Cleentek News
21/03/11 Cleentek’s Airbus Project
Cleentek Ltd have just been awarded a new contract to supply a Robot Cleaning Line, for cleaning aircraft fasteners, which are used in the manufacture of wings at Airbus’s Broughton Factory, near Chester.
The line has been designed by Cleentek, working closely in conjunction with Yaskawa Motoman Robotics, who are one of the world’s leading robot manufacturers with more than 220,000 robots installed world-wide.
The aircraft fasteners were cleaned previously using an ultrasonic cleaning system, which used 2 different solvents for removing sealant from the fasteners. Following research and development over a 2 year period, Cleentek have devised a new cleaning process, utilising aqueous cleaning processes and eliminating one of the solvents.
Contaminated fasteners arrive at the line in plastic boxes. The robot picks the boxes up and empties the fasteners into cleaning baskets. The dirty boxes are then placed in a box cleaning machine.
The fasteners are pre-washed initially using a water-based chemical. The pre-wash system is a Frontloader Type cleaning machine, which sprays a heated waterbased chemical on to the fasteners at high pressure to remove swarf and other loose contaminants. This system is also fitted with a drying process, so the fasteners are dried before the robot picks them up and deposits them in the next machine in the process.
The next machine is an Ultrasonic Cleaning Unit, fitted with an agitation system. In this line, there are 2 Ultrasonic Cleaning Units, each with a capacity of 4 baskets. The Ultrasonic Unit heats up the cleaning solution to 60 Degrees Celcius and fasteners are immersed for 20 to 30 minutes. The Cleaning Solution, together with the scrubbing action of the cavitation process, breaks down and removes the sealant from the fasteners.
Following Ultrasonic Cleaning, the baskets of fasteners are again picked up by the robot and then taken to the final post-wash system. This post-wash system is also a Frontloader Type cleaning machine, but this unit is fitted with 3 stages. The first stage uses the same waterbased chemical, as is used in the pre-wash system. This wash removes any sealant which has not being totally removed in the ultrasonic cleaning unts. The second stage rinses the fasteners and leaves a small amount of rust inhibitor on the fasteners. Finally the fasteners are dried using the warm air blower which is fitted to this machine. When the cycle is completed, baskets of clean and dry fasteners are taken to a filling station, where they are filled into the now clean boxes.
Clean Boxes of Pins exit the line, via an inclined roller conveyor, where they are stacked and taken back to the wing assembly lines, ready for re-use.
09/02/09 Cleentek is automatic choice for BPI Industrial
In one of the first contracts for Cleentek Ltd, the new joint venture between Universal Finishing Systems and Cleentek A/S, an automatic cleaning system has been supplied to British Polythene Industries plc (BPI), the largest manufacturer of polythene film, bags and sacks in Europe.
The Cleentek Frontloader was ordered by BPI’s Industrial Division for the production of heavy-duty sacks and industrial and agricultural films. The cleaning system will be used predominantly for removing solvent based inks, which contaminate various machine parts such as doctor blade chambers, ink trays, drip trays ands machine guards on BPI’s printing presses.
With a 600-litre tank, the custom designed automatic machine will dramatically improve speed and efficiency over the traditional cleaning methods used for BPI’s many presses. So longstanding is the ink contamination on some parts that Cleentek Ltd has also supplied a pre-soak tank to ensure complete cleaning in the Frontloader, and in minutes not hours.
BPI can now dispense with the time consumption and potential hazards of manual cleaning with solvents. Parts are now placed on a work platform for pneumatic immersion into Cleentek’s specially formulated cleaning solution, which is heated and constantly circulating. After a soak of 15-60 minutes (according to contamination), the parts are removed to the GF 900/2300 Frontloader.
Cleentek’s solution contains only 10% cleaning fluid in water, more proof of the efficiency of its system in removing the solid coloured inks applied in each print run on the polythene sacks and films. The solution is heated to 70° C ands sprayed at high pressure on to the printing machine parts in the wash cabin. While three rotary spray bars jet from the bottom of the cabin, a motor driven stainless steel spray bar jets from all angles at the top and sides.
The intelligent machine is fitted with a high-pressure fine infiltration system which removes ink residue to prolong the life of the cleaning solution, and has an automatic water filling function and chemical dosing system to maintain the correct level of concentration.
