated counterbalance forklift AGV design offers high manoeuvrability and a small turning circle . This is especially advantageous in confined spaces and hallways . It also features a high level
of serviceability and is designed to enable replacement of important parts within minutes .
Beyond two personal safety scanners , which provide 360 ° protection , the system is equipped with additional sensors for collision avoidance . The forks are secured in such a way to prevent injuries and damage . In addition , the LED bar , which is clearly visible from all sides , indicates the status of the vehicle at a glance .
“ Thanks to its patented drive unit , the robust system also handles difficult ground conditions well . In the future , a duplex mast version of the AGV ’ s simplex mast will be able to handle heights even greater than two metres ,” confirmed Stäubli .
The company presented the prototype of its new AGV forklift to the public for the first time at LogiMAT in March 2024 . The FL1500 is expected to be available for order , starting in early 2025 . n
www . staubli . com
80 | ismr . net | ISMR April 2024