Selecting the right parts washer is a critical component to accomplishing your company’s goals. Thinking about factors like how many parts you’ll need to wash, how clean they need to be and more can help ensure you have the equipment to make the job efficient and safe.
Here are four questions to ask in selecting a parts washer.
What are you cleaning?
Consider every object that you will be cleaning in your parts washer, not just the most frequent. How much space will you need? Are there any blind holes or strange geometries with the parts? This will help inform what type of parts washer you will need. If you only wash small parts, you most likely don’t need a vat-style washer and can choose one with a smaller footprint to conserve floorspace. For heavier parts or those with hard to reach areas, an automated washer may be more appropriate.
Depending on what you clean, product-specific parts washers may be an option, such as spray gun cleaners. These will maximize cleaning quality while reducing time spent cleaning.
What soils are you removing and how clean do parts need to be?
If your parts have baked-on carbon and grease, then a quick rinse will not do the job. And how clean is clean? Are you doing general cleaning for inspection or reuse, or precision cleaning for further treatment? This is important for whether you choose a manual cleaner vs. immersion or high-pressure spray vs. ultrasonic. For more information on these parts cleaning technologies, visit our parts washer services page.
Every material composition and soil to remove should be treated differently. While some jobs require premium solvent blends, other soils and substrates will be eligible for aqueous cleaners. VOC contents and flashpoints are also important to understand and manage. To learn exactly what your cleaning situation demands, sign up for a free parts cleaning trial through ArmaKleen.
If your processes require significant volumes of solvent, consider an on-site recycler or waste minimizer to go alongside your parts washer. On-site options can increase the cleanliness of the solvent you already have while reducing the amount of waste to dispose.
How many parts do you wash per day?
If you manually clean for more than 45 minutes per day, there is immediate value in transitioning to an automatic parts cleaner. Whether you wash 10 parts per day or 200 makes a difference, and it may be time to consider an automated option.
What are your health and safety requirements?
One of the more obvious considerations for health and safety is the type of cleaner/solvent that will be used in the machine, but did you know there are also safety standards written specifically for parts washers?
In accordance with US and Canadian regulations, electrical products including parts washers must be evaluated by an OSHA Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) in the United States or by a Standards Council of Canada (SCC) accredited body in Canada to be certified as safe for use in the workplace. To protect your employees and customers from potential risks and protect your company from associated liabilities, make sure your parts washers have been certified by an NRTL. An easy way to identify this is to see if the machine has a label or “Mark” from the testing laboratory. UL, CSA, and ETL are some of the more common NRTL’s that provide certifications against these standards.
A complete list of NRTL’s can be found here.
Pick a parts washer that is right for your business
Addressing these elements before purchasing a parts washer will help you make the most time and cost-effective decision for your company. Choosing the right cleaning process can be a little tricky and may even require some trial and error to ultimately achieve the results you’re looking for. The good news is you don’t have to go through this alone. Safety-Kleen will be your ideal, informed partner that offers all sizes and all technologies, no matter what your business needs. For the safest and most advanced options on the market, consult with your local expert today.
For more information on how Safety-Kleen can work for your company, drill further into your industry by finding it on the “Markets We Serve” tab on our Markets page. For industry-specific information on models, visiting the “Markets We Serve” tab on the Parts Washer Services page.