Heat treatment specialist for the motor sport industry, TTI Group Ltd, has installed a MecWash Duo at its main Luton production site as part of a strategic plan to increase capacity and facilitate growth.
The aqueous component cleaning system was commissioned to replace a series of dunk tank washers in order to achieve a higher level of cleanliness for the billets and parts it treats, and to free up valuable production space.
TTI Group (Luton) is widely recognised as the leading heat treatment provider to the UK motor sport industry, working with Formula One, Indycar, Touring and Rallying teams and associated engine manufacturers.
The company, part of Aalberts Industries NV, offers an extensive range of heat and surface treatment services for a wide variety of parts used in high-performance vehicles, including drive shafts which can be up to 1m long. The Luton site specialises in Low Pressure Carburising (LPC) which offers ‘a clean, low distortion process with no intergranular oxidation.’
Motor sport industry standards demand that every trace of residue generated during the various heat treatment processes must be completely removed before the parts enter the production line, as Technical Development Manager (Motorsport sector) Pawel Danielewicz, explains, “Our customers trust us to deliver the highest levels of service at all times. The parts we treat are subjected to extreme pressures on the racetrack so even the slightest particles of contamination could cause a significant issue.
“In an industry where every second counts, every part used must meet the exacting standards demanded.”
TTI treats billets and machined components produced from a variety of metals including carbon steels, titanium and incoloy – the introduction of the Duo has also enabled TTI to process certain grades of steel which the previous wash system was not able to handle.
The Duo, which offers high-performance parts washing and drying for both small and large components in a relatively compact footprint, was the perfect choice for TTI.
MecWash Managing Director, John Pattison, says, “The Duo is our most popular machine, accounting for almost 50% of all sales in the past 12 months. Its versatility makes it suitable for use in a number of sectors, including automotive where we have an established reputation with a number of the UK’s leading manufacturers.”
TTI was particularly impressed with the fact that MecWash provides a complete service, including identifying and producing the best wash solution for TTI’s specific requirement. Pawel continues, “Having MecWash chemistry was a great asset. MecWash is the only company that can optimise the whole system of hardware and chemistry to achieve the cleanliness levels required in modern engineering.”
An Aqua-Save Junior was also installed with the Duo to treat and recycle the waste wash water, achieving additional benefits for TTI by reducing the volumes of water used in the cleaning process.
For further information about Aqua-Save systems, please visit www.aqua-save.co.uk.