If you are running an automotive business and you are trying to be as efficient as possible, think about this: how much time do your employees spend cleaning components and parts? Do you assign all the dirty work to one particular employee, or do you have every technician or mechanic clean the specific part or component they are working on themselves?
Either way, this involves a lot of manual labour, which is time-consuming, and you can very well have your employees do other important tasks rather than clean parts or components. So what solution do you need if you don’t want your employees to waste valuable time cleaning rather than tackling more crucial responsibilities?
The answer is simple, really: ultrasonic cleaning. Ultrasonic cleaning has already been used for decades, but how can you utilise it for your own business? Here’s how ultrasonic cleaning can really help with your automotive business.
What is the process all about?
The ultrasonic cleaning method or process makes use of sound waves of a high frequency in order to produce bubbles in a heated bath comprised of water and soap. A process referred to as cavitation will take place, which means that the water within the cleaning tank is boiled.
The process ‘breaks’ water molecules as these water molecules are jiggled very rapidly. With ultrasonic cleaning, you need a transducer, which is placed in the tank where it can then vibrate up to 40,000 times a second.
The difference between ultrasonic cleaning and other methods such as steam cleaning is that it doesn’t make use of hot water. Instead, the water is boiled cold, creating bubbles, which can then pass over a part’s or component’s surface in the tank, leaving a cavity or void.
The other water molecules surrounding it will then rush to fill the cavity or void, and when they reach the cavity’s centre, they collide strongly. When they collide, this creates shock waves, and the collapse of the bubbles is then referred to as cavitation.
Cavitation is a process that is so strong that it can actually wear away materials like metal, but it is still gentle enough not to cause harm to any part or component.
What can it clean?
Ultrasonic cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning services can actually remove all sorts of dirt and grime from any part, and it can also remove long-term grease deposits and hydrocarbons, polishing or buffing compounds, carbon deposits, and metal shavings. The average cleaning time with ultrasonic cleaning is around half an hour to 40 minutes.
The advantages
- There are many high-powered vehicles which have components that are hard to reach and clean due to various deep grooves and areas which hide dirt and also damage an engine which has already been rebuilt. But ultrasonic cleaning can clean these problematic areas as well as surfaces which are exposed. And since ultrasonic cleaning can remove carbon, oil, dirt, and varnish, you can easily leave seals, plastic, and O-rings in place, which saves you a lot of time as well.
- You can also benefit from the increased productivity and efficiency of your technicians with ultrasonic cleaning. Instead of having one technician clean a part like a carburettor with a spray cleaner, they can easily throw about five or six carburettors in an ultrasonic cleaning tank and press the machine’s button and leave it to clean for 30 minutes. When your technician comes back, the components will be spotless – ready for assembly. With ultrasonic cleaning, you will not only be able to clean many more parts or components with a lot less manual labour – you can also clean difficult or challenging components with ease.
Image attributed to Pixabay.com