The BPI installation underlines the universality of applications for Cleentek Ltd’s range of surface cleaning equipment, now being introduced into the UK having proved highly successful for hundreds of manufacturers in Europe and the Middle East.
As a joint venture between two national leaders in their fields, both with over 20 years’ history of strong technical development and international business, Cleentek Ltd majors in aqueous spray washing machines for cleaning and degreasing. It serves industries from fine chemicals, automotive, aerospace and material processing to agricultural and refurbishment & re-engineering, but is now also launching ultrasonic cleaning baths for the pharmaceutical and medical industries.
07/10/08 Bright new kid on industrial cleaning block comes ready with proven technology.
Cleentek Ltd, a new UK supplier of surface cleaning equipment, is set to supply a broad cross-section of industries with a variety of cleaning and finishing techniques which have already proven highly successful for hundreds of manufacturers in Europe and the Middle East.
A joint venture between the owners of Universal Finishing Systems in North Wales and Denmark’s Cleentek A/S, the new company is a partnership between two national leaders in their fields, both with over 20 years’ history of strong technical development and international business.
“Unlike companies who simply buy in their equipment, Cleentek Ltd is a 50/50 partnership involving close co-operation between the UK and Denmark on solutions to the domestic market,” says it's managing director Kevin Whittle. “Single-site manufacture means constant quality across the range, and we have already supplied the likes of Shell, Rexam and Tyco here in the UK.”
Cleentek Ltd majors in aqueous spray washing machines for cleaning and degreasing, but is now also launching ultrasonic cleaning baths for the pharmaceutical and medical industries. Models vary widely in size and complexity, starting with the entry-level single skin RT series toploaders to the fully insulated DT series toploaders, which include touch pad control and an integrated manual wash station.
Frontloaders include the DF series of cabin washing machines and the latest addition, the Mustang Frontloader, which is not only extremely robust in construction (handling parts up to 2000 kg with no problem) but includes both a wash and rinse stage as standard.
In addition to the cabin cleaning machines is the increasingly popular Compo Cleaner in-line conveyor wash system, which can feature wash, rinse, passivate, phosphate and/or dry functions. Several ton of parts can be processed every hour, and being continuous, the Compo Cleaner can be placed in directly in the production line and specified to work in conjunction with the factory’s working cycle time.
“With the need for companies to move away from solvent degreasing, we foresee many UK companies being interested in what Cleentek has to offer, from industries as diverse as fine chemicals, automotive, aerospace and material processing to agricultural and refurbishment & re-engineering,” says Kevin Whittle.
“Our manufacturing philosophy is ‘the fewer the parts, the better the quality’, and we have a wide range of demonstration equipment in place for prospective clients to carry out cleaning tests, simply by calling 01244 280654.”
15/09/08 Universal partners East and West for added solutions
Besides exhibiting three lines of equipment used internationally for vacuum coating, sanding and drying, Universal Finishing Systems will use Stand R22 in Hall 20 at this year’s W8 as a platform for automatic cleaning machinery from its new sister company Cleentek Ltd.
The North Wales based manufacturer has recently consolidated its position as UK leader in industrial finishing equipment by forming a partnership with Cleentek A/S of Denmark, whose wide range of cleaning machinery is already widely used in various industries across Europe and the Middle East.
“Cleentek technology is ideal for woodworking companies looking to automate their cleaning and maintenance programmes for the likes of sawblades and cutter blocks,” says Kevin Whittle, who heads both Universal and Cleentek Ltd. “We supply a range of aqueous spray wash cleaners and ultrasonic cleaning baths, and will have examples of both types of solution on the stand.”
Also featured will be the latest versions of two of Universal Finishing Systems’ best selling lines, including the MINI-VAC vacuum coater, known in the industry as the most efficient coating system for applying paints, lacquers and stains. The vacuum coating system has proved equally effective in applying protective coatings for timber such as wood preservatives.
Alongside on show is the latest UNI-SAND, now manufactured using heavy duty steel box sections as an even more robust alternative to the aluminium version first launched four years ago – but still the same competitively priced, compact solution to any sanding and denibbing process for solid wood or MDF mouldings.
Completing the line-up on Stand R22 is another new addition to Universal’s growing international stable - halogen drying equipment from US manufacturer Prime Heat Systems. Universal has recently been appointed sole UK distributor for this highly innovative heating and drying range.
