Introduction
Ultrawave have supplied submersible ultrasonic transducers and generators to Tecvac Ltd for cleaning components in their high vacuum equipment. The newly supplied ultrasonic cleaning system has enabled Tecvac to reduce downtime and cut costs considerably.
Tecvac Ltd is part of the Wallwork Group, who specialise in hard coatings, heat treatment, vacuum brazing and other services. In recent years, the Wallwork Group has invested extensively in new equipment and training in order to offer a high quality, competitive service to the aerospace, motorsport and the medical industries.
Based in Cambridge, Tecvac manufacture high vacuum equipment with a specialty in bespoke machines for vacuum coating, medical and research & development applications.
Challenges
The equipment that Ultrawave supplied was a replacement for an existing system that was proving unreliable. Tecvac bought their original generators and submersible transducers as part of an Italian manufactured cleaning line. However, after the first few years in service,the generators were not reliable and expensive to repair.
“We experienced intermittent overheating problems with the generators. Also the submersible transducers were expensive to replace and were on quite a lengthy lead time. As the overheating increased, so did the down time and it was becoming an unwelcome expense” says Graham Scott from Tecvac Limited.
The Solution
The escalating cost of using the generators and transducers led Tecvac to search for a more efficient solution, so they turned to Ultrawave for help and advice. Ultrawave manufactured submersible transducers to meet Tecvac’s exact specifications, ensuring that the size and ultrasonic power were tailored to provide the best cleaning and processing results.
Graham was pleased with the new parts from the onset, “Fitting Ultrawave’s submersible transducer has increased our cleaning performance without the costs of installing a new system.”
The submersible transducers provided excellent ultrasonic activity and were easily controlled through Ultrawave’s generator without the cost of a brand new system. “The best feature is being able to fit a higher wattage transducer into the existing tank. Additionally, we can easily match it with the right ultrasonic generator, saving even more time” says Graham.
The Bottom Line
By using Ultrawave’s generators and transducers, Tecvac has reduced downtime and cut costs. “The parts are much more reliable and I have total confidence in them. We can keep matched generators and transducers on the shelf as spares, reducing downtime by 10-15%. Our aim is to eventually replace all old generators with Ultrawave units” says Graham.