Süddeutscher Verlag Veranstaltungen GmbH (SV Veranstaltungen) hosted the 7th Filmic Contamination Conference in Bad Gögging from November 11 to 12, 2024. The event offered around 80 specialists and experts from the parts cleaning industry a comprehensive insight into the latest developments and technologies on the subject of filmic contamination. The program included 17 exciting and informative specialist presentations, workshops and a panel discussion. Surface Technology Online was on site as a media partner and press representative.
The event kicked off with a welcoming round moderated by Franziska Blume (SV Veranstaltungen), Gerhard Koblenzer (LPW Reinigungssysteme) and Volker Seipel (Seiplicity), who also led the rest of the program. In his introductory speech, Gerhard Koblenzer gave a brief review of the development of the event series and outlined the current and future requirements for cleaning and the associated process chains. For example, the changing cleanliness specifications, also in connection with high-purity, or which industries have increasing demands on cleanliness. This was followed by an insight into the activities of associations and institutions such as the FiT and the DIN Standards Committee for Materials Testing (NMP).
Diverse lecture program on filmic contamination
The main topics of the conference were analysis methods and measurement, cleanrooms, media cleanliness, cleaning processes, high purity, process management and control, online analysis and monitoring approaches. The first presentation by Ernst-Hermann Timmermann from DFO dealt with pre-treatment errors in industrial coating technology, including many examples from the speaker's many years of experience in analyzing defective coatings. Volker Seipel then continued with analytics and analysis methods in his presentation, which provided many informative aspects on the topic of surface analysis and analysis methods. He also called for the processes prior to analysis to be considered, i.e. handling, packaging and transportation. The subsequent panel discussion "Online analysis and monitoring approaches - costs as a brake on implementation?" with the moderators and representatives of several cleaning technology companies once again shed light on the field of analysis in terms of economic efficiency. In summary, it can be said that although monitoring costs money, it also creates the desired process stability.
From cleanrooms to reducing energy costs
An overview of cleanroom technology was provided by Joachim Ludwig von Colandis, who discussed the differentiation between cleanrooms and cleanroom technology. He also explained why the focus should not be on cleanroom technology as such, but solely on the product and its quality requirements. Two further presentations by Stefan Barwig from Filtertechnik Jäger dealt with the aspect of media preparation, while Dr. Dennis-Helmut Manz from Volkswagen addressed the effects of film contamination in e-drive construction and how these can be analyzed and reduced in production.
After lunch, Marco Göbel-Leonhäuser and Volkan Yavuz from Trumpf presented the possibilities of laser surface treatment, from cleaning to functionalization. Trumpf has been active in this field for a long time with its laser technology division and can offer a broad product portfolio ranging from laser cleaning, the structuring of surfaces and the selective removal of coatings in a wide variety of industries. On the trending topic of sustainability, Chiara Mondino from TE Connectivity spoke about achieving sustainability targets in the production of connectors. The presentation by Lina Kramer from TU Darmstadt on reducing energy costs through intelligent operational optimization in cleaning machines went in the same direction. She explained how energy flexibility and corresponding optimizations can reduce energy costs in component cleaning by 20 percent per year and which operating strategies are necessary for this.
Workshops on filmic contamination
Three workshops supplemented the lecture program of the first day with group work with the participants. Workshop 1, led by Gerhard Koblenzer and André Lohse, focused on monitoring approaches and in-process analytics in the process chain and in the cleaning process. Possible approaches and requirements that go beyond the mere recording of sensor data and downstream cleanliness analysis were developed by the participants in two working groups. One dealt with the question of why monitoring is needed, the other with the prerequisites for monitoring. The two workshops looked at why monitoring makes sense (keywords: safety, efficiency and traceability) and which organizational and technical requirements need to be met.
Workshop 2, led by Stefan Raab, was entitled "Sustainability - from the perspective of component cleanliness / film contamination" and looked at the topic of sustainability from the perspective of technical cleanliness and film contamination. Solutions such as "cleaning-friendly" design, clean reusable packaging and the recycling cycle for cleaning agents were discussed in order to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases.
Workshop 3, led by Kay Marschall, was dedicated to the topic of "Packaging in parts cleaning - tasks, functions and concepts". Packaging in the context of industrial parts cleaning often presents companies with major challenges in terms of material selection, design, handling and sustainability. The workshop participants were asked to compile the various requirements and look for solution concepts. The participants were then able to round off the evening in the rustic atmosphere of a mountain hut, where they also had the opportunity to network.
About cleaning simulation, phase fluids and cleaning chemistry
The second day of the conference also featured numerous specialist presentations. Dr. Matthias Joppa from Fraunhofer IVW spoke about the development status of cleaning simulation of filmic contamination. There are approaches here such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), a simulation approach for filmic contamination, for which several examples such as the simulation of internal and external cleaning were presented. Frank-Holm Rögner from Fraunhofer Reinigung presented the potential of phase fluids in the cleaning of heavily encrusted organic contaminants. He went into the basics of phase fluids and used three case studies - such as the removal of aged adhesive tape - to illustrate how they can be a solution even for difficult cleaning processes.
Chemistry was also the focus of Alexander Nix from Stockmeier's lecture on pressure swing washing and the requirements of surfactant chemistry, which also provided basic knowledge on aqueous cleaners, for example. Dr. Thomas Stehrer from Fronius spoke about fully automated and precise inline cleaning with hot-active plasma, presented the mode of action of this partial component cleaning technology and explored aspects such as sustainability. Tilo Zachmann from Sita Messtechnik gave a presentation entitled "Efficient process design and optimization through direct measurement of the cleaning result" on fluorescence measurement for cleanliness control and discussed the use of measuring devices and corresponding practical examples from the manufacturer's technical centre.
Exhibition accompanied the Filmic Contamination conference
The topic of analysis was taken up again by Dr. Christian Worsch from Vacom in the presentation "PMC tests: practical experiences". He explained sampling using PMC (Particle Measurement Card) and evaluation using the Fastmicro system for measuring surface particles. Techniques for high-purity cleaning and achieving qualified cleanliness was the topic of a presentation by Martin Leuenberger from Borer Chemie, which offers corresponding cleaning solutions. Christina Mavridou from Zestron then spoke about cleanliness requirements and implementation in the power electronics supply chain, for example in the production of stamped grids in semiconductor/power electronics. The presentation also looked at the different types of impurities and possible analysis methods. Last but not least, Thomas Schittek from Hydac highlighted the employee as a key player in the process chain and possible approaches to optimization. He highlighted potential sources of risk such as a lack of qualification and corresponding solutions such as knowledge sharing, specifications and sensitization.
The specialist conference on film contamination was accompanied by an industry exhibition at which companies from the cleaning sector presented their stands. The next conference is planned for November 11-12, 2025 in Bad Gögging. (OM-1/25)
Contact
Süddeutscher Verlag Veranstaltungen GmbH
Justus-von-Liebig-Straße 1
86899 Landsberg am Lech (Germany)
Phone: + 49 8191 125-570
Email: info@sv-veranstaltungen.de
www.sv-veranstaltungen.de
About SV Events
SV Veranstaltungen, founded in 1971, has over 50 years of experience in the event business. The company has been part of the SWMH Industry & Automotive cluster since 2021 and, together with sister companies such as Hüthig and Ultima Media, organizes B2B events such as congresses, conferences, seminars and meetings in the fields of medicine, insurance, finance, environment, production, mechanical engineering, automotive and packaging.