BUSINESS TYPE:
✓Hydraulic tubing systems for aviation and marine

PART/PRODUCT CLEANED:
✓Metal tubes: stainless steel,carbon steel, titanium, aluminum, inconel®

SUBSTANCE(S) REMOVED:
✓Lubricants

OMEGASONICS SYSTEM USED:
✓Omegasonics Super Pro
✓Omegasonics Pro Plus
✓Existing tanks retrofitted with Omegasonics components

MONEY/TIME SAVED:
✓At least 20 hours of labor saved per week due to “hands-off” cleaning

Download the Eaton PDF

Eaton Aerospace: Since 1940

Jackson, Michigan is on I-94, halfway between Detroit and Kalamazoo. The Eaton Aerospace facility was founded here in 1940. World War II established the company’s preeminence in fluid power technology as Aeroquip brand components went into America’s military aircraft.

Today, Eaton Aerospace continues the tradition, creating products that convey air, oil, water and Freon for aviation and marine applications. The Airbus 380, the world’s largest passenger jet, uses assemblies made at the Jackson facility in its landing gear.

America’s new fighters, the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 JSF, have wings plumbed with Aeroquip brand fluid conveying products.

Twist and Turns

Bud Greener is a Manufacturing Engineer at Eaton Aerospace in Jackson. He oversees the process that bends straight tubing into complex shapes that go into the world’s most sophisticated aircraft.

Stainless steel, carbon steel and titanium tubes arrive from mills in diameters ranging from 3/4 inch to 3 inches. Tube sections are cut to length and bent with a mandrel, a lubricated tool inserted within the tube to prevent kinking.

Prior to the mandrel’s use, dust and particles must often be cleaned out of the tubes. Post-bending cleaning is mandatory to remove oils and tube bending lubricants. Air is forced through the tubes for final cleaning and drying. “People are fussy about how their tubes look,” said Bud, indicating the need for a clean, well-machined final product that meets internal quality standards.

Solving the Solvent Problem

For many years, Bud and his team cleaned tubing with mineral spirits and Stoddard solvent. The runoff went into a filtered tank, which a contractor would rotate. Stoddard solvent is a petroleum mixture with special storage, usage and disposal considerations. Eaton Aerospace decided to pursue an environmentally friendly solution to their cleaning needs.

The Switch to Omegasonics 

Bud and his supervisor John McKay, Manufacturing Manager of the Bending Area, attended the WESTEC show and discovered Omegasonics, the west coast’s leading manufacturer of ultrasonic cleaning systems, serving companies world wide. H

e was particularly impressed with two models: the Omegasonics Super Pro and the Omegasonics Pro Plus, floor machines equipped with wheels for maximum flexibility in placement and shop layout.”Omegasonics wasn’t the cheapest or the most expensive,” said Bud. “They had an excellent product for the money and a commitment to customer service.”

Eaton Aerospace’s output includes over-sized bent tubes which had dictated the acquisition of two stationary ultrasonic machines, made by a European manufacturer, with an approximate 300 gallon tank capacity.

When the internal components of these units needed replacement, Bud came to Omegasonics. “The tanks were still in fine shape and suited our special requirements,” explained Bud. “We were very pleased with the Omegasonics machines we were already using, so we asked them to retrofit our stationary units.”

Omegasonics consulted with Bud to determine specs for the components that would bring the stationary units back to life. Omegasonics supplied six transducer and generator sets per tank and generators. Eaton Aerospace installed the retrofit components and built the new control panel. “Omegasonics is very easy to work with, even from 2000 miles away,” Bud said. “The retrofit and all other support needs have been handled in a very responsive manner.”

Time Equals Money

Omegasonics reduces the hand labor required to make a tube ready for shipment. “Before we went ultrasonic, we cleaned tubes manually,” said Bud. “Now we just put them in the Omegasonics unit, adjust the settings, and walk away to do something else while they’re being cleaned.”

Bud calculates that ultrasonic cleaning eliminates 5 to 10 minutes of hand labor per tube. Multiplied by the facility’s output, this turns into a conservative 20 hours of saved labor per week.

“Our plant can’t afford to be slowed down or stopped. Omegasonics’ dependability and service is part of our operational success,” Bud confirmed. “As far as our employees and management are concerned, our Omegasonics units are here to stay. For any future needs, Omegasonics is our #1 choice.”

