Water jackets cleaning

One of the more difficult areas to clean in the cylinder heads and cylinder blocks of the automobile engines is the water jackets,Why?

1) The internal volumes of the water jackets are complex and very often with narrow passages. By one side the cylinder head designers wants to have a minimum water jacket volume in order that the engine can rise in temperature rapidly to have the optimum engine performance. By other side is important to refrigerate all the areas of the cylinder head , mainly around the combustion chambers , but the number of valves per cylinder create narrow passages inside the water jackets.

2) On the machining of the aluminium alloys the cutting speed are more and more elevate and create longs chips . The cycles times on the machines are more and more shorts and there is not too much time to break the chips.On the transfer lines it was easier to do than in the present CNC flexible lines.

3)As consequence of the cutting speeds and short cycle times the chips are very often pushed inside the water jackets by the final milling tools.

4) The consequence of long spring chips inside small pockets and narrow passages  is chips trapped inside the water jackets.

The cylinder head is more sensitive to this problem but some cylinder block too. Here joint you can see what you can find inside a cylinder head water jacket:

       There is a clear test : If we cut a supposed clean cylinder head in slices it will allows us to see if there are some chips trapped inside the water jacket. I’ll say that the majority of clean cylinder heads have chips inside.

Is dangerous for the engine run? Well, first you have to assembly your engine (cylinder head , cylinder block , camshafts, crankshaft..). During the automatic assemply this remaining chips can fall down of the parts and goes to the assembly machine or between the parts to be assembled blocking the operation and stopping the machine and the line.

Second if you assembly your engine with no problem but the chip remain inside , is possible than during the engine run with the vibrations and , temperature changes , the chips goes out of the water chamber and arrives to the water pump causing the failure of the water pump , heating the engine and stopping the car engine.

Another added problem is the remaining sand balls remaining inside the water jackets coming from the cast process:

 

 

 

Since many years this water jacket problem has been the major nightmare for the equipment suppliers and for the automotive industry .

The process to remove the remaining sand inside the water jackets  is called “desandind” and will be considered in a further post . today we will concentrate only in the chips removal :

Some suppliers were using a contact jet at 20/30 bars to flush inside the water jackets( ICOM, Hafroy). Or” injection flood” ( Dürr) injecting 10/15 bars jet against the waster jacket on immersion of the part . Or the “Aqua cannon”(Valiant) with a medium pressure short discharge inside the part pulsing the water inside. 

Or the High pressure ( 200 bars) target injection trough the part openings (Agullo).

Or a mixture of systems like Sugino .

In any case the problem is a difficult problem and needs test with real parts to achieve an acceptable process. Of course the automobile client is also an important part. If the cleanliness test to control the cleanliness of the cylinder head is a manual flushing of a solvent trough the part( and water jacket ) is probably than the flushing (normally at 1 to 3 bars) will not be able to remove the blocked chips inside the water jackets and the test can give a result of accepted clean part when it has trapped chips inside the water jackets.

Some cleanliness tests in the automobile have added operations to the cleanliness test procedure to verify these water jackets. One is the manual hammer percussion by the operator of the cylinder head in a certain position in order to detach the chips balls inside . I remember than years ago in an european engine manufacturer the company Hafroy supplied one transfer machine that had a pneumatic hammer in one of the Ferris wheel wash stations to reproduce the operator cleanliness test operation and try to remove this balls. I remember that the line operators call the machine the “Bell” ( a “dong” each 30 secs was not appreciated by the operators around the line).

Another system is the manual checking of the water jackets with a small  endoscope . This system is of course the more efficient but some times you can not reach all the internal areas. Only cutting the cylinder head you can really check it.

To reduce the chips and traps inside the water jackets is necessary a close work between the cylinder head designers ,cylinder head  machining engineers and the “cleaning” engineers to avoid narrow passages inside the water jackets design , to avoid big and spring chips during the machining, to have high coolant volume during the machining , or cover plates during machining . If you diminish the size of the chips , if you avoid the spring chips , if you avoid narrow passages and traps inside the water jacket , if you have more than one opening of the cylinder head water chambers you will have more opportunities to remove the inside trapped chips.

Maybe one of the Automobile manufacturers that pay more attention to the water jackets has been Fiat . In their wash process specification the request several water jacket wash operations in each of the washers of the cylinder head line. More water jacket wash operation you have with the part in different positions and injecting the water by different areas to create different flows inside the water jackets allows them to have more opportunities to remove the chips. Of course this redundant system is expensive and the present tendency in the Automotive industry is to reduce the number of washers in the lines.

In any case the miracles are impossible and if you really check inside your cylinder head water jackets(or cylinder block water jackets) you have to pay attention to the whole manufacturing process including the more effective wash processes to remove the trapped chips and to have a really clean part.

 

A good system is to collect and classify all the chips shape produced in the machining line , operation by operation .  

And then looking to the chip type remaining inside the W.J. you can identify in which machining operation the chip is produced and penetrates in the W.J. Working with the machining process engineers it comes very often the possibility to reduce the size of the chip or to eliminate the quantity remaining in the parts

 

The automobile cleanliness tests procedures are also an interesting point to be examined in a further post. They are the reason why some time one washing machines that is a good machine for an automotive manufacturer but fails in another manufacturer.

