NEUKIRCHEN-VLUYN, Germany — April 14, 2020 — Production lines for nonwovens are running at full speed worldwide: In times of the coronavirus pandemic, the material is urgently needed for the production of medical textiles. There is a shortage of masks, surgical or protective gowns everywhere. In order to secure the production processes of nonwovens and supply of medical protective material, precise working machine parts are critical. It is therefore essential to reliably clean the polymer-contaminated toling and return them to the production process quickly.
SCHWING Technologies cleans machine parts in nonwovens production
“More than ever before, we have to use our know-how to reduce machine downtimes with short cleaning times and make tools available again quickly,” emphasizes Thomas Schwing, Managing Director of SCHWING Technologies. The equipment manufacturer specializes in thermal cleaning systems. Systems by the medium-sized, German company clean machine parts — for example, spin packs, spinnerets up to six meters long or melt-blown and spunbond dies. In addition to PET, PP and PE, other polymers are also removed. At the NRW headquarters in Neukirchen-Vluyn, SCHWING also cleans process components as a 24/7 service provider, supplementing its service with the corresponding logistics.
Optimized cleaning process with two-side sound
In order to accelerate the cleaning of machine components in nonwoven production, the SCHWING development team has optimized the ultrasonic cleaning process. Thanks to the new two-side sound, even large machine parts no longer have to be manually turned. This saves time and, above all, manpower. In addition to a thermal vacuum pyrolysis system, the company uses other post-treatment equipment, including ultrasonic cleaning systems. Previously, this process required two steps, explains Schwing: “What’s new is that with two-side sound, the time-consuming turning of machine parts is no longer necessary.” Savings in personnel costs, rapid use of tools and reduced machine downtime are the advantages, the expert knows. At the same time, the process minimizes the risk of damaging dies. The entire process, which takes about 8-12 hours, includes several cleaning steps: These imply thermal polymer removal as well as subsequent high-pressure and ultrasonic cleaning. The final drying phase is followed by a final inspection.
24/7 cleaning service and logistics
SCHWING offers its customers complete cleaning services at the company headquarters in Neukirchen-Vluyn: this includes disassembly, thermal cleaning and, depending on the component size, post-treatment and inspection. The systems run around the clock 24/7 at the location on the Lower Rhine. Seven specialists contribute their entire know-how and experience from many years of cleaning very sensitive parts reliably and without residue. In addition, four drivers work up to ten hours a day to collect contaminated tooling and return the clean components to customers throughout Germany and neighbouring countries.
Posted April 14, 2020
Source: Schwing
