CLEANING WITH WATER

Greco Brothers Aqueous Cleaning Systems are the product of 50 years of custom engineering experience and technical expertise.

We have designed systems that harness water's tremendous power and utilize it to its fullest potential. From the initial cleaning station to the final rinse, water is constantly at work cleaning your parts and doing away with all foreign matter.

So, whether your cleaning requirement is the removal of heavy grease, light oil, or dust and fingerprints, let us show you why water is the natural cleaning solution.

Aqueous Degreasing

Aqueous degreasing is a method of removing light oils from the work piece utilizing special equipment with a water-based, biodegradable cleaning compound. Depending on the cleaning compound chosen, the oil can be either emulsified or split to the surface. From the surface, it is skimmed to a separation compartment, where it is isolated from the cleaning area. Continuous filtration and liquid agitation is provided to aid in the cleaning process. Aqueous degreasing is most appropriate for cleaning parts that are contaminated with light oils, or as a preliminary cleaning operation prior to ultrasonic cleaning. For further details, see our aqueous degreaser literature.

Ultrasonic Cleaning

Ultrasonic cleaning is accomplished through the rapid formation and collapse of minute bubbles or cavities in a liquid. This phenomenon is called cavitation. It offers intense mechanical agitation combined with enhanced chemical activity. Parts that would ordinarily require intense hand scrubbing can often be cleaned in a matter of seconds with an ultrasonic cleaning system. Ultrasonics should be considered in applications where contaminants may be lodged in crevices, or where ultra-clean results are necessary. Its laborsaving advantages make it the fastest, most economical way to clean nearly any part.

How Does Ultrasonic Cleaning Work?

Three basic elements are required to produce cavitation: a generator, a tank, and a transducer. This combination of components produces an ultrasonic system. The intense agitation needed for cleaning occurs when standard electrical current is converted first to electrical energy of a higher frequency by the generator, then into ultrasound waves by the transducers. These transducers are either bonded to the tank bottom, or enclosed in a stainless steel housing which is mounted inside the tank. The sound waves produced by these transducers exert enormous pressures which loosen soils lodged in hard-to-reach areas of a work piece, including blind holes and crevices.

Construction Styles of Ultrasonic Systems

Standard Batch System: The standard batch system consists of an ultrasonic generator and a transducerized cleaning tank (A). The transducerized tank is constructed of stainless steel, with the transducer elements bonded to the tank bottom. The ultrasonic energy is directed upward through the tank.

Custom Batch Systems:When part configuration requires a special-sized ultrasonic cleaning tank, Greco Brothers employs immersible transducers (B). An immersible transducer is a hermetically sealed stainless steel container which contains a number of transducer elements. These transducers offer the major advantage of versatility in system design. The custom cleaning system can be designed so that ultrasonic energy is directed and concentrated where it is needed most, according to the contaminated surfaces.

Rinsing Equipment

In order to produce spot-free drying, the parts must be thoroughly rinsed after the cleaning operation.

Overflow Rinse: In its simplest form, the over-flow rinse station is a stainless steel tank with a skimmer overflow. Water enters at the bottom of the tank, and is skimmed from the surface, where it is directed to drain or to a recycler for reuse. Depending on the parts being cleaned and the cleaning compound, more than one overflow rinse station may be advisable.

Multiple Compartment Counterflow Rinse: Counterflow rinsing (C) is the process of flowing rinse water through multiple rinse stations in the opposite direction of the workflow (i.e., utilizing the overflow from the final rinse tank as the input source feeding the rinse tanks before it). A multiple compartment counterflow rinse system may use the same amount of water as a single overflow rinse, regardless of the number of compartments. By flowing the water in the opposite direction of the workflow, the contaminants are isolated and directed to the drain or recycler. This results in the work piece being introduced to successively cleaner rinses as it passes through the process.

Deionized Water Rinsing: The lower the mineral content in the rinse water, the less likely it is that the work pieces will stain during the drying process. Depending on the quality of the local water supply and the critical nature of the particular part being cleaned, deionized water rinsing may be necessary. Our recirculating deionized water rinse stations remove the minerals and organic matter from tap water and recirculate it through either of the rinse station configurations described above. For further details, see literature depicting our deionized water rinse system, or our closed-loop recirculator/deionizer.

Drying Systems

Most applications require that the work piece be dry before it proceeds to the next manufacturing step. Greco Brothers offers a broad selection of Hot Air Drying Systems. All of our dryers are constructed of insulated stainless steel, and designed to be energy efficient while maximizing production capacity. For difficult applications, such as work pieces that contain many complex cavities, we manufacture a full line of liquid displacement dryers.

For complete details, see our hot air drying systems or displacement drying systems literature.

A Custom Fit

Our technical sales staff will be pleased to help you determine exactly which cleaning, rinsing and drying system best satisfies your requirements. Because we offer each component individually, our customers are able to purchase a system that includes only the equipment they need. And if a special system is needed to meet your specific requirements, our staff will design one that is competitively priced and available with a surprisingly short lead-time.

Consolidated Bench Construction

Each of the required cleaning, rinsing and drying systems may be purchased and installed individually; however, consolidated construction offers several advantages over the single station approach.

Aqueous Degreaser Ultrasonic Cleaner Recycler Rinse Counterflow Rinse 1 Counterflow Rinse 2 D.I. Water Rinse Hot Air Dryer

All of the equipment in a consolidated bench is built into a common frame and wired to a common electrical box. Whenever possible, water inlet and drain manifolds are utilized to further simplify the installation.

Automation is always available with our cleaning benches. A user-friendly, programmable transport system picks up the part, carries it through the cleaning process, and drops it off; leaving no room for human error.

At Greco Brothers, we construct our benches with particular attention to durability and ease of use. The framework and countertop are fabricated from 300 series stainless steel. A recessed control panel offers easy access, while protecting the controls and displays from inadvertent contact. Drain-back trays are built into each countertop between stations to ensure that any dripped liquid is contained and directed back to the appropriate station. Sliding doors on the front of the bench allow easy access to all components. And should it ever be necessary, the entire countertop can be removed without disconnecting the work stations.

Best of all, because Greco Brothers CONSOLIDATED CLEANING BENCHES can be custom built to include only the cleaning, rinsing and drying systems your process requires, you're never forced to overspend. For more information on our consolidated cleaning benches, see our ultrasonic page

So whether you need a single cleaning tank, or a closed-loop cleaning bench with a programmable transport system, call Greco Brothers and discover why water is the natural cleaning solution.