Cylinderhead Brush deburring(1)

Many components of the automobile engine are in aluminium .When the aluminium parts are machined it remain on the edges small parts of material that we call burrs.

These burrs have to be removed to avoid problems during the part assembly or for the good mechanical function of the part.

The action to remove these burrs is known as “deburring”. According with the areas where are located these burrs there are several ways to removed it in high production processes: by brush deburring , by abrasive blast , by high water jets, electrolytic, walnut shell, thermal deburring, paste deburring, vibratory bowl abrasive deburring…

The most used in the automotive  industrie for the cylinder heads are the brush deburring and the high pressure water deburring.

There are a lot of suppliers for the deburring equipments but to have a cost productive process the best solution is to include the deburring process on the wash process. Why? . Because the parts after machining or after deburing have to be washed as well and because the brush deburring with aluminum parts has to be made in wet conditions .

The brush deburring and the high pressure deburring have been the two technologies better integrated in the wash lines.

The first integrator of brush deburring in the wash lines was the company AGULLO in the late 70’s. The first machines were supplied to RENAULT in France for the deburring of aluminium cylinder heads at high production (300 p/h). The cylinder head combustion , cam and manifold faces were deburred with automatic brush deburring units located at the entrance of an in line lift and carry transfer washing machine.

The brush deburring units to increase their deburring efficiency have evolved to planetary brushes where several brushes rotated on their shaft at the same time that theirs shafts rotated around the main shaft. These planetary heads have been for many years a reference on the brush deburring having a combined action to remove the burrs of the edges.

In a cylinder head machining line there are normally three wash operations : Primary,intermediate and final . The deburring operations are incorporated generally on the intermediate and the final washers.

 In the  intermediate washer there is the brush deburring of the cylinder head camsahft face , and the complete wash of the cylinder head before the bearing cap assembly .

On the final washer the machine  incorporates the deburring of the remaining faces ( combustion , manifolds, and extremities faces) . According with the production rate and the number of faces to be debured  the final washers became big machines (till  13 mts. long) and the PLC softwares complex. For these reason it was a tendency in late 80’s to separate this last brush deburring operation of the final wash operation in two machines: one machine for deburring with brushes and one for high pressure final wash-deburr.

The cylinder heads had more and more areas to deburr and the final cylinder head deburring became a self transfer complete machine.

 

Late 80’s the high pressure water deburring was also applied in high production cylinder heads . The first high production machine in Europe was supplied by AGULLO in Ford UK with 600 HP power and four high pressure pumps.

The high pressure water deburring can deburr faces but also has the advantage to allow to deburr oil galleries intersections and in the final washers the high pressure wash become also a standard to allow high cleanliness levels . In consequence the high pressure deburr is used in the final washers as a complement of the final wash operation.Having then the high pressure pack on the final washer why not to use the HP water for a complete deburring of the cylinder head? 

Of course this could be an option but the operational cost of a high pressure deburring operation is 2 to 3 times more expensive that for the brush deburring . In consequence anything that can be effectively brush deburred is better to do it with brushes than with high pressure water.

In the present the aluminum cylinderheads or the aluminium cylinder block flat faces are preferably deburred with brushes keeping the high pressure water for the oil galleries intersections , or other small deburring operations (oil galleries , bearing cap intersections, oil feed…)

 For a new part project ( i.e. cylinderhead) is possible to identify areas where the burrs will be present after machining and that have to be removed. But you can not identify 100% of the areas .Some times due to machined areas intersections with cast areas the burrs are present but not  in an predefined position .For this reason is useful on the cylinder head final washers to have a high pressure water jet programable with CNC or robotic  and a reserve of several seconds on the cycle time to can solve these unexpected burrs .

The brush deburring for flat surfaces is the more cost efficient solution compared with the high pressure water , but the high pressure water can reach areas where the brushes can’t.

Now in the market there are several companies proposing the planetary brush deburring heads .

The recommended brushes are the cups with stainless steel wire , but for certain aluminium the abrasive wire is also wellcome.

In  next post we will explain how to manage the brush wire wear compensation.

Easy accessibility for maintenance

The washing machines for complex mechanical parts like the automobile cylinder block or cylinder heads are like machine tools with a lot of mechanics , hydraulics , pneumatics and electric components.

The reliability of the machine is directly linked with the good working of these components . These components are submitted to very bad conditions compared with a machine tool.Inside a washing machine there is a lot of bad conditions : dust air, humidity , temperature , vibrations, water spraying , chemicals( detergents) , coolants (coming with the parts to be washed) ,chips ,burrs ,.. The conditions are much worst than in a machine tool.

These conditions are very hard for the machine components and the engineering of a good washing machine has to consider as a first task to limit the components inside the washing machine.

This task is not always 100% possible and inside the machine there are also  mechanic components that have to be easy to maintain and repair. For this reason the second task of a good washing machine engineering is to take care of the accessibility to all the components around the machine.

