SMC marks 20-year MecWash partnership with new order

MecWash Systems of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, has been selected by its longstanding partner, SMC UK, to build a powerful and bespoke MWX400 parts washing machine to meet their stringent precision cleaning standards.

SMC UK has been working with MecWash for over two decades, purchasing their original machine parts washing system in 2001.

Paul Jarratt, sales manager at MecWash, said: “We were delighted SMC UK recognise the value in the results and service that MecWash had provided over the years.”

The initial machine that SMC UK bought was the Midi 400, specifically designed to clean the complex and intricate parts manufactured by SMC UK. The processes included flood and spray wash, flood and spray rinse, hot air drying and the final stage of vacuum drying. The team at SMC UK used a separate ultrasonic system to unsettle the contamination on the components. The Midi was recommended to the team at SMC UK because to its reliability and effectiveness at cleaning hydraulic and pneumatic systems, designed to clean complex shapes of fixtures and parts.

SMC UK is a Japanese company with over 40 years of trading in the UK and is a global market leader in the manufacturing of automation components. SMC UK is also the main supplier of pneumatic components for MecWash machines and operates from a 14 acre production facility and offices located in Milton Keynes.

With significant growth and an increased volume of components that require cleaning, SMC UK wanted to upgrade the parts washing process to improve efficiency . Paul Jarratt spoke at length with Sam Culley, production engineer at SMC, to understand the requirements and eventually recommended the MWX400 as the solution.

Paul Jarratt comments: “The MWX is the successor to the Midi, therefore it was the natural choice, as the Midi had been so successful at SMC UK. The technology of MecWash machines has evolved significantly since 2001, so it was important to fully understand the requirements of SMC UK , to create the optimum parts washing process.”

Following Paul’s advice, SMC UK purchased the MWX400 which combines ultrasonics with immersion and high flow washing, rinsing, dedicated jetting and vacuum drying; providing the highest quality of component cleaning and drying in the industrial parts washing market.

Stuart Knox, production engineering manager at SMC UK, added, “The Midi system was very effective over a long period, and the service and maintenance from the team at MecWash had been consistently excellent. Speaking with Paul, the MWX was the most appropriate choice.’

“An important aspect of the purchase was the ultrasonic options of the MWX400. The incorporated double ultrasonics process vastly improved the speed and cleanliness in key areas,” said Stuart.

The double ultrasonics work at frequencies of 40khz and 25khz. The latter is the most common frequency used in industrial applications, and the most powerful. The lower frequencies create bigger bubbles with a bigger bang on implosion. Higher frequencies, including 40 kHz, are more effective for targeting the smaller particles. Together, these frequencies combine to achieve high cleanliness by loosening the most tenacious of contaminations within the components.

SMC UK also added the Aqua-Save option to the MWX400 to reduce water consumption. Aqua-Save is a wash water recycling system that helps to maintain pristine washing, rinse quality and reduce the need for water changes and effluent disposal, making the cycle more efficient, cost effective and environmentally sound.

MecWash machines are some of the most advanced, connected parts washing systems in the world. The connectivity within the MWX400 facilitates remote servicing, condition monitoring, fault diagnosis, maintenance and management. This offered SMC UK new ability to programme and monitor the washing process.

Stuart Knox continued: “The HumanMachine Interface (HMI) process has hugely improved our ability to