Parts Washer for Shock absorber Tubes

A company engaging in the manufacture of tubes required an industrial parts washer for cleaning and drying shock absorber tubes for the automotive industry.

Cleaning of steel tubes

Shock absorber tube washer

Parts washer for cleaning and drying the interior and exterior of steel tubes and eliminating coolant residue and chippings, at a rate of 720 tubes/hour.

Tube references:

  • Major tube: Ø70 mm, length 500 mm, thickness 3 mm.
  • Minor tube: Ø20 mm, length 120 mm, thickness 1.5 mm.

Parts are loaded and unloaded manually, although the washer should be prepared for possible automation.

Pass-through washer for the continuous cleaning and drying of tubes

Cleaning and drying of tubes

Three-stage pass-through parts washer for the continuous cleaning, internal blowing and drying of tubes. The tubes are loaded directly onto the belt, disposed one by one between the spacer stops.

Tunnel parts washer manufactured from stainless steel sheet and painted iron skirt.

Treatment cycle:

  • Spray-cleaning and degreasing with a hot alkaline solution (maximum permitted concentration of 5%) at a temperature between 40 °C and 45 °C.
  • Blowing with compressed air to eliminate water remaining inside tubes to facilitate subsequent drying thereof. A selector installed in the control unit allows activation or deactivation thereof.
  • Drying by means of recirculated air at a temperature between 65 °C and 70 °C.

The parts washer has a capacity of 720 tubes/hour (one tube every five seconds), with a nominal conveyer belt speed of 1 m/min, variable between 0.29 m/min and 1.53 m/min by means of a speed shifter coupled to the drive unit.

Steel tube washer

A 200 micron bag filter is installed upstream of the pump, fitted with a dirt control pressure detector. A 300 micron stainless steel mesh filter is disposed at the inlet of the pump. An oil separator disk removes emulsified oil from the parts using degreasing solution.

Disposed next to the washing tank is the decanting tank, which is manufactured from 3 mm thick AISI-304 stainless steel sheet. This device allows emptying of the tank once the alkaline solution is exhausted and can operate in manual or automatic mode.

A selector installed in the control unit allows reversal (backward movement) of the belt in case of blockage.

A mist collector prevents the emission of mist, so there is no need to install a chimney.

The belt washer also has side access hatches (with safety micro-switches) to facilitate the revision and maintenance of tubes and nozzles, and internal cleaning of the washer. Cleaning and drying temperature settings for half-full or full load, photoelectric barrier for detecting incorrectly positioned tubes and weekly programming switch.

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