Prime Heat equipment uses halogen infrared heating elements to heat up substrates four and a half times faster than conventional quartz infrared. Through much faster heating times, it delivers considerable savings in energy consumption, now one of the key issues facing the woodworking industry.
07/05/08 Component cleaning: Solving the solvent issue.
Environmental, technological – the challenges to component cleaning for the aerospace industry fall under similar headings as challenges to the industry itself. But with clear health in the quality of manufacturers supplying the equipment necessary and in the solutions they continue to innovate, Cleentek Ltd managing director Kevin Whittle believes the industry has never been better served.
Greener systems and faster throughput may have been among the recent drivers, as we shall see, but even with the ever developing range of equipment and accessories, there is much to be said for simplicity and robustness to ensure long-lasting performance. The philosophy at Cleentek has always been “the fewer the parts, the better the quality”.
“Try before you buy” is another important service that allows aerospace companies to assure themselves that the technology they may be buying into meets all their requirements – particularly with aqueous systems now rivalling solvent cleaning as the technology of choice.
Cleentek has been manufacturing environmentally friendly cleaning equipment for 20 years, supplying machinery to many industrial heavyweights such as Daimler Benz, VW Audi and Bosch Rexroth, and now increasingly to manufacturers for the aerospace industry such as Eaton Aerospace, as well as maintenance departments for leading airlines such as Lufthansa and SAS.
Although Cleentek A/S is the market leader in its domestic Denmark, Cleentek Ltd (founded in 2006) is a relatively new name to the UK market. Based just outside Chester, it is now looking to focus specifically on the requirements for aerospace and take advantage of its proximity to some of the UK’s leading manufacturers.
Environmental regulation concerning the use of carcinogenic cleaning solvents such as trichloroethylene has forced companies to either adopt aqueous based cleaning solutions or else ensure that their cleaning equipment is enclosed, so as to effectively minimise workplace exposure.
Investment costs for an enclosed solvent cleaning system are not insignificant, and the concern for many companies is that in a few years, even the use of these systems could be prohibited due to increasingly stringent controls.
While there is now large acceptance by industry that aqueous cleaning is the route for the future, there is still doubt in some minds whether aqueous is as effective as solvent cleaning. We offer prospective customers the opportunity to test our aqueous cleaning equipment before they buy to satisfy themselves their cleaning requirements are met. The key to achieving the results required is very often the selection of the correct aqueous cleaner, which Cleentek should certainly have the knowledge and experience to identify.
One of the big advantages of using solvents for cleaning is that traditionally, simple tanks were used to hold the solvents in which products were immersed, and once removed any remaining solvent would flash off the surface quickly, leaving a dry clean product ready for further processing.
With aqueous cleaning, in contrast, cleaning solutions do not flash off so quickly and water-staining can sometimes detract from the finish. This need no longer be a problem thanks to the evolution of multi-stage aqueous cleaning equipment, which can clean, rinse and dry in one machine.
Sometimes, space availability is limited in existing factory environments, so we have had to design our equipment to carry out all these functions in a machine with a compact footprint. This can be achieved in our COMPO through-feed conveyor wash machine, which is a has a modular design to easily incorporate the specific cleaning requirements of a process, which may involve cleaning, rinsing, de-ionised rinsing, phosphating and drying. The COMPO cleaner is suitable for products up to 600mm wide and 200mm high. It can handle any length, since it is a through-feed machine. For larger products, Cleentek supplies Frontloader cleaning machines, which can handle products up to 2m long x 2m wide x 1.4m high and weights of 2000kgs.
Our customers appreciate the simple, proven designs of our equipment, the result of serving a good number of Northern Europe’s leading manufacturing companies. Moving parts are kept to a minimum to maximise reliability, and access to all service and maintenance areas on the machine is made as easy as possible to encourage operators and maintenance technicians to look after the equipment.
In the future, with price, quality and delivery as a given, we anticipate that the emphasis for cleaning equipment specialists will continue to be environmental. The chemicals will need to be pH-neutral and the cleaning solutions will need to last longer and/or require re-cycling, so as to reduce water costs / wastage.
That aside, like the aerospace industry as a whole, we need to continue enhancing our products and service through better and more flexible solutions, strong customer relationships, and committed after-sales support.
