Our client specialises in the design and manufacture of components for the automotive, railway and aerospace industries. We have been working together since 2017, when we designed the first cleaning machine of the EXPERT series for them. Now we have the opportunity to carry out further projects, with much more demanding technical cleanliness standards.

What did the client require?

In the production process of the half-shafts in the drive train, there was a need for industrial cleaning according to a specified cleanliness class, as well as removal of metallic, non-metallic and fibre contaminants remaining after the machining process.

After the machining process, the half-shafts produced by the customer were contaminated with numerous metallic and non-metallic particles, as well as fibres. Of course, the contaminants had to be removed before the parts could be installed in the vehicle, but due to the high requirements of technical cleanliness and performance, this was not a simple task. Nevertheless, the NOYEN team took up the challenge. The customer’s requirements were as follows:

• Parts cleaning according to the required technical cleanliness standard,
• Compact size of the machine, due to limited space on the production floor,
• Customised washing process for complete assemblies partially coated with paint,
• Various references of parts to be cleaned,
• Design of an additional function for the automatic application of covers to the cleaned half-axle part.

Solution implemented at the client’s site

The project proposed the use of NOYEN PAL+, an efficient washing and degreasing agent that can be used for cleaning different types of materials. NOYEN PAL+ contains corrosion inhibitors, therefore it protects the cleaned surfaces for the duration of storage. The process parameters, such as the concentration of the product, cleaning methods and duration, as well as the bath temperature, have been selected so as to effectively clean a specific area of the component without affecting the coating that was applied to parts of it at an earlier stage of production.

When it comes to the machine, NOYEN proposed the EXPERT RCS2 series machine, expanded with 2 additional high and low pressure spray washing stations, with convection drying. Thanks to these features, solid particles are effectively removed and the washing and drying process is fast and efficient – only 25s/part. As the customer produces half-shafts in a variety of sizes, the component slot has been designed to be easily and quickly refitted with toolless connectors – taking less than 15 minutes. The culmination of the process is the automatic installation of covers on the washed and dried areas of the half-shafts to protect them from contamination for the duration of storage.

Thanks to the use of a rotary table, the machine can be operated by just one person. However, when designing the machine, the NOYEN team also took into account the possibility of automating the process. If, in the future, the customer decides to fully automate the cleaning process using an industrial robot, the machine will already be adapted to that, and no costly modifications will be necessary.

What did the client gain by working with NOYEN?

• Compact cleaning machine, easy to reprogram, with a set of interchangeable tooling for different size of component references,
• Prepared both for manual operation and for automation,
• Cleaning process efficiency of 25s/part,
• High cleaning quality according to technical cleanliness standards, as well as process stability,
• Additional functions in the cleaning machine – applying covers to the parts for maintaining cleanliness during storage
• Comprehensive cooperation and individual approach.