The Problem:
A customer came to AEC Systems with a cleaning problem that could not be satisfactorily resolved by the traditional washer solutions. Our customer had used standard cabinet style washers to clean the inside and outside of canister engine liners with only varying degrees of success.
In the discovery portion of the process we determined that the client’s current washer cleaned these liners at a rate of one liner every 2 and a half minutes. The parts were washed, rinsed and dried. After this point in the customer’s process, the parts were transported to a separate rust preventative dip tank. Between the wash process and rust-prevention process, every eighth part needed to be examined and gauged for tolerances.
All of these processes were very labor intensive and our customer was looking to reduce labor from three workers to one. The customer also had space constraints – a very limited work envelope that they were trying to stay within. Finally, the canister engine liners had unique features that made them difficult to get completely dry. This client needed a parts washer specifically designed to solve these time, space, and financial complications.
Our Solution:
AEC Systems presented the customer with a three-station, auto-feed, guillotine-door pass-through washer. The first chamber washed the liner on a turntable with a retracting center nozzle in order to fully clean both the inside and outside of the liner.
The second stage, which also featured a turntable with retractable center nozzle, was both a rinse and blow-off stage to provide a polishing rinse and dry. Once the part was washed, rinsed and dried, the liner moved out of the turntable chamber and was automatically lowered into a rust-prevention dip solution. Every eighth part was held, allowing the operator to remove it to check for machined tolerances.
This solution modified the honing/washing operation from a three-person operation to a one-person operation. We were also able to design the parts washer to fit within the limited work envelope the customer’s space required.
Our Customer’s Feedback:
Our customer has had this three chamber pass through washer with dip tank in continuous operation for three years with minimal downtime. This washer has become the workhorse of their operation with its reliable error-free process. It has saved them in labor costs year over year. Our customer has become a reliable reference for the durability and successful implementation of a custom, non-traditional solution.
AEC Systems would be honored to be involved in your parts cleaning solution. Businesses often feel they must settle for off-the-rack solutions to complex operational realities. Could the parts washer you are currently using be modified into a space saving, labor reducing solution? Call us. We would love to work with you to find out. (To read an interview with the designers with more specifics about this parts washer, click here.)