Cleaning with solvent is special. First, it takes a certain amount of time before it begins to have an effect. Some solvents take a longer time than other solvents before they start to work. To achieve the optimal cleaning time and effect a solvent mixture of 2-4 different purpose solvents is recommended.
For the solvent mixture to do its job properly the surface first needs to be wetted with the solvent. Once the solvent mixture starts working the ink will soften and thereafter removed layer by layer with the help of the solvent mixture sprayed on the surface of the parts. The spraying pressure of the cleaning machine can typically vary from 2- 7 bar, the higher pressure in the nozzles the deeper, more effective, and faster cleaning you get.
More nozzles do not equal better cleaning
With fixed nozzles you typically see 4-5 times the number of nozzles in a machine compared to a machine with moving nozzles. More nozzles mean larger requirements on the power of the pump. Typically pumps in a cleaning machine with fixed nozzles would be 50-70% larger, however the larger pump does not compensate sufficiently, and the nozzles pressure is therefore lower than in a machine with moving nozzles. A larger pump in the cleaning machine with fixed nozzles consequently also consumes exponentially more energy.
When it comes to moving nozzles the key factor that is going to give you alle the advantages are the dynamic. Think of when you are washing your car, when you start spraying water onto it nothing happens until you start moving your spray. The same goes for the moving nozzles. The magic happens when you introduce movement to the liquid spraying.
As a printer you may have a lot of different parts, some of them with very specific cleaning challenges relating to dimensions and design. A custom build wash layout of the cleaning space in the cleaning machine where the nozzles are angled specifically for all surfaces on your parts ensure optimal cleaning, where the moving nozzles can work their magic.
Your parts cleaning matter
At Flexo Wash we provide a custom build solution that fits your cleaning needs. Here we take our time to customize the unit, so you get the best possible cleaning result every time.
If you are considering a parts cleaning solution you should not decide before you have made a complete calculation on operational costs and energy consumption. You can often save a lot of money by choosing the right solution.
Our experts are always ready to guide you to best parts cleaning so avoid poor cleaning results and get higher print quality with minimum downtime.
Read more about why we customize our parts washing units – click here.