Easy accessibility of the maintenance operator to all the components located outside the machine ( cylinders , mechanics, switches,valves, check valves , distributors…) and also to the inside the machine.

Depending of the machine size and the components inside the machine the accessibility can be made with large doors in order that the operator can access to the component keeping his foots outside the machine.

But in high production machines ,or big machines the operator has sometime to go inside the machine for the maintenance . For that, late 70’s the company Agullo launch a big innovation . A complete wall of the machine , all along the machine was a door with a vertical opening( big size guillotine door). The door received different names trough the times , vertical door , vertical guillotine door , full access side door, full size door … and was rapidly adapted by others manufacturers .

The first installations with these full size guillotine doors we supplied by Agullo to Peugeot and Renault in France . They were driven by a motoreducer and two chains on the top. The door opening was from the roof till the transfer .

The french competitor Stic Hafroy seen the machines in Peugeot and Renault quickly “adopted” this type of door in their machines.

The dimensions for the doors were growing in length (machines with 12mts doors length) and in heigth allowing to the operator to go and walk  inside the machine . Normally the machines were equipped with only one door in one side of the machine , but Agullo supplied also machines with two doors one in each side of the machine.

 

 

 

 

 

As one of the main customers was Ford Motor co. in UK and Germany the competitors in these countries also adopted the full size access door ( Harry Major  , Beys…).

 

 

 

Harry Major

 

In Italy for Fiat the machines had one full size guillotine door in one side of the machine and one corridor all along the machine in the other side allowing the operators to walk all along the machine both sides of the transfer.Seen the machines supplied to FIAT the local competitors Tecnofirma , and ICOM incorporated the door to their machines.

Agullo

 

 

 

 

 

Icom

 

Tecnofirma

 

 

The driving of these doors was progressing from the double chain and one reductor , to the rack and pinion , or gear and pinion and from the top driving to the floor driving , always by cost reduction reasons because the safety was never a concern .

In the 90’s  and 2000’s a lot of machines were supplied to Ford , Chrysler and GM  USA with these doors been accepted on all the customers safety standards.

 

Agullo-Dürr Ecoclean

 

 

                         Agullo/Dürr Ecoclean

 

 

 

In USA the full size guillotine door was also adapted by competitors like Valiant

 

Valiant

 

 

The challenge of these doors is not only the mechanics for the vertical movement for open/close the door but the water leaks and the noise contention. Any small gap on the adjustment to the machine wall could allow the water leaks outside the machine or to rise the machine noise level. The door construction, the materials used, and the design allows to avoid all those problems.

The high production machining lines in the automotive industry needs high efficiency and reduced cost. Few operators are operating the machining lines , and the first maintenance task are made by themselves . The machine needs to be easily controlled , and maintained . The design of the machine has to take in consideration the easy access to all the machine components , the easy and quick dis-assembly and repair . Full access , illumination , clean air, clean access .

Don’t forget : The washing machine needs maintenance because they work on worst conditions than the machine tools. It is a supplier task to reduce the maintenance time needed and also to allow the easy maintenance.

Crisis, bloody 30%

Today I want to talk of this new alteration of the market : the Economy and Financial Crisis.

The 10Th January  I read on news papers: “Ssangyon Motor(Korean cars company) collapsed , they stops their payments due to 30% drop on sales and will reduce work forces and costs for 30%”.

On the following days I see : 2008 car sales in USA drop 30 to 40% ; GM -48,8 % , Ford -40,6% , Chrysler -55% , Toyota -34,45% , Honda -30,7%,Nissan -29,7%,Daimler AG -35,5% , Porsche -36%…

The outlook for 2009 is also pesimistic with -30% sales.

In summary I hope that this bloody number “30%” is becoming  more and more familiar in our day to day life.

We have lost in 2008 30% of our homes value , 30% or our wealth , we are 30% poorer , we will reduce our expences by 30% . We will reduce our holidays by 30% …

Your clients have lost 30% of their sales , they are planing to reduce 30% their work forces and expenses , they will drop at least 30% their buys to suppliers.

They will ask for 30% reduction in the machines price to cover a 30% reduction in investments.

The suppliers will reduce by 30% their work forces to reduce costs. The Banks are reducing 30% the credits to the companies , and asking for 30% more coverage for new credits.

This pressure will have the consequence that 30% of the suppliers of the automotive industry ( and also wash-deburr suppliers) will probably disappear in the next months.

All that will come also with a certain “nationalism” on investments to keep working the country,despite the promises to respect  the free market of the politics .

When an American company will make a new invest , the American suppliers will be in advantage against an European or Japanese supplier. When a German company will make a new investment , the German suppliers will be in advantage against the French,Italian, English or other suppliers.

When an English company will make a new investment the English suppliers will be in advantage against a German ,French,Italian …supplier (despite the second advantage of the currency with a low pound against the euro. The Sterling lost 30% against the euro in 18 months)

I remember that in the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s there was also economic crisis producing a reduction in the number of wash-deburr suppliers , but they were “local crisis” focused on one or two countries . Now in this global world , where the suppliers have been pushed  to be also global , the crisis is global and the consequences will be harder.

