Regular cleaning without residue
This is of growing importance because steel structures are increasingly being replaced by considerably lighter, but equally strong, plastic components in automotive engineering. Injection molding and extrusion processes are used in the manufacture of such plastic components, whose injection nozzles, needle valves or melt lines (hot runners) are subsequently bonded and blocked by the plastic, which is partly offset by glass fibers. They must be cleaned regularly without leaving any residues.
For this cleaning requirement, SCHWING offers thermal cleaning systems in various sizes and configurations, instead of cleaning solvents or other mechanical processes. Both small nozzles and large hot runners with complicated geometries can be freed from the adhering plastics in an energy-efficient and residue-free manner - this also applies to the internal channels.
"When it comes to environmental regulations, our thermal cleaning technology scores points over all other cleaning options," emphasizes Virgilio Perez Guembe, Sales Manager at SCHWING. Removing plastics with welding torches, flames or compressed air is not only harmful to the environment, but can also irreversibly damage the sensitive and expensive tooling and machine parts.
SCHWING sells its Green Cleaning technology worldwide and maintains a 24/7 cleaning and delivery service at its headquarters site in Neukirchen-Vluyn on the Lower Rhine.
Thermal cleaning of hot runner components in all sizes
The example of hot runner manufacturer Meusburger Georg GmbH & Co KG Deutschland GmbH shows that cleaning technology and service in combination are also in demand. The Viernheim-based company produces for the automotive industry, among others, and is a specialist in the development and design of hot runner products. When cleaning its hot runner systems, the company relies on the environmentally friendly and low-emission technology from SCHWING, because "environmental regulations are becoming increasingly important and strict in the plastics processing industry, too," says Wolfgang Homes, Division Manager of Application Technology and Service Hot Runner at Meusburger.
Sustainability and protection of the environment also played an important role in his company, explains Homes: "We give more for this than current laws and regulations demand". Meusburger cleans smaller hot runner components and nozzles at the company headquarters in Viernheim and acquired the INNOVACLEAN fluidized bed system from SCHWING for this purpose more than 15 years ago. Whenever large hot runner systems need to be cleaned, the company has them transported to Neukirchen-Vluyn, about three hours' drive away, where several large pyrolysis systems (MAXICLEAN) are available for the removal of plastics.
After four to eight hours, the hot runner systems are clean and ready for return transport within a single operation. Homes: "For us, this combination of our own system and the additional use of the external cleaning service from SCHWING is the most attractive option economically". If fillers and reinforcing materials, additives or color pigments are used, thermal cleaning also guarantees residue-free results. This creates the best conditions for a stable process after the hot runner system has been repaired. "Thanks to the flexibility of our own system in combination with the reliable support of the SCHWING company, we can offer our customers the desired and required service around the hot runner," concludes Homes.
Cleaning technology for smaller hot runner components
The energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and low-emission fluidized bed cleaning system (INNOVACLEAN) is particularly suitable for smaller hot runner components such as hot runner nozzles. Within 90 minutes (e.g. PE and PP), two to three hours (glass fibre reinforced plastics) or five to six hours (high temperature polymers) the system removes all kinds of plastics without residue in only one operation. With the addition of further components, even halogenated plastics can be removed easily.
The precisely controllable cleaning process uses the mass and heat transfer of fluidised sand in a fluidised bed. In this process, hot runner components are freed from plastic without mechanical or thermal impairment at polymer-dependent temperatures of 450 to 520 degrees Celsius. The system operates completely free of waste water and waste. Any low-temperature carbonization gases produced are cleaned by an integrated thermal afterburner.
Cleaning technology for larger hot runner systems
The removal of plastics from larger hot runner systems can be carried out in an equally environmentally friendly and low-emission manner. They are cleaned in large thermal pyrolysis systems (MAXICLEAN) from SCHWING. In around four to eight hours, the systems remove all polymer residues in a single operation. At the same time, hot runner systems and components are protected from mechanical damage.
The precisely controllable cleaning process, which can be reproduced at any time, takes place in an externally gas-heated cleaning chamber with a special hot air supply. This ensures that the temperature is optimally distributed. The automatic process control ensures a short cleaning time. Inorganic residues are removed in a coordinated after-treatment. The plant operates without waste water and offers a separate afterburner which completely burns the resulting carbonization gases above 800 degrees Celsius and discharges them via the chimney. "The fact that this exhaust gas cleaning system works optimally is proven by corresponding measurement reports, which are checked at regular intervals by environmental agencies," confirms Perez Guembe.
Press contact
Alexandra Schoenberger
SCHWING Technologies GmbH
Oderstrasse 7
47506 Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany
T +49 2845 930 126
redaktion@schwing-tech.com
www.schwing-technologies.com