As a market leading manufacturer of bespoke aqueous component cleaning systems, MecWash works closely with its clients to deliver machines built to meet their individual requirements. The Tewkesbury based company provides tailored wash systems and solutions to a number of industry leaders across a variety of sectors including automotive, aerospace, defence, medical, hydraulics and pneumatics.
In 2010, MecWash was approached by one of its existing customers, a leading UK manufacturer in the aerospace industry, with a very specific cleaning requirement for turbine blades used in civil and defence aircraft. The turbine blades are made of nickel based super alloys and the casting media used in the manufacturing process must be completely removed before the blades are used in an engine assembly. The challenge was flushing out the internal cooling channels in the blades, which could only be accessed via a very small orifice.
MecWash designed and built a prototype which delivered good results in trials. This was followed by the first production machine which has now been in use on the customer’s site for over a year. The customer was so impressed with the cleaning results delivered by the original machine that a second was soon ordered and now the third and fourth ‘BladeWash’ machines have been requested.
The wash process features a high flow rate designed for flushing components. The components are held in a very confined wash chamber, and water is pumped through and around the components at 1000-1800 litres per minute (depending on the component and fixturing) attaining very high speeds. This provides a very powerful cleaning effect, and a highly efficient rate of contaminant removal.
The importance of clean components is paramount in all applications, but in industries such as aerospace where substandard equipment could breach stringent Health & Safety regulations, the need to achieve a spotless finish is absolutely vital.
The BladeWash system is built to the same robust specification as the rest of MecWash’s products, and because the customer had previous experience of working with MecWash, it knew that it was ordering a quality product capable of performing to the highest standards. Although turbine blade manufacture is an extremely niche market, the BladeWash can be designed and adapted to flush out debris/oils from a number of different components with complicated geometries. The machine is now available as part of MecWash’s standard range for such applications.
MecWash Managing Director, John Pattison, says, “We pride ourselves on listening to our clients and identifying their exact requirements so we can develop the best combination of technologies and wash solutions to achieve the desired finish. Due to its particularly high flow rate, the BladeWash is suitable for many applications that require powerful cleaning of components with internal bores or passageways.”
Find out more about MecWash’s products here or contact the sales team to discuss your company’s specific component cleaning requirements.