Fortunately, cleaning technology has advanced along with the tech that powers these futuristic engines. Ultrasonic cleaning has come into its own, allowing aerospace parts to be cleaned in mere minutes instead of hours, and with a minimum of effort. Not only do ultrasonic cleaners clean thoroughly, but also cleans gently, extending the life of aerospace parts and keeping them from weakening or being damaged, increasing flight safety overall. All this adds up to significant savings within the aerospace industry, money which can, in turn, go back to further research or to other needs.

What is Ultrasonic Cleaning?

Ultrasonic cleaning works through a physical principle known as “cavitation.” Cavitation occurs when ultrasound waves created by a transducer pass through a liquid and strike against an object immersed in that liquid. The ultrasonic waves create millions of tiny bubbles which release strong jets of energy when they collapse. These energy jets produce an intense force that dislodges grime from the object being cleaned. One advantage of ultrasonic cleaning is that it cleans from every surface of the object, even interior, hard-to-reach spaces, and crevices. Also, ultrasonic cleaning is relatively gentle and avoids the use of harsh chemicals and solvents.

Precision Cleaning with Ultrasonic Cleaners

Companies that do precision cleaning for aerospace contracts, as well as the aerospace companies themselves, can benefit from the time and cost savings–as well as the more thorough cleaning–they can achieve using ultrasonic cleaners. For example, in the past, cleaning a machined part such a manifold containing many small holes meant difficult and painstaking labor and potentially substandard cleaning. With ultrasonic cleaning devices such as those manufactured by Omegasonics, however, grime and contaminants are easily loosened and can be rinsed away. What’s more, Omegasonics offers a wide variety of models for every industrial need and capacity, from small machines suitable for cleaning dental instruments or handguns, to large capacity machines for cleaning car or aerospace parts. Some of these machines feature filtration systems that allow the detergent solution to be reused, a feature which some ultrasonic cleaners lack, causing them to have to be emptied and cleaned frequently.

There’s an Omegasonics Ultrasonic Machine for Your Exact Need

One of the things Omegasonics is known for is customer service and adapting its offerings according to the need for the customer. For example, one precision cleaner wanted to purchase ultrasonic cleaners, but decided that for its workflow, automating the entire cleaning process was not a good practice because it required a lot of calibration and maintenance. Bottomline for them: some parts cleaning required a human touch to ensure they were completely and thoroughly cleaned. Omegasonics worked with them to select ultrasonic cleaning machines that helped this company strike a good balance between automation and the human touch, enabling the precision cleaning company to automate a good section of its workflow but still leave room for finishing the cleaning with manual brushing and rinsing.

Want to know more about how ultrasonic cleaning can enhance safety in the aerospace industry while lowering costs? Contact our experts at Omegasonics at 888-989-5560 or email us at omegasonics@omegasonics.com

It’s a safe, fast, highly-effective, non-abrasive means of cleaning just about any part or material while remaining completely environmentally sensitive.

From nozzles to hoses to brake parts and delicate machinery, it can handle just about anything, and aerospace providers are starting to learn the importance and effectiveness of this kind of cleaning.

Get the most out of your cleaning and refurbishing of aerospace industry parts with completely safe and effective methods of aerospace ultrasonic cleaning.

How It Works

Ultrasonic cleaning, as you might expect, works using sound waves. These sound waves are higher than the human hearing is capable of detecting, and when combined with water and eco-friendly detergent solutions, the vibrations they create cause bubbles in a process known as cavitation. There are millions of these cavities produced, and as they compress and implode, high temperatures and pressure is created which removes dirt and soil from the parts to be cleaned.

Effectiveness of Aerospace Ultrasonic Cleaning

The effectiveness of aerospace ultrasonic cleaning cannot be understated. Because the entire process is handled by vibrations of tiny bubbles, the cleaning can get into any crack, hole or crevice, no matter how small. The toughest carbon buildups, grease, oil and grime can be removed, and it all happens quickly using materials that are completely biodegradable, doing no harm to the surrounding environment.

