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Witon cleans up on blind holes
07 Feb 2008
Drilling a 1 mm diameter, 15 mm long blind hole in batches of brass probes is a simple job for a precision turned parts subcontractor like Witon Engineering, but cleaning the components afterwards is more difficult. Conventional washing equipment was not removing oil and swarf from the fine holes so it invested in a Dürr Ecoclean industrial washing machine.
To clean the fine, gun-drilled holes, the operator choses one of eight editable washing programs that combined rotary and swivelling movement of the load with injection flood wash, ultrasonics and vacuum drying. After the cycle, all components are free from chips and sticky cutting oil, right to the bottom of the holes. The non-halogenated, hydrocarbon-based washing machine can clean the entire turned parts output from Witon’s 30 single-spindle lathes and four CNC multi’s, all of which run 24 hours a day.
Said Witon’s managing director, Ian Sheldon, “Components are becoming more and more complex and difficult to clean, yet at the same time customers are asking for higher levels of component cleanliness. The automatic washing cycles in the Dürr machine are less labour intensive and more efficient at cleaning our components. Many customers have commented on the improvement.”
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