The clients and the banks will give tough days to the suppliers companies .  Which companies will disappear? Maybe taking in consideration the way that the German Banks have been always involved in their industry and their past experiences , the German Banks will better support the local industry than in France or Italy the other Banks will do .

The reduction of work forces in the wash-deburr manufacturers directly influenced by this economic and financial crisis , and the reduction of the number of suppliers , will fire a lot of knowledge  and experience out of these companies.

The wash-deburr manufacturers work is not a mathematical or ruled work .Is based on the experience of their engineers and fitters . Its a pity to lose all that and the companies making the personnel reductions would have to protect this knowledge , and think that after any storm it comes the calm , and in two or three years if they are still  alive they will need them.

Is also important to consider that in any case the small companies can have also their opportunities against the big companies in this crisis. The flexibility , innovation , quick reaction , relations , financial wellness , and cold blood will continue to be an asset today to defeat this bloody “30%” figure.

Good luck¡

Crisis maldito 30%

Hoy quiero hablar de este nuevo evento que ha aparecido distorsionando el mercado: la crisis Financiera y Económica.

El 10 de enero leí en las noticias: Ssangyon Motor (empresa Coreana del automóvil) hace suspensión de pagos, por la caída del 30% de sus ventas y reducirá un 30% los empleos y los gastos.

Al cabo de unos días veo: 2008 las ventas del automóvil en estados unidos caen un 30 al 40%; GM -48,8 %, Ford -40,6%, Chrysler -55%, Toyota -34,45%, Honda -30,7%, Nissan -29,7%, Daimler AG -35,5%, Porsche -36%…:

Las previsiones para 2009 también son pesimistas con caídas del 30% de las ventas.

En resumen este maldito 30% se está volviendo cada día más familiar en nuestra vida cotidiana.

Hemos perdido en 2008 el 30% del valor de nuestras viviendas, 30% de nuestro patrimonio, somos un 30% más pobres. Reduciremos nuestros gastos un 30%, reduciremos nuestras vacaciones un 30%…

Los clientes han perdido 30% de sus ventas, y están planificando reducir 30% de empleos y gastos y reducirán también 30% las compras hacia sus proveedores.

Los clientes pedirán 30% de reducción en los precios de las máquinas a sus proveedores para reducir así un 30% sus inversiones.

Los proveedores reducirán un 30% sus empleados y gastos.

Los bancos están reduciendo un 30% los créditos a las empresas y piden un 30% más de margen de cobertura  en las pólizas de crédito.

Esta presión tendrá como consecuencia que el 30% de los proveedores de la industria mecánica (y en consecuencia también los proveedores de equipos de lavado y desbarbado) probablemente desaparecerán en los próximos meses.

Todo esto vendrá agravado por un cierto “proteccionismo” en las inversiones para dar trabajo al propio país a pesar de las promesas de los políticos de respetar el libre Mercado.

Cuando una empresa americana haga una nueva inversión, los suministradores americanos estarán en ventaja respecto a uno europeo o japonés…

Cuando una empresa alemana haga una nueva inversión, los suministradores alemanes estarán en ventaja respecto a uno francés, italiano, ingles u otros.

Cuando una empresa inglesa haga una nueva inversión los suministradores ingleses estarán en ventaja respecto a los suministradores alemanes, franceses,  italianos  u otros (aparte de la protección adicional de que disfrutan con la situación de la divisa inglesa. La libra inglesa ha perdido un 30% de su valor respecto al euro en los últimos 18 meses)

Recuerdo que en los ‘70, ’80 y ’90 hubo también crisis económicas que fueron la causa del cierre de multitud de empresas y suministradores de equipos de lavado y desbarbado para la industria mecánica, pero fueron unas crisis locales concentradas en uno o dos países al mismo tiempo. Ahora en este Mundo global en el cual los proveedores han sido empujados a ser también globales, la crisis es global y las consecuencias serán mucho más graves.

Los clientes y los bancos serán una pesadilla para los proveedores.

Qué empresas desaparecerán? Quizás teniendo en cuenta cómo los bancos alemanes siempre han estado involucrados en la industria local y de acuerdo con lo sucedido en años pasados, los bancos alemanes se aliarán y soportarán la industria alemana mejor que los bancos franceses, italianos o ingleses harán con su propia industria local.

La reducción de empleos en los proveedores de equipos de lavado y desbarbado directamente afectados por esta crisis económica y financiera y la reducción en el número de proveedores será la causa de la pérdida de experiencia y conocimiento y saber hacer, fuera de estas empresas.

El trabajo de estas empresas de equipos de lavado y desbarbado no es un trabajo matemático, repetitivo o normalizado. Este trabajo esta basado en la experiencia de sus ingenieros y montadores. Es una pena perder todo este conocimiento y experiencia y las empresas que van a reducir personal deberían proteger todo este conocimiento y pensar que después de la tempestad viene la calma y en dos o tres años(si todavía están vivas) tendrán necesidad de ellos.

Es también importante considerar que en cualquier caso en esta crisis,  las pequeñas empresas pueden tener también sus oportunidades frente a las grandes empresas competidoras. La flexibilidad, innovación, rapidez de movimientos, relaciones, salud financiera y sangre fría continuaran siendo unos importantes activos para derrotar este maldito 30% que nos está azotando.