There’s no need to disassemble delicate parts, risking damage to the inner workings, and then try to get at tough areas with brushes that could also harm the metals, plastics and rubber involved. Seals, O-rings and other fasteners can be left in place, the part submerged, and it will come out factory-clean and ready to function exactly as intended. It’s safe to use on aluminum, zinc, plastic, rubber, iron or just about any other material.

Frequency, Resonance and Care

The frequency of vibration can be adjusted to alter the size of the bubbles and the effects of the equipment. The viscosity of the cleaning solution will have an effect on cavitation, and both together will be influenced by temperature. Professional ultrasonic cleaning services know how to carefully adjust these issues to abide by strict manufacturer frequency and time limits to avoid damage from the resonance of the vibrations.

These factors are critical in cleaning any parts, but especially the delicate parts used in the aerospace industry. The settings for ultrasonic cleaning must be carefully controlled to remove tough carbon, contaminants and other build ups to get the item clean while avoiding any damage to the parts. Thus, it’s important to carefully follow the manufacturer’s specifications when cleaning.

Is Ultrasonic Cleaning Safe?

Ultrasonic cleaning, when performed by an authorized, skilled and experienced technician with the right equipment, is 100% safe for any part, no matter how delicate it may be. It’s important to use the right device for the right job, and that’s where Omegasonics comes into the picture.

For years we’ve helped a range of industries with the best available, eco-friendly and safe cleaning ultrasonic cleaning equipment. If you need help with aerospace ultrasonic cleaning, call us for more information today!

Founded in 1940, the onset of WWII helped establish Eaton’s preeminence in fluid power technology, as its Aeroquip brand components went into America’s military aircraft.

Today, Eaton Aerospace continues the tradition by creating products that convey air, oil, water and Freon for aviation and marine applications.

The Airbus 380, the world’s largest passenger jet, uses assemblies made at the Jackson facility in its landing gear. America’s new fighters, the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 JSF, have wings plumbed with Aeroquip brand fluid conveying products.

At Eaton, Bud Greener is a Manufacturing Engineer who oversees the process that bends straight tubing into complex shapes that go into the world’s most sophisticated aircraft. Stainless steel, carbon steel and titanium tubes arrive from mills in diameters ranging from 3/4 inch to 3 inches.

Tube sections are cut to length and bent with a mandrel, a lubricated tool inserted within the tube to prevent kinking. Prior to the mandrel’s use, dust and particles must often be cleaned out of the tubes. Post-bending cleaning is mandatory to remove oils and tube bending lubricants. Air is forced through the tubes for final cleaning and drying. “People are fussy about how their tubes look,” said Bud, indicating the need for a clean, well-machined final product that meets internal quality standards.

For many years, Bud and his team cleaned tubing with mineral spirits and Stoddard solvent. The runoff went into a filtered tank, which a contractor would rotate. Stoddard solvent is a petroleum mixture with special storage, usage and disposal considerations. Eaton Aerospace decided to pursue an environmentally-friendly solution to their cleaning needs.

Bud and his manufacturing manager attended the WESTEC show, and were impressed with two models of ultrasonic cleaners: the Omegasonics Super Pro and the Omegasonics Pro Plus, floor machines equipped with wheels for maximum flexibility in placement and shop layout. “Omegasonics wasn’t the cheapest or the most expensive,” said Bud. “They had an excellent product for the money and a commitment to customer service. Omegasonics is very easy to work with, even from 2000 miles away,” Bud said. “The retrofit and all other support needs have been handled in a very responsive manner.”

Omegasonics reduces the hand labor required to make a tube ready for shipment. “Before we went ultrasonic, we cleaned tubes manually,” said Bud. “Now we just put them in the Omegasonics unit, adjust the settings, and walk away to do something else while they’re being cleaned.” Bud calculates that ultrasonic cleaning eliminates 5 to 10 minutes of hand labor per tube. Multiplied by the facility’s output, this turns into a conservative 20 hours of saved labor per week. “Our plant can’t afford to be slowed down or stopped. Omegasonics’ dependability and service is part of our operational success,” Bud confirmed. “As far as our employees and management are concerned, our Omegasonics units are here to stay. For any future needs, Omegasonics is our #1 choice.”

For more information on how ultrasonic cleaning can help your company save time and money with industrial parts cleaning, please call our team at (800) 669-8227, or email us at Omegasonics@Omegasonics.com.