production management
A double chamber sealed degreaser is installed in the UK’s first SEDcompliant
aerospace finisher.
Safe and sealed
ABBEY Metal Finishing Company
(Amfin) is the first ‘aerospace finisher’
business in the UK to respond to the
Solvents Emissions Directive (SED)
legislation by installing an EVT
hermetically sealed solvent degreasing
system. Amfin aims to deliver quality and
fast turn round across a range of surface
treatments including plating and
anodising painting/coatings, plasma
spraying and abrasive blasting.
Production capability is matched by a
commitment to environmental
considerations, with accreditation to ISO
14001:2004.
The Nuneaton company has approvals
from leading aerospace companies such
as Rolls-Royce, Airbus UK, BAE Systems
and Goodrich; and while specialising in
bespoke and small batch work can longer
runs and repeat orders for volume
production. Environmental Manager
Graham Vaughan says the investment in
an EVT Gigant degreasing system came
after a careful analysis of the many
alternatives, both aqueous and solventbased:
‘It was decided that the EVT
system gave Amfin the best chance of
compliance with the SED requirements
while offering excellent degreasing
results at a very competitive price.’
A partnership between Amfin, EVT
GmbH and EVT’s UK distributor, IB
Industries, saw the installation in
February 2007 of a hermetically sealed
solvent system with two chambers. For
larger aerospace parts the first chamber
accommodates a 1500 by 1000 by 700mm
static basket, with an easily installed 1300
by 600 by 600mm rotation basket
available for complex parts with blind
holes on various faces. The second,
smaller, chamber accommodates two 480
by 320 by 200mm standard baskets, with
immersion initiated by an ultrasonic
push-pull oscillator. This allows smaller
components to be cleaned and degreased
effectively by a more efficient
combination of solvent and ultrasonic
capacity.
The spraying system is optimally
adjusted for the work pieces and is also
effective in rinsing off solids such as
swarf. After spraying the solvent is
The EVT
Gigant large
format sealed
solvent degreasing
system installed in
Abbey Metal
Finishing’s
Nuneaton facility
Batch degreasing
in this EVT large
format solvent
degreasing system
saves on man
hours and solvent
usage
pumped directly from the cleaning
chamber for recycling ready for the next
load. Solvent vapour is directed into the
working chamber where it condenses on
the cold parts, degreasing even complex
shapes with the smallest drill holes.
A regenerating carbon absorption
system removes the last traces of solvent
from the chamber prior to finishing the
cleaning cycle. For adherence to the legal
regulations, the system is equipped with a
concentration measuring instrument,
which monitors solvent concentration in
the working chamber. Only when the
concentration value falls below the
legally designated 1gm/m3 of air is it
possible to open the sliding door. If the
activated carbon of the adsorption unit is
saturated with solvent, it can be
regenerated automatically by hot air in
operation with the circulating air.
The EVT machine is easy to use via the
touch screen interface,’ says Vaughan,
‘and the equipment seems to be reliable
and robust. The maintenance procedures
were explained at the commissioning
stage and all aspects of the project were
handled very well. In the eight months
since installation the machine used
approximately 300 litres of
trichloroethylene, which is a vast
improvement on previous performance.’
To keep the oil rate of the solvent small
and thus the cleaning quality high, the
distillation of the solvent is indispensable.
The oils brought in usually have a high
boiling range and remain therefore in
the distillate swamp. This can be disposed
40 MWP march 2008
of emission-free in the gas pendulum
procedure of the integrated SAFE-
TAINER system.
EVT offers a broad range of
environmentally-friendly degreasing
systems, from small, standard, sealed
solvent cleaning systems to custom-made
systems up to 4 by 2.5 by 2m capacity that
satisfy all the European legal
requirements. The EVT Gigant, for
example, can clean and degrease large
components or large volumes of small
components within its 2 by 1 by 1 m
working envelope at a rate of 2 to 4
charges/hour, with vapour and optional
stages of spray, immersion and ultrasonic.
It is designed as either top or front
loading and can rotate or oscillate
components at any stage in the cycle.
Multiple filtration and oil distillation
keeps the solvent free from
contamination, and the cleaning and
degreasing process is monitored and
controlled via a 9-inch touch screen.
Carbon adsorption and solvent
concentration controlled to less than
1gm/m 3 guarantees compliance with
SED and European VOC requirements,
while additional features such as vacuum
distillation, vertical parts movement and
activated carbon filter systems are easily
integrated into the EVT system if needed.
The EVT range can be interconnected
with the SAFE-TAINER fluid
management system from SAFECHEM.
This system comprises two separate
containers each with a standard drum
inside, one for fresh and one for used
solvent. With the steel container
protecting the drum from damage or
spills, the system ensures safe and simple
on-site storage and transfer. With a few
simple connections, fresh and waste
solvent transfer is easily and safely
achieved within a virtually sealed system.
www.ibindustries.co.uk
www.amfin.co.uk
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