Cleaning with modified Alcohols, by ITF Technology - Interview to ITF srl

Company

ITF srl

Referent

CHRISTIAN ACCOGLI

Title

Cleaning with modified Alcohols, by ITF Technology

Interview by

LAURA DE CAPITANI
Editor of SF4T

Laura De Capitani/Editor:

Mr. Christian Accogli, by visiting the ITF Facility in Mesero we have been impressed from the modern system based on ITF TECHNOLOGY WITH MODIFIED ALCOHOLS that you have designed and supplied to Arcoprofil, can you give us more information at this regard?

Christian Accogli/ITF srl:

The reliable and innovative technology of I.T.F. related to modified alcohols cleaning, finds its strong points in the modern cleaning systems design – to get part cleanliness increasing throughput – combined with the advantage to reduce water consumption and related waste water treatments. Thanks to the advantages offered by this technology, our client Arcoprofil has decided to invest in a modified alcohol system to improve the production of splined shafts for automotive and agricultural fields. At the same time Arcoprofil has based the challenge to improve the cleanliness of the produced workpieces, increasing volumes of processed parts per day, based on the leading quality and high reliability factors offered by I.T.F. with this kind of systems.

Laura De Capitani/Editor:

Mr. Christian Accogli, please describe what kind of components are manufactured by Arcoprofil and a brief information about this Client.

Christian Accogli/ITF srl:

The components manufactured from Arcoprofil are splined shafts. They are normally subject to thermochemical or thermal surface treatments, like overheating then quick cooling down, determining the required level of surface hardness and relative stress resistance. Infact those physical characteristics are very important for the basic elements of engine drive units.
Arcoprofil is located in the town of Schio, Vicenza, Italy, and its specialization is the machining of splined shafts for the automotive and agricultural sectors, providing two kinds of treatment in order to improve the surface resistance of its products: induction hardening (thermal) and case hardening (thermochemical). Mr. Giorgio Calli is the HSE manager of Arcoprofil – He highlights that the induction hardening is a kind of heat treatment of steel and alloys – for some kinds of workpieces it is needed to follow the induction process with further quench hardening. The two kinds of hardening technologies allow to reach best steel performances by enhancing its basic physical characteristics, to meet or overcross the expected workload. The importance of a perfect cleaning of the parts before the heat treatments is of absolute importance. Infact a minimum residual of oil left by previous machining tasks could risk to generate fire during the hardening or contaminate the coolant during the cooling down phases. This clearly invites to carefulness and top efficiency in the phase of cleaning and explains the reasons why Arcoprofil has decided to invest in a modern and efficient cleaning system to place it after cutting, turning and spline hobbing or cold forming. The most qualified supplier identified to offer this kind of technology has been identified in I.T.F. – Mesero, Italy.

Laura De Capitani/Editor:

Mr. Christian Accogli, Arcoprofil has a very specialized production experience, could you say something more about them?

Christian Accogli/ITF srl:

For sure! I can just tell you what Mr. Roberto Casolin - General Manager of Arcoprofil – underlines about the history of the Company, established in the mid seventies as a specialist in the use of the cold rolling of splined shaft by means of the Grob system. This cold forming technology was developed by the Swiss Company Ernst Grob AG. Nowaday it is worldwide recognized not only the high value of the Arcoprofil products, but also the Company excellence, certified with quality management (ISO 9001:2015 and IATF 16949), environmental (ISO 14001:2015), and safety (ISO 45001:2018). An important demonstration of the above is given by exports to countries such as Germany, Sweden, Brazil, and the USA Mr. Roberto Casolin has also underlined how, in the beginning of the third millennium, Arcoprofil has concentrated all their production processes in a single and new site covering 11.300 sqm – thanks to this important factor, Arcoprofil can support its clients providing every processing phase in house, spacing from the phase of design to the manufacturing of the finished workpieces, complete with heat treatment. Arcoprofil, with its team of 150 specialized operators, serves the leading manufacturers of agricultural machines, heavy vehicles, tractors as well as some transmissions producer in the field of automotive.

Laura De Capitani/Editor:

Mr. Christian Accogli, can you explain something more of this application of interoperational cleaning with the modified alcohols for Arcoprofil?

Christian Accogli/ITF Srl:

Arcoprofil was using water and detergent based washing system from year 2000 to process components after machining and workpieces of other origins requiring washing after finishing tasks. This washing system become soon or later insufficient to satisfy the growing volumes generated, therefore the Company decided to invest in a new cleaning system to satisfy two main expectations:
1. Reducing water consumption
2. Having the best possible flow of the cleaning tasks
The right solution to satisfy those main requirements has been the ITF modified alcohol system, offering highest possible stability of the cleaning agent and no water consumption at all.

Laura De Capitani/Editor:

Mr. Christian Accogli, as far as the sizes of the workpieces are concerned, how did you managed the situation in this case?

Christian Accogli/ITF Srl:

This is a good question, infact to choise a modified alcohol system instead a water based washing system, for Arcoprofil, it was not easy due to the important sizes involved in the technical list of requirements. Infact, the solutions available have been many, nevertheless the main advantages where offered by the modified alcohol technology – therefore the design of the system for Arcoprofil required to have 2 large size baskets having sizes of 1.000 x 2.200 x 850 mm. and with two relative tanks integrated in the main body, respectively: a storage tank for the liquid and an evaporator. When the splined shafts enter the cleaning chamber, high vacuum is created, followed by flooding from the upper tank so that the parts are completely immersed. Then, ultrasonic technology is activated, advantaged by the vacuum that prevents any degasification problem typical of ultrasonic in normal atmospheric pressure. Of course the ultrasonic efficiency of this task is at the top level. As soon as the ultrasonic cycle time is expired, the chamber is emptied and flooded with hot solvent steam with temperature above 120°C. Drying takes place by evaporation thanks to the creation of high vacuum in two phases: an intermediate phase with a pressure of around 50 millibars and a second phase around 4-5 millibars. The elevated vacuum level makes possible to evaporate the heat in the chamber and on the workpieces at very high temperatures, determining a perfect drying operation. Vacuum drying prevents airborne particles from re-contaminating the cleaned parts inside the process chamber by creating a hermetically sealed and therefore extremely clean environment, as the chamber is also washed with each work cycle. Finally, preventive deodorisation of the chamber occurs by means of a flow of fresh air that exits the pump and reaches the condensers before being expelled.”

Laura De Capitani/Editor:

Mr. Christian Accogli, what about the TOTAL RECOVERY and its advantages?

Christian Accogli/ITF Srl:

I could say a very exhaustive explanation regarding this important aspect of our technology, nevertheless to contain this interview in the required terms, let me synthesize as follows: The solvent steams generated by the distiller are used to provide thermal energy to the chamber – thus assuring reduced thermal power – infact ITF has designed a hybrid system based on methane gas burner heating water recirculated in the machine to heat modified alcohol through steel coils. This reduces the thermal energy used to restore the necessary distillation regime, thus lowering electricity consumption and generating a greater quantity of vapour for the final stage of the process.”

Laura De Capitani/Editor:

Mr. Christian Accogli, last words about FUTURE?

Christian Accogli/ITF Srl:

ITF future will see more and more satisfied clients like Arcoprofil, ready to infest thrustfully in the modified alcohol technologies offered by ITF to get: less water consumption, most energy efficient cleaning systems, better cleaning reducing bottleneck to advantage high throughput levels. My best wishes finally to SF4T and its Editor for helping us to inform the market about technologic issues like midified alcohols cleaning technology!