 

The USA mistake

 

Today I would want to remember the big mistake of some European and Japanese washers manufacturers in the Automotive American industry  middle 1990’s .

Sometime the successful manufacturers of one continent try to introduce their products in other continent without considering the difficulties due to the philosophy of the washer concept in each continent.

Sometime the customers of one continent wants to punish or improve their present manufacturer suppliers buying machines to a supplier from another continent without considering the difficulties due to the philosophy of the washer concept in each continent.

This happened in the 1990’s with the Japanese SUGINO . Ford Motor co placed orders for gear boxes high pressure washers to them(I hope it was in Livonia factory). The machines were of Japanese concept , giving good cleanliness quality but not appropriated to the maintenance requests from the American users ( accessibility , inside room, safety devices, documentation..). In conseque the application was a fracas and SUGINO didn’t had continuity in Ford.

In another case Ford Motor ordered a high pressure transfer wash/deburr for aluminium cylinder heads with also brush deburring.The supplier was the German company Beyss. The machine had a very complete process with brush deburring, cavitation wash, high pressure wash , ferris wheel.

When the machine starts to work in the factory( Romeo?) all the American normal washers suppliers were invited to see and appreciate the top of the technology in washing machines.  Not more than two years later the machine was a nightmare for the client due to his high complexity and the quantity of chips remaining inside the machine .The maintenance was difficult for the customers people,they were not trained for the job( complexity,controls, safety standards..).In consequence the application was a fracas and Beyss didn’t had continuity in Ford. Beyss lost a lot of money .

The American Automobile market had some particularities not present in Japan or in Europe:

 1) The car engines were much bigger . V engines of 3 to 6 litters volume. These sizes in Europe would be considered truck engines , not car engines.

2) The throughput in America was 200 to 300 parts /hour . In Japan or Europe the throughput was between 100 and 125 p/h

3) The tendency in Europe was to install sophisticate automatic filters for the wash liquid filtration with small tanks to have a minimal quantity of  liquid  in  the machine, when in America the tendency was opposite : big tanks simple filters and safety manual bags filters.

4) The amount of chips arriving to the machine with the parts was much bigger ( three to four times) than in Europe.

5) The detergents used in America were restricted to the environmental request of the State and in was not easy to use new ones used in Europe.In America the customers were working at ambient temperature ( witout machine heating)

6) The maintenance request in America were different. The “sizes” of an American foreman were much bigger than the Japanese foreman or European foreman. The machine access had to be bigger and easier in America .

7) The preventive maintenance philosophy in America was different: better to change a mechanical part after a certain number of working hours , than to check frequently how is it ,and evaluate if it has to be changed. It was more a “big maintenance” when needed than an small “periodic maintenance” to prevent a “big maintenance”.

8)The mechanical robustness of the machines in America was bigger than in Europe or Japan ans less sophisticate . For this reason the high production machines were hydraulic driven instead of electromechanical. The American hydraulics  standards were very constrained for the Europeans or Japanese  with inexperience and a high cost for them.

Al theses particularities were not well evaluated by Sugino, Beys… and caused their failure but it was also the pressure of the customers that forced them to deliver without enough analyses of the Market needs.

This was the situation when the company AGULLO arrives to the American market. People in Ford USA saw the Agullo Ferris wheel washing transfer machines in Ford Europe and wants to try it in America.

Then the american premium washer suppliers were Ingersoll (Centri-Spray), and Valiant on the Ferris wheel machines and Rocktool,and Liquiburr( in bankrupt) on high pressure.

Knowing the American particularities , AGULLO arrived to this market with the Ferris wheel machines( in line transfer with two vertical rotary tables across) for the cylinder blocks and cylinder heads.

The machines were in stainless steel body, with big tanks , robust mechanics, total accessibility (full side wall as motorized vertical guillotine door) for the maintenance, high pressure wash, and machine tool mechanics quality. In Chrysler with individual automatic filters , in Ford with Central filtration systems.

These machines astonish the customers and competitors. Some American suppliers commented the machines to be like the  ”Cadillac “of the Washers.

 

 

The majority of the machines are still working and have been retooled for new engines. This is an example to show that the washing machines are specific machines linked to a market and demands of a market and that before to go to other markets ,other customers, other requests,other mentalities, all the details have to be analysed in dip  .

The training of the customer is also important because if the machines are of a new technology for him , the operation and the maintenance is new and without a hard support from the supplier it could defeat.

Years later another example of that happen when one Automotive customer wants to buy exactly the same machines that he saw in Germany working in cylinder heads and cylinder blocks featuring new technologies for the Americans : hot cavitation wash, oil evaporators and vacuum dry. The machines were running successfully in Europe but not in America. Two years after the installation , the customer was enable to run the machines . ( tanks too small , foaming , parts too hot for the leak test , difficult maintenance , not enough training for the maintenance people in the factory, documentation not adequate…). The  consequence : the supplier was banned for several years in the customer Factories.

