Virgilio Perez Guembe
Salesregion: South & Middle America, Europe, Asia
Depending on the application, product to be cleaned and polymer SCHWING offers the respective optimal thermal cleaning unit for the removal of adhering plastics and organic contaminations:
Vacuum Pyrolysis Systems: safe, gentle, efficient
VACUCLEAN is an easy to install, environmentally and user friendly vacuum pyrolysis cleaning system (vacuum cleaning oven) for removing plastic residues from tools and long components.
- Complete removal of organic adherent matter, free from carbon residues
- Precise, reliable and gentle cleaning of large tools and components
- Easy installation (no gas), low operating costs
- Increased tool life and life cycles, reduced machine downtimes
Depending on the system size, product to be cleaned and polymer VACUCLEAN removes organic adhesions within 8 to 30 hours without impacting the tools mechanically or thermally.
VACUCLEAN Vacuum Pyrolysis Systems
Through catalytic waste air cleaning VACUCLEAN produces clean air and clean waste water complying with official regulations. VACUCLEAN systems of model series 154 may be set up and operated in Germany without an approval application because of their compact design and size.
The especially precise and gentle cleaning quality of VACUCLEAN increases the life of tools and components and reduces interruptions in production.
Top Loading Systems
Front Loading Systems
The cleaning process in vacuum
The fully automatic cleaning process of VACUCLEAN takes place in an electrically heated vacuum cleaning chamber. The temperature is measured directly on the product to be cleaned, which is initially heated slowly and especially easy on the material; a large part of the adherent polymers already melts now and drains off. The disintegration of the remaining polymer takes place at approx. 450 °C; the remaining carbon is finally removed by adding air (oxidation). A sophisticated sensor system controls the cleaning process preventing the development of excess temperatures at all times. Inorganic residues can be easily removed through post-treatment, e.g. with compressed air.
Fluidized Bed Pyrolysis Systems: fast, safe, green
INNOVACLEAN is a compact, environmentally and user friendly fluidized bed pyrolysis system which removes all polymers - even halogenated substances such as PVC or PTFE - quickly and reliably from small and medium-size tools and components. The advantages:
- Very fast residue-free cleaning in only a single process step
- Flexible reliable cleaning of assembled and disassembled tools
- Effective and environmentally compatible removal of ALL plastics
- Increased tool life, reduced machine downtimes
Fast Cleaning
INNOVACLEAN carbonizes any polymer without residues within one to four hours, for example, from injection nozzles and die plates as well as with slightly longer cleaning times from spin nozzles and assembled spin packs, static mixers, assembled pumps, backflow preventers, hot runner components and many other components.
Safe and precise Cleaning Process
The precisely controllable cleaning process of INNOVACLEAN utilizes the material and heat transfer of fluidized THERMCLEAN sand (fluidized bed). The product to be cleaned is freed from plastic quickly and without mechanical or thermal interference at polymer-dependent temperatures from 450 to 520 °C.
Environmentally friendly and effective
INNOVACLEAN works completely without waste water and waste. The generated low temperature carbonization gases are cleaned with an integrated thermal afterburner. On request, INNOVACLEAN will be equipped with a separate thermal afterburner or off-gas washer for the pyrolysis gases from PVC, PTFE, etc. INNOVACLEAN systems may be set up and operated in Germany without an approval application because of their compact design and size.
INNOVACLEAN increases tool life and helps significantly reduce machine downtimes.
Pyrolysis furnaces: intelligent, safe, all dimensions
MAXICLEAN is an environmentally and user friendly pyrolysis system (pyrolysis furnace, pyrolysis oven) for removing plastics without halogenated additives from especially large tools and components.
- Complete plastics removal in a single step
- Flexible reliable cleaning of large tools and components
- Effective environmentally friendly removal of all halogen-free plastics
- Increased tool life, reduced machine downtimes
In four to eight hours MAXICLEAN completely removes all polymer residues in a single process step without impacting the tools mechanically or thermally. The precisely controlled and at any time reproducible cleaning process of MAXICLEAN takes place in an externally gas-heated cleaning chamber with special hot air routing for the optimal distribution of the temperature.
Automatic Process Control
The automatic process control monitors the development of low temperature carbonization gases and provides a short cleaning time. Inorganic residual substances are removed using a select after-treatment method.
MAXICLEAN works without waste water and offers a separate afterburner which completely burns the low temperature carbonization gases at over 800 °C and discharges them via the chimney. The system is supplied including loading carriage and exhaust air chimney.
The effective cleaning quality of MAXICLEAN helps to significantly increase the economy of plastic production and processing plants.
VACUCLEAN COMPACT - environmentally and user friendly
VACUCLEAN COMPACT is ideally suited for gentle and easy plastic removal from sensitive laser filters and extrusion dies.
For polymer/masterbatch manufacturers, injection moulders and plastics recyclers, there is finally a smaller VACUCLEAN cleaning system with intelligent process control:
The new VACUCLEAN COMPACT cleaning system from SCHWING features dimensions of only 2100 x 1200 x 1000 mm (HxWxD) – ideal for the smallest batches of complex tools, like expensive laser filters from recycling, screws elements from compounding extruders, pelletizing dies and nozzles. Even spinnerets and small pumps can be cleaned gently and economically. The electrically heated VACUCLEAN COMPACT thermal cleaning system is particularly suitable for:
- Small pelletizing and extrusion dies
- Laser filters sets for recycling units
- Compounding extruder screws
- Spinnerets and small gear pumps
The removal of plastics, especially from inside of complex and expensive tooling, requires an especially gentle yet highly efficient cleaning process.
