With the Lab-on-a-Chip system for bath analysis and AI-supported Smart Drying technology for component drying in cleaning systems, Ecoclean sets high standards for more efficient, sustainable, and smart production.
In today’s manufacturing, it’s not just about stable and reproducible component quality or increasingly stringent documentation requirements. There is also the need to drastically reduce energy consumption to clean in a more resource-efficient manner, thereby lowering both the carbon footprint and production costs.
Saving resources with Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC): Precise bath analysis without manual detours
Monitoring cleaning and passivation media using numerous different sensors and manual interventions is no longer up to date. Today’s standards do not tolerate suboptimal bath and cleaning quality or unnecessary resource consumption.
The solution lies in Ecoclean’s Lab-on-a-Chip system. Whether for multi-bath immersion or chamber systems, the system combines various measurement methods into a single unit. In system-integrated setups, sampling occurs automatically from the respective stations connected to the evaluation unit.
To determine the actual cleaning agent concentration, the following methods are available: titration, pH measurement, conductivity measurement, and surface tension measurement. Bath contamination can be detected using fluorescence and conductivity measurements. The measurement methods can be combined as needed, and it is easy to integrate additional functions or new measurement methods.
In addition to the integrated solution within the system, a standalone version is also available. In this case, samples are manually taken from the baths to be monitored, while the rest of the procedure is performed automatically. Both solutions ensure the constant availability of up-to-date data, making it easy to comply with documentation requirements and comprehensively improving the process.
Save Energy with Smart Drying: AI-Based Component Drying
With the goal of minimizing energy and time requirements while ensuring optimally dried parts exit the system, Ecoclean relies on AI-supported Smart Drying technology for combined hot-air vacuum drying processes. The foundation is a humidity-temperature sensor developed specifically for this application, which has since become standard in various Ecoclean system types.
How our AI learned: To control the drying process in a time- and energy-optimized manner, the AI model of the Smart-Drying technology was first “trained” using data from thousands of drying trials involving a wide variety of components and target parameters. Based on this know-how, the AI evaluates the quality of the current drying process by analyzing the parameters of humidity, temperature, and pressure in the process chamber.
The AI continuously learns and then decides which action makes the most sense next for optimal drying. This allows it to detect, for example, the point of saturation on vacuum and pressure curves. This can result, for instance, in warm air being supplied for thin-walled parts or plastic workpieces.
Here’s how it works: A combination of sensors and AI analysis monitors, analyzes, and compares parameters and real-time data on humidity, temperature, and pressure in the process chamber. Intelligent control is enabled by the AI’s dynamic decisions, which determine the process step necessary for optimal drying.
New system or targeted upgrade?
To steer production toward a resource-efficient path, manufacturers can choose between two options for parts cleaning:
“High-end efficiency right out of the box” by purchasing a new, modern parts cleaning system that comes standard with interfaces for Smart Drying and/or Lab-on-a-Chip. This allows customers to invest directly in future-proof, CO₂-optimized manufacturing.
Or “take your existing system to the next level” – with attractive and sustainable retrofit solutions from Ecoclean Services. These enable retrofitting by integrating LOC into existing processes.
Good to know: Ecoclean Services supports you in meeting the requirements for Smart Drying.
For the use of Smart-Drying technology, process-stable and reproducible processes are essential, ensuring that the same conditions always prevail in the process chamber. Worn seals or sensors that are not calibrated regularly, for example, lead to variations.
When used correctly, drying time is minimized while achieving maximum energy efficiency. Manufacturers thus benefit from significantly reduced energy costs, while the quality of the dried components remains consistently at the highest level.
Here, Ecoclean Services works hand in hand with the customer to make existing production and equipment ready for smart operation!
Conclusion: The future of cleaning is smart
With our combination of Lab-on-a-Chip and Smart Drying, we offer a solution to the complex challenges of modern manufacturing. The automation of process monitoring and intelligent control of the drying process are crucial steps toward fully connected and efficient production (Industry 4.0).
Companies seeking to optimize their cleaning and drying processes, reduce their carbon footprints, and address the shortage of skilled workers will find in these Ecoclean solutions the right tools for a competitive future.
Further information about our solutions
Contact our service experts for a personalized consultation:
Center of Competence Monschau service.monschau(at)ecoclean-group.net
