Clean aluminium sustainably and efficiently
MACHINING & MACHINERY CLEANING WITH PURPOSE
KLUTHE
Clean aluminium sustainably and efficiently
Innovation and sustainability are increasingly important to the long-term competitiveness of the metalworking industry. A US plant operated by a leading German automotive supplier recently demonstrated how both can be achieved by optimising its aqueous cleaning process.
The plant manufactures highquality transmissions for electric and combustion-engine vehicles. A key challenge for the plant was consistently achieving the required cleanliness standard for aluminium die-cast gearbox housings following ultrasonic immersion cleaning.
At the same time, the plant wanted to extend cleaning bath life from one week to as much as three weeks without reducing production throughput. Achieving this required looking beyond the cleaning process itself and considering the entire process chain, including upstream machining.
A combined approach to machining and cleaning
The solution was to introduce HAKUFLUID ® 185B, a mineral oil-free, water-soluble machining fluid, together with HAKUPUR 439-1, a parts cleaner suitable for sensitive aluminium alloys. Both products are manufactured by Kluthe Group. Following successful trials conducted with Kluthe’ s application engineering team, the new combination consistently achieved the required cleanliness standards.
A major factor was the elimination of mineral oil from the upstream machining process. With the previous oil-containing coolant, oil accumulated on the surface of the cleaning bath and could re-contaminate gearbox
Taking a holistic view of the entire process chain was the key to success.
housings as they were removed from the ultrasonic immersion system.
Removing this source of contamination improved the stability and effectiveness of the cleaning process. All seven cleaning systems were subsequently converted to the new neutral cleaner. The process combines ultrasonic immersion cleaning with spray cleaning.
Longer cleaning bath life with oilfree machining fluid
The upstream machining operations were also converted to HAKUFLUID ® 185B, initially on the aluminium production lines and, three months later, on the steel lines.
The impact was significant. Even after several weeks of operation, the cleaning baths remained clear and foam-free. Previously, increasing levels of tramp oil from the machining coolant had contaminated the baths, reducing their service life and contributing to additional maintenance and non-conforming parts.
Following the conversion, components continued to meet the required cleanliness standard even after three weeks of full production.
Lower temperatures reduce energy consumption
A further improvement came from reducing the cleaning bath temperature from 60 ° C to 40 ° C while maintaining cleaning performance.
To ensure process stability, the temperature was reduced gradually in 5 ° C increments. The cleaner remained stable throughout the extended operating period, while the lower temperature delivered a significant reduction in energy consumption. The combination of longer bath life, reduced cleaning temperatures and consistent component cleanliness provided both environmental and operational benefits.
This project demonstrates the value of considering machining and cleaning as part of a single process rather than as separate operations. By addressing the source of contamination upstream, the manufacturer was able to improve cleaning performance, extend bath life and reduce energy consumption.
The result is a more stable and efficient production process, with lower resource consumption and improved control of component cleanliness.
For further information, please visit www. kluthe. com
86 PECM Issue 82