What are the differences between automated industrial cleaning operations and other types of water jetting cleaning operations?
Industrial cleaning processes can be carried out using several different methods under one of the methods listed below:
Industrial cleaning methods
This industrial cleaning method consists of projecting/impelling a powerful jet of water against the surface, machinery, or auxiliary elements (parts, accessories, tanks, pits, chutes, etc.) belonging to the production process and thus achieving the residues or waste material is mobilized and it is transported in the water flow to be properly treated.
1. Water jetting cleaning
1.1 Manual systems
The work in manual systems is characterized by the fact that the user holds the working tool with his hands to carry out the cleaning task.
The worker could potentially be directly exposed to chemical, mechanical and thermal hazards.
1.2 Semi-automatic
With this equipment part of the operation is automated and another part is manual.
The equipment can be set up such that the operator is in a safe area as defined by risk assessment/work permits. Fully automated mechanised cleaning with controls outside the jetting area
1.3 Fully Automatic system
The operator who operates a fully automated system, does so from a distance and controls it remotely, as its purpose is precisely that the operator does not have to manipulate lances and hoses manually to avoid risks.
2. Vaccum cleaning
Vacuum and impulsion systems are used, whose operation is based on suction. The waste or elements to be removed are suctioned or transported using special hoses, whether solid or liquid, and through these hoses. They then go to a tank where they are temporarily stored for the duration of the vacuuming process, which is subsequently emptied.
3. Chemical cleaning
The basic process of chemical cleaning consists of protecting/separating the areas that are not to be treated, preparing the surface to be treated (physical pre-cleaning), delivering the chemical to the surface to be treated (chemical attack) and removing the chemical (rinsing and waste management).
Depending on the method used to apply the chemical, these processes can be classified into the following types: circulation, immersion and spraying.
4. Water and sandblast cleaning
This consists of projecting a high-pressure water jet together with sand (or similar abrasives), thus avoiding the generation of dust. It is used in a variety of cleaning applications.
5. Mechanical cleaning
This is the most basic industrial cleaning method. It is a common, everyday cleaning, that can be carried out in any facility and is done with brushes, scrapers, mops, scouring pads and rags etc.
This technique is often used to clean bathrooms, small areas of floors, or offices. It is also sometimes used to clean very large and heavy machinery that cannot be dismantled to sanitize in parts. It is used in a variety of industrial cleaning applications.
Automation in industrial cleaning is the set of processes, equipment and operations that allow the part of industrial cleaning that is carried out by water jetting (the most common and extensive one) to be automated, taking the operator out of the line of fire and thus reducing risks.
Automation allows hands-free, automated cleaning equipment, which significantly reduces industrial accidents and saves lives. Using a hand-held water jetting gun is extremely dangerous – even for experienced operators who have received adequate training. Coming into contact with high-pressure water or inhaling debris can cause detrimental physical impacts and infections, which can lead to serious injury and death.
Additionally, automation can lower costs and help to improve efficiency.
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