Contract cleaning as a service: from rough cleaning to high purity

Contract cleaning is also offered as a service by one system manufacturer. The spectrum ranges from classic parts cleaning through fine and precision cleaning to ultra-fine and high purity cleaning.

From coarse, intermediate and precision cleaning to ultra-fine and high-purity cleaning - the needs-based, economical and sustainable cleaning of workpieces and assemblies requires not only optimally adapted cleaning technology but also the corresponding cleaning expertise. In its three test and service centers in Germany, which specialize in different cleaning tasks and cleanliness categories, Ecoclean not only enables the needs-based design of cleaning processes, but also provides contract cleaning services for components made from a wide range of materials.

Whether high productivity, the quality of subsequent processes, a long product service life or improved competitiveness, as an essential production step, component cleaning influences each of these points. The cleanliness requirements vary greatly depending on the industry, workpiece, production phase and area of application. Ecoclean has been operating three test and service centers in Germany for years, adapted to the very different demands on cleanliness. They specialize in different cleaning applications and have state-of-the-art equipment, process and drying technologies for water-based and solvent-based cleaning as well as laboratories for cleanliness tests, compatibility tests and quality determinations of cleaning media. In addition to meaningful tests for the design and optimization of system technology and processes under production-related conditions, this equipment also enables the customized cleaning of components made of almost all materials as a service.

The spectrum ranges from classic parts cleaning through fine and precision cleaning to ultra-fine and high-purity cleaning. High-pressure deburring and decoating are also carried out as a service. In the area of classic cleaning, the so-called category "A", it is mainly components that are manufactured in large quantities in general industry, by automotive suppliers and other sectors and for which no strict cleanliness requirements have to be met, for example "free of particles and grease" on the surface. Cleanliness is checked visually and using conventional measuring methods.

Category "B", fine and precision cleaning, covers parts and components made of various materials and from different sectors, such as the automotive, aviation, sensor, electronics and coating industries, as well as medical technology. Defined specifications must be met with regard to particulate and filmic cleanliness, which is why these parts have usually already undergone pre-cleaning. Typical applications in this area include the cleaning of housings, optical components, implants and medical instruments as well as parts such as bipolar plates prior to coating. Microscopes, particle scanners, systems for measuring surface tension and endoscopes as well as a mobile cleanroom cabin are available for checking for particulate and filmic residual contamination, for example in accordance with VDA 19 or factory standards. If validation of cleaning processes is required, for example in medical technology, the range of services includes the corresponding support, e.g. through pre-validation.

Tasks in ultra-fine and high-purity cleaning (category C), where extremely high demands are placed on particulate, film and organic cleanliness and so-called "harmful" elements (hydrogen-induced outgassing = HIO substances) must be avoided, are carried out in a validated class 7 cleanroom with ISO 6 zones. Integrated treatment solutions for osmosis (RO), de-ionized (DI) and ultra-pure water (UPW) enable the use of all water qualities used in ultra-fine and high-purity cleaning. Typical applications include the cleaning of components used in laser, measurement, analysis, vacuum technology, aerospace and precision optics as well as components for semiconductor production equipment. Various measurement and analysis processes, including customer-specific ones (e.g. microscopy, residual gas analysis, UV light and fluorescence measurement) as well as a packaging station for cleaned parts ensure that the high cleanliness requirements are met.

There are many reasons for cleaning as a service. It starts with capacity bottlenecks in the company's own cleaning system or the investment in an appropriate cleaning system does not yet pay off for a new series part due to the quantities involved. New processes have to be developed due to increased cleanliness requirements. For certain parts, higher cleanliness requirements must be met than for the rest of the product range. There is a lack of trained personnel to ensure compliance with very high cleanliness specifications (OM-1/26).