The washing machines are special machines receiving the hardest working conditions in the automotive factory : aggressive detergents , agresive machining oils and coolants , chips , helical chips , flat chips , burrs , liquid temperature , full humid ambient , temperatures changes , air condensations , noise , PLC or CNC  machine tools standards , rust atmosphere… and nobody likes to maintain it ( it is a dirty job…).The machine needs a good maintenance people understanding of chemicals , electronics, mechanics , lubrication , and also “process”(wash-blow off).

To be successfully on the utilisation of a washing machine from one Continent in the other is necesary the full implication of the washer manufacturer with the customer factory engineers , and factory maintenance people (not only the customer’s purchase or staff )before the construction of the machine. Is the only way to be successfully and that the machines and the washer manufacturer can last time in the customer preferences.

Maybe the future would be that the washer manufacturer has also the responsability for the maintenance and warranty the machine performances? .I know that the are some customers looking for that.

The machine engineering of the AGULLO washers in America inspired to several american manufacturers who updated their design and technologies and incorporate to their machines some AGULLO particularities like the  robustness, mechanics or the full size guillotine door( See Valiant , HMM pictures)

Gantry wash robots vs. articulated wash Robots

The utilisation of robots in the washing machines began for the need to wash different parts in the same machine or the need to high pressure deburr of some areas of the parts .

The german Dürr Ecoclean starts to use the robots in their in-line transfer DGI machines as a complementary high pressure wash of  cylinder blocks or cylinder heads. The parts were transferred in a lift and carry transfer trough the machine an in one station it was the robot with the high pressure jet in the wrist that  works on the part. The robot was located vertical with base at the floor outside the machine with a complete glove on the arm to protect the robot arm inside the machine.

The same philosophy was applied by Stic-Hafroy (now Dürr Ecoclean) ,  ICOM , Valiant , ITF and others. But it happen also the application of deburring small parts like ABS distributors or injectors components where the robot ( or robots) were picking the parts from a pallet and presenting the parts in front of HP jets or lances . In this case the wrist of the robot had grippers for the part and no jets as before.

The”flexibility” of the machine in this case is coming from the possibility to have several wash/deburr programs inside the same machine , but the gripper of the robot need to have at least common points in the component to be washed in order to pick the parts.

Here is appearing the two different concepts on the robotic wash/deburr applications : a robotic wash/deburr operation with a jet moved by the robot against a part transferred by a mechanical system or a robot with a gripper picking the part and moving the part against HP wash/deburr fixed location jets.

In the first case( robot moving the jet) the robot is less exposed to the direct splash of water and there is no mechanical-pneumatic-electric components on the wrist.

 

In the second case (the robot moving the part) the robot wrist is exposed to receive direct high pressure splash , and it has mechanical-pneumatic-electric components on the part gripper risking to be wet .

Some people with experience in robot automation have plunge in the wash/deburr applications with robots gripping the parts without evaluating the additional risk on the wrist. The robot suppliers are working hard to protect the articulated robot but the maximum protection proposed is a IP65 for the arm , with stainless steel covers , and IP68 for the wrist( see my before “post” concerning the IP validity’s). Some of them they are also adding  air over pressure for the wrist. In any case in these applications there is much more risk than in the case of the robot moving the jet.

 In the before post I mentioned the advantages of the Agullo gantry moving the jet at the end of the vertical arm with all the mechanical outside the machine.

 

 

 

The same disposition is adapted by the japanese SUGINO . Sugino is living in the country with more robot suppliers of the world . Why Sugino is not using the articulated robot in their machines? : Because they are more confident with the gantry on the top of the machine than with a robot.

 

 

 

Other manufacturers like the german Arau has presented in the Parts2clean Stuttgart exhibition his robot cell using also a gantry in the roof of the machine. (years before it was using articulated robots inside the machine).Another example is the german Piller that is using the gantry on top of the machine for the HP deburr jet in his cells.

Another advantage of the gantry robot utilisation is that the machine has only one electric control: a CNC known by the users and easy to run. In the case of the articulated robots inside machines , the machine needs a PLC and the robot has his own electronic control( two controls units in one machine).

But the articulated robot has also good points :It can load/unload the part in the machine by himself  when the gantry robot moving the jet , needs of  another transfer device for the parts, it can be produced in advance and customised in the last moment (gripper and programme) ..

So , what a dilemma ¡¡… Yes , and there is another interesting point : the total investment for the machine.

The Robot cells with articulated robots carrying the part are as single  cell an “economic” machine compared with a transfer-robotic  in line machine , or a rotary transfer-robotic machine. But the throughput is not the same.

In a robotic cell loading and unloading the part with the articulated robot you have dead time( load/unload) that penalize the complete cycle of the machine . More big is the part to be washed ( heavier) more time you will spend on the load/unload( lower speed on the movements due to the inertia). The wash time and the blow-off /dry times can not be fully reduced and then there is a need to use several robotic cells according with the requested throughput production .That’s means that you will need two,four.. or five robotic cells versus one equivalent transfer in line or rotary transfer robotic machines.

