Automated Cleaning Streamlines Fastener Production

At the Birmingham factory of Emhart Teknologies (part of the Black & Decker Group), an automated cleaning line from Dürr Ecoclean became operational at the end of 2007 to provide centralised and more effective removal of oil contamination during the manufacture of various fasteners including POP® rivets and mandrels. Supplied by UK agent, Geo Kingsbury, the enclosed washing system uses a non-halogenated hydrocarbon to clean and dry the stainless steel, carbon steel and copper components.

Acquisition of the new cleaning plant allowed Emhart to replace a number of stand-alone facilities that included aqueous washing, steam cleaning, spinning and oven drying, as well as a boiler and water effluent plant. Financial savings and ecological benefits are considerable, particularly in terms of energy and detergent, and cleaning is more consistent in preparation for painting and plating the fasteners.

Emhart identified component cleaning as being central to the company's drive to improve production efficiency and adopt lean manufacture within the Birmingham factory. The aim was to have a natural flow of work from separate mandrel and body production areas into the cleaning machine and on through the rest of the process, which involves heat treatment, finishing, assembly and storage. Achieving this goal has allowed the factory, which operates 24/7, to increase output to meet growing demand for its products throughout Europe.

Input of components to the Dürr Ecoclean Universal 81 C has been automated to ensure efficient throughput. Bodies and mandrels are placed in baskets which are delivered in pairs on a conveyor and loaded automatically into the work chamber for cleaning. The baskets carry bar codes to allow them to be tracked reliably throughout the production process.

The Dürr Ecoclean automated cleaning line installed at the Birmingham factory of Emhart Teknologies.