VACUCLEAN COMPACT, which is conveniently operated using a touchscreen, first gently melts a large part of the adhering plastic; organic residues are safely and completely removed by thermal decomposition (vacuum pyrolysis) with subsequent oxidation. This careful process method is ideal for sensitive parts and tools.
Integrated catalytic exhaust air cleaning system automatically controls the cleaning process, ensuring clean exhaust air and unpolluted waste water.
Being the smallest system of the proven successful VACUCLEAN series, VACUCLEAN COMPACT is the most environmentally friendly system of its kind with the lowest operation and maintenance costs.
COMPACTCLEAN pyrolysis system
COMPACTCLEAN is a compact, environmentally and user friendly pyrolysis oven which removes all plastics from small tools and components.
- Complete plastics removal in a single step
- Flexible reliable cleaning of open and needle shut-off nozzles
- Effective environmentally friendly removal of all halogen-free plastics
- Increased tool life, reduced machine downtimes
In only three to five hours and without impacting the tools, COMPACTCLEAN completely removes all organic deposits, e.g. from small parts such as injection nozzles, needle shut-off nozzles, die plates, backflow preventers, screw tips, filter disks, and static mixers.
COMPACTCLEAN cleans tools and components precisely controlled at temperatures between 400 and 460 °C in a gas-heated oxygen-reduced cleaning chamber. Inorganic remnants are removed using an after-treatment method.
COMPACTCLEAN works without waste water and offers waste gas incineration compliant with official regulations.
The effective while gentle cleaning quality of COMPACTCLEAN increases the life cycle of tools and components and reduces interruptions in the production flow.
Plant peripherals
The thermal cleaning systems include equipment details and accessories, depending on the product to be cleaned, the polymer and environmental requirements. SCHWING offers the following to supplement the thermal cleaning systems
- Application and customer-specific loading baskets and carriages,
- cyclones and solids separators,
- waste air blowers and washers,
- separate thermal afterburners,
- exhaust air fans and exhaust units
- chimney components
- sound insulation and chimney hoods as well as
- data loggers and customer-specific IT connections.
Process-specific post-treatment units as well as quality inspection systems round off the scope of delivery of SCHWING in the area of “Thermal Cleaning Systems”.
Post-treatment equipment
Although the thermal cleaning systems from SCHWING remove all organic contamination, inorganic residues may remain on the products to be cleaned; they are then removed from all tools and components reliably and without residue with a special post-treatment.
Depending on the degree of contamination and the material to be cleaned post-treatment may be in the form of chemical treatment, high-pressure spraying with water or compressed air or immersion in an ultrasound bath. SCHWING has all effective post-treatment processes available and carefully matches them to the tool and the cleaning process.
Ultrasound bath
High-value components can be cleaned very well of remaining inorganic residual contamination via ultrasound. The advantage of this technology is that it can also reach areas difficult to access making the dismantling of the parts often unnecessary. For this reason the after-treatment with ultrasound is the right choice for small parts or sensitive components.
High-pressure cleaning equipment
SCHWING offers high-pressure follow-up cleaning processes with water and air. Both are suited for removing residues from components – or with the fluidized bed system INNOVACLEAN – to remove THERMCLEAN sand.
Abrasive blasting systems
SCHWING offers different abrasive blasting media for surface treatment via abrasive blasting; they can be selected according to the surface condition and the desired final result. Depending on the need, abrasive blasting media with additional hardening effect can also be used.
Chemical After-TreatmentSystems
Chemical cleaning agents are used to remove oil and grease residues. Chemical after-treatment can be combined with ultrasound treatment by adding the respective chemical to the liquid bath medium.
Equipment for quality control
In the framework of quality management the documentation and accountability procedures of the cleaning processes performed on quality-relevant tools and machine parts play an important role
SCHWING offers control and documentation processes tailored especially to the individual cleaning demands to be able to compile the cleaning results and reproduce the cleaning process:
- PLC-supported cleaning protocols of the systems
- Visual inspections and documentation
- Automatic microscopic nozzle inspections
- Bubble testing devices for filter systems
- Comprehensive cleaning reports with recommended actions
Pre-owned systems
Thermal cleaning systems from SCHWING are assets with a long service life performing reliably for many years. The careful care and maintenance by the maintenance service of SCHWING SERVICES keeps the systems always up-to-date. This guarantees the best cleaning quality for all tools.
In spite of the best maintenance and repair there are reasons for the replacement of technical devices, for example, when expanding capacities or outsourcing production. Before reselling this equipment it is inspected and, where necessary, repaired or completely overhauled at the headquarters of SCHWING in Neukirchen-Vluyn (Germany); an assessment of the residual value is also performed.
These fully functioning used systems are then available at a respective lower price. SCHWING grants a factory warranty of twelve months on all used systems.
To enable us to respond to your questions or specific cleaning demands with custom-tailored information we ask you to please answer the inquiry form "Thermal Cleaning".
You want to learn more?
Please call +49 2845 930-115, send us an e-mail or contact one of our experts with any question you may have.