As a general rule we can say that in the majority of the automotive cylinder blocks and cylinder heads applications the investment is higher with the robotic cells . But is also an strategic choice: you can have one robotic cell as spare , in case of a shutdown in another, or you can increase the production step by step buying the cells in several years … Interesting comparison.

Robot cells : wash / deburr

In the STUTTGART Parts2clean exhibition , a lot of WASHER manufacturers were claiming their ability to supply robot applications for the wash and deburr process.

The application of robots in the wash/deburr is not new. Late in the 1980’s AGULLO was one of the first companies in the world to look for the application of these technologies. In this time the robots were mainly hydraulics or pneumatics and the main robot suppliers were the Americans UNIMATION ( Polar-articulated) and PRABB( cartesian) .

 To look closely to this applications I remember that I visited these two companies in USA , and both were proclives to decline any warranty of the robot working in the wet and dirt conditions of a washing machine.

Why? : The conditions inside a wash chamber are very inconvenient for the robot : water splash, possible direct contact with high pressure jet( 150 to 800 bars), hot ambient ( 50 to 70ºC), high humidity air , vapours , condensations ,  solids dirt , mechanical chock due to the chips removed from the part that can crash against the robot arms as bullets…

For the part gripper at the end of the robot wrist the same problems that for the robot : water , humidity, condensations, temperature, mechanical bullets… and additionally : problems for the electric switches and wiring , and pneumatic hoses ,controlling the open/close positions of the gripper. 

So de-couraging was the result of these visit to USA that in the AGULLO company it was decided to design a specific robot to respond to the difficult conditions of the wash/deburr operations. The Market was requesting machines able to wash different parts, in the same machine, and at low production and the robot could help for that. The classic washing machines had then wash box fixtures with pin point jets adapted to each part to be washed . If the parts to be washed were different , then it was necessary to change the wash boxes of the machine at each time that the new part arrived to the machine.

For certain machines like crankshaft washers , or cylinder head washers , it was possible to create one fixture that was carrying he wash boxes and then the operator could change the complete package for each new part. With the cylinder block washers the wash fixture becomes heavy and requested a lot of time and hand labour to be changed. A robot (despite his high price) could simplify the work with only a wash robot program to be stetted for each part.  

The result in 1983 was the design of a Cartesian robot , five axis ,with all their mechanics and servos on the opposite end of the arms( patented) .The payload was 350Kg and a prototype for validation was build in the Barcelona Agullo factory. Some of the customers robot experienced people visited the robot and gave some feedback. The most important  was coming from a Mercedes robot engineer suggesting to switch from the hydraulic servos( American Moog) of the prototype to the electric drive system as it was the future for the robots at least in Europe. The robotic electronic command was also another concern . Too much electronic companies offered robotic commands in the shows but they didn’t have experience in the field. By other side the customers didn’t like to train their people to each robotic command of the suppliers .

Another concern was also to consider if instead to grip the part to be washed to the robot arm , if it would be faster and agile to move the jet with the gantry robot and leave the part static. Then instead to need a 300Kg payload to move a cylinder block to wash and his gripper , we would need only a 50 or 70 Kg payload for the high pressure applications. Finally the decision was to re-convert the design to a Cartesian gantry robot with electric drive and servos with CNC controls ( Siemens or Allan Bradley the more popular then in the field ) and to move the jet. Totally a four axis gantry robot CNC controlled , working against the part to be washed presented in a fixture , or an in line transfer or a rotary table transfer. The fixture could have a supplementary CNC axis giving a total of five axis , enough for the wash/deburr process.

With this gantry robot located in the roof of the machine , with folded bellows to close the gap on the roof , all the mechanical an electrics of the gantry were outside the machine well protected against any water splash , or condensations. No mechanics neither electrics were on the wet area of the machine but all was outside the machine in the roof for easy access.The CNC command was controlling the gantry robot and the machine itself.

This AGULLO gantry robot was build for more than 17 years , around 100 units , and a derivative of it is still supplied by Dürr Ecoclean on some Rotary transfer washers for cylinder blocks and cylinder heads applications. There is one of these gantry robot 14 years old that is still working in his washer.

Why I have explained all these past experiences?  Because the alternative to the gantry robot using the articulated robots in the machines was difficult years ago. The first that I know were used the Smart-COMAU(Fiat) for the Borg Warner USA compressor applications but with the articulated robot outside the machine , vertical, on the floor, and with a complete vertical circular bellow wall to protect the robot. This bellow last normally no more than one year in normal conditions but with accidents or bad manual movements it has to be replaced very often. The english manufacturer CERA was also trying to use the same robot layout but with ABB robot.

In France Renault developed also one small vertical Cartesian robot that was used by the french company Brochot on the machines supplied to Renault to clean / deburr gear boxes but with many problems on the belows and mechanics, because the complete robot was inside the machine.

Fanuc was also marketing his small articulated robots for small wash applications ( first in japan and later in USA), but with frequent disassembling for maintenance.

Then ABB pushed also his robots . They were applied in the high pressure jet cutting located in the roof of the water-jet cabinets , and this application inspired to certain washer manufacturers to use the articulated robots inside the washing machines. 

