Leicestershire based WTI Fasteners Limited is looking forward to taking delivery of a MecWash Duo aqueous component wash system later this month following successful demonstrations of its cleaning capabilities at two recent UK trade shows.

Andy Mason, WTI’s Managing Director, and co-director Wayne Smith, first witnessed the Duo in action at Think: Production 2014 – an open house event jointly run by Matsuura and Tornos earlier this year in Coalville. The deal was then finalised at the recent Aero Engineering show with a December delivery date agreed.

Established in 1989, WTI manufactures helical inserts from high quality chromium/nickel austenitic stainless steel that meet a number of internationally recognised standards, including military and NATO stock numbers.

The company has recently experienced a significant increase in demand for its products and in order to meet the upturn in orders, it needs to be able to wash and dry the inserts as efficiently as possible.

Andy elaborates, “We were looking for a new cleaning system to provide us with a higher degree of product cleanliness and to help increase production capacity. We had already researched a number of options before attending the shows and seeing the Duo demonstration convinced us without a doubt that it was the best system for our particular requirements.”

The full wash, rinse and dry cycle provided by the Duo takes less than10 minutes enabling high volumes of inserts to be processed on a daily basis, and the system is ideal for cleaning complex components such as internal threads thanks to a range of both standard and optional functions.

The Duo offers flood/immersion washing which provides higher standards of cleanliness by subjecting all component surfaces to full contact with the wash solution, and a re-circulating heated spray rinse which ensures a superior surface finish by removing detergent residues left by the wash solution.

The rinse stage can also be used to apply a longer term corrosion inhibitor for ferrous components which is vital for WTI as the inserts it produces are used in diverse applications in some of the most demanding engineering industries, including supersonic aircraft and vehicles used in space exploration.

Wire inserts destined for use in highly corrosive conditions or subject to the effects of galvanic corrosion are treated with additional surface coatings following the initial production. Prior to assembly in the finished product, components must be completely free from contamination in order to achieve the best surface application and finish – providing another reason for investing in a quality cleaning system that will stand the test of time. 

MecWash Managing Director, John Pattison, says, “More and more industries are recognising the high standards of cleanliness that can be achieved by using aqueous cleaning methods, combined with bespoke wash systems.

“Understandably, Aerospace and Astronautics are two of the most challenging industries out there - the Duo is proven to be able to meet the exacting standards required for components used in both of these sectors, as well as many more.”

WTI has also ordered an Aqua-Save Junior 2 waste wash water recycling system to reduce water consumption, and a number of bespoke baskets to maximise the number of inserts that can be cleaned at any one time.

Andy finishes, “We are looking forward to the arrival of the MecWash Duo and being able to meet the increasing demand for our products. 2014 is our 25th year of trading, so investing in the Duo is a fitting way to mark the start of the next chapter for WTI.”

Photo caption: MecWash Managing Director, John Pattison, pictured with WTI MD, Andy Mason