During production, the material goes through various process steps in which impurities inevitably occur on the component surface. These include above all lubricants and the finest material particles.

An insufficient removal of these contaminants can lead to significant problems in the subsequent process steps. Especially in the coating or insulation process, a contaminated surface has a negative effect. For these reasons, the cleaning of the material is an essential part of modern production lines and contributes significantly to the quality and reliability of the final product.

In addition to simple mechanical and/or spraying processes, ultrasonic cleaning has proven itself in hairpin manufacturing, especially in the case of fluctuating contamination of the starting material. With the help of ultrasonic cleaning, nearly "pore-deep" clean surfaces can be achieved, even with quantitatively fluctuating surface soiling. Oil and grease residues as well as fine metal particles are reliably removed, which leads to improved process stability.

Compared to other cleaning methods, ultrasonic cleaning offers a balanced combination of cleaning performance, process reliability and cost-effectiveness. Spray cleaning processes are suitable for coarse soiling, but reach their limits when it comes to fine particles. Purely chemical immersion cleaning without ultrasound often requires longer process times to achieve comparable results. Ultrasonic cleaning, on the other hand, enables short cycle times with a high cleaning effect at the same time and is therefore particularly suitable for high throughput speeds with consistently good quality.

The cleaning itself takes place in an liquid-filled area, in which high-frequency vibrations are generated by ultrasonic transmitters. These vibrations spread through the cleaning medium and lead to the formation of microscopically small bubbles that are constantly created and collapse again. When these bubbles collapse, very high pressure and temperature ranges are created locally, which detach the dirt from the surface to be cleaned. Due to a very high power density per volume, short contact times and thus high throughput speeds can be generated.

Geo-Reinigungstechnik develops and produces custom ultrasonic cleaning systems, specially tailored to customers requirements.

In practice, ultrasonic cleaning is almost always used in combination with suitable cleaning media. Pure water has only a limited cleaning effect, especially on oil- and grease-containing contaminants. For this reason, water-based cleaners with surfactants or weakly alkaline solutions are often used. These additives reduce the surface tension of the liquid and support the removal and removal of the contaminants. The selection of the cleaning medium depends on the base material of the hairpins, the type of soiling and the requirements of the subsequent processes. GEO offers a whole range of special cleaners for this area (GC(S/A) series).

Economic and ecological aspects also play a role. Although the investment in an ultrasonic cleaning system is higher than with simple cleaning systems, these costs are often amortized by reduced reject rates and more stable production overall.

In summary, ultrasonic cleaning is a proven and effective method for cleaning in the production of hairpins. It enables reliable removal of typical production contamination and creates optimal conditions for subsequent process steps.

GEO Reinigungstechnik GmbH

Im Garbrock 7

48683 Ahaus-Ottenstein/Germany

Contact person is Stephan Lessing

Tel.: +49 2542 95552-96

lessing@geo-reinigungstechnik.de

www.geo-reinigungstechnik.de