 

Manufacturers like STIC_Hafroy in France and ICOM in Italy , Eurowide in England used the ABB in the roof with a big textile wrap ( moving the water jet).

Today the articulated robot suppliers have improved their robots and now they start to propose a better water protection to the end wrist and to the robot body . (As is the case of ABB and in a second place Fanuc,may be we could also add Staubli if his last robot runs well). In consequence there are more and more manufacturers that they propose “robotic washers” using standard robots of the market.

A lot of robot  suppliers assure IP67 protection for the robot ,but maybe we have to remember that IP67 protection in the robot is not enough for a wash deburr application . You would have to go to the “electrics standards” and see what means “IP67″ . The first digit”6″ means solids protection :”power dirt protection” .The second digit (“7″) is a water protection but “7″ means protection to the water inmersion without pressure for 30 minutes¡¡ Inside a wash/deburr cell , there is high pressure water ¡¡

Some robot suppliers claim higher protection :”IP68″ , but again please note that the digit ”8″ means “harder conditions (to be defined by the supplier) of immersion than the IP67″ but still immersion , not protection to the high pressure jets.

What means all that ?, that the washer manufacturer who is proposing to a client a “robot cell” with an articulated robot of the market needs to add some additional engineering to his machine for additional protection of the robot . If not, the client is taking a big risk ordering a machine to this washer  manufacturer. 

But there is still a confusion using the term “robotic washer”. What is better to move the jet with the robot or the part against the wash/deburr jet?. We will see in a next post…

Parts2clean Stuttgart .High Pressure wash/deburr

I remember when AGULLO supplied the first high production (220p/h) washing machine with high pressure water for wash/debur of cylinder heads in the Automotive industry in Europe . It was early in the 1980’s and the High pressure pumps power were for 600Kw. In this time not many companies in the world were able to supply high production machines and the addition of the high pressure was not frequent.

The high pressure installation engineering was a challenge. Not only the high pressure pump supplier didn’t have experience in the 5.500 hour/year continuous running of the pumps but other circumstances were added : working with recirculated water (filtration engineering) , keeping the water at controlled temperature (cooling engineering), keeping the overall noise of the installation (then at 85 dB )(noise insulation engineering), HP safety valves and HP distribution valves reliability , materials used on the HP jets and lances (mechanical engineering) , materials resistance to the HP impact for the fixtures and clamps, vapour exhaust ,vibrations transmission all along the machine,chemical detergents compatibility,flexible hose life…a lot of engineering and innovation.

For many years the AGULLO experience in the high pressure was on the top . Now , 25 years later there is a lot of companies that they say can offer high pressure wash installations.The HP pumps and accessories suppliers have more experience and the technology is better known but , is really so easy , are they selling with knowledgement of high pressure technique’s?… I don’t thing so.

Who are now the companies in the edge?

In the Parts2clean exhibition in Stuttgart I visited SUGINO , as I wrote in my before post who has a lot of experience in Japan on this Installations mainly in low production.

 In Europe we can find one small specialist: Piller in Baden-Wurttenberg(Germany) who has several HP deburr machines types with manual load or robot load ,like the CNC “Vector Jet”cabinets and dominates the deburring range of 400 to 800 bars with water or oil. Their experience comes mainly from the small mechanical components deburr at low production.They had difficulties to supply the complete process of wash,deburr.blow off , dry in one installation but step by step they are finding sollutions to do it using several machines. In Germany is considered as the main experienced supplier. Their clients are mainly germans. As particularity I can highlight that Piller  uses a CNC gantry robot on the roof of the machine moving the HP jet , keeping the part clamped on the table that can have additional CNC axis.

 

 

Another company present in the exhibition is also the german INDA-Markert of the SCHMID group. Indawas an small company with local activity in the high pressure that met Markert with experience in the German automotive market (Mercedes)and transfer washing machines. Both together are now presenting also CNC cabinets for HP operations with HP automatic tool exchange , or rotary transfers, or in line transfers. Out of Germany there are not too active ( out of Hyunday or Kia projects). They were also presenting a robot for deburring gearboxes , with automatic HP tools changer( rotary lances , V-jet , pin point jet..).

 

Of course we can not forget Dürr Ecoclean as global high pressure supplier despite his presence in the Parts2clean exhibition with only one machine for the general market ,the Cmax that I will talk about in a another post. They have the experience and globality that some others don’t have.

Another big specialist that becomes more global is the Canadian Valiant . This company was for years the competitor of AGULLO , and Centry Spray(after Ingersoll) ,and now for Dürr Ecoclean in America.

Valiant is present at the exhibition trough the Austrian TMS company ( body handling) hat now is part of the Valiant group and that will take the responsibility of the Valiant washers/deburr for Europe. The last 5 years of Valiant in USA have been successful , passing for the transfer in line , Ferris wheel supplier to be a complete partnerfor the Automotive industry ,supplying turn key installations with the handling, robot integration,washers(high pressure or robotics),deburr , leak test ,and special assembling machines and AGV transport . Their Aachen Engineering adventure is now forgotten and they seems determined to attack the European market from their new base in Austria. Is the only manufacturer that can compete with Dür Ecoclean as “global” supplier.