That “new car smell.” The power, the acceleration, those visions of eternal youth, of victory, of success. New cleaning equipment comes with similar fantasies relating to business, profits, and promotions. Then comes the nagging question, asked by either you or your boss: How much does it cost? In the previous issue of Clean Source, we went over some questions to ask cleaning agent suppliers. Here are a few initial questions to ask the manufacturer or distributor about cleaning equipment.
Purchasing cleaning equipment typically involves a significant chunk of change. There are lots of choices. Do you need a sports car, and economy model, or a heavy-duty truck? What if you get a “lemon?’
It Costs HOW much?
While capital outlay is far from the only cost associated with critical cleaning, it is perfectly reasonable to get a ballpark idea of how much the equipment costs. Tell the rep you are looking for a rough cost estimate for “budgetary purposes.” This estimate has to be predicated on a few process considerations. Some of these include the size range of the parts being cleaned and the expected daily throughput. If you get a dollar estimate, ask if this is the “base price.” Ask what that base price includes. Consider what bells and whistles you might conceivably need. Examples include robotics, closed-loop or recycling, and worker safety or environmental controls. Get that “fully loaded” price, too.
They “qualify” you, you “qualify” them
Just as you are trying to qualify the cleaning equipment, sales reps are trying to qualify you. This means they want to know if your company is likely to be able to afford the equipment and if you are in a position to make or at least strongly influence equipment selection.
Many times, sales reps will readily provide a cost estimate,. However, sometimes it’s difficult to get a straight answer, particularly at trade shows. You may end up with smiles and evasive responsives from a booth babe (of either gender), along with assurances that you will hear from your local rep immediately after the conference. This is frustrating. After all, you were probably tasked with researching new cleaning equipment, or at least you have become royally disgusted with having the equipment deposit puddles of cleaning agent on the floor and with continued repair bills.
When you’re at trade shows, get detailed. Bring a short, specific list of cleaning process requirements, even if you need to modify that list later on. Share information. It helps to provide some technical information about your process; explain that the boss is interested in making a change in the next 6 months (or maybe the next 3 years). If the technical rep for your area is not available, ask if any technical reps are present at the conference, and arrange to talk with them. You should be able to get a sense if it’s economically realistically for you to do a followup with that particular equipment supplier.
Chemistry
A few cleaning machines, such as laser ablation, work without chemistry. In some cleaning systems, like plasma cleaning, the chemical is generated in situ, so you don’t have to purchase cleaning agents separately. Most cleaning processes involve both physical and chemical forces, so you have to coordinate the cleaning agent with cleaning equipment. People who offer cleaning chemistries sometimes assume that the chemistry is most important; the cleaning equipment, less so. Those who produce cleaning machines emphasize the cleaning action.
You see this beautiful piece of cleaning equipment with all sorts of claims about it solving all of your surface prep problems. You ask what cleaning agents it works with. Sometimes the answer runs along the lines of: “you can use any kind of cleaning agent you want in this system.” Perhaps “any” cleaning agent may mean “any “aqueous cleaning agent. Get the rep to provide a few specifics about the range of cleaning chemistries.
Most cleaning machines are designed for subsets of cleaning agents, like water, aqueous cleaning chemistries, semi-aqueous cleaning agents, co-solvents (or bi-solvents), lower-boiling solvents (vapor degreasing), and high boiling solvents. If you plan to use a flammable or combustible cleaning agent, cleaning equipment has to have specific engineering controls to minimize the potential for fires and explosions. Some cleaning machines are designed for solvents that evaporate readily; other higher-boiling solvents may require a drying step.
Don’t get “boxed in” to a cleaning chemistry that is not right for your product by purchasing unsuitable equipment.
Cover the bases
Does the budgetary estimate cover all the cleaning steps you will need?
This section is probably review for many of you, but let’s go over it anyway. Remember that most critical cleaning processes involve three steps – washing, rinsing, and drying. The washing (or cleaning) step delivers the cleaning agent to the product and removes soil from the product (the substrate). The rinsing step may continue the cleaning action but primarily serves to remove residual cleaning agent from the substrate. The drying step removes residual water and/or solvent residue. At all steps, there need to be mechanisms for keeping the soil from recontaminating the part. The cleaning, rinsing, and drying agents have to be kept free of contamination. This involves filtration and recycling.
The thing is, that while some cleaning processes may be acceptable without rinsing and/or drying, in most cases you will need all three steps. Beware of cleaning systems that purport to do a great job but are missing rinse tanks or drying tanks or that do not filter the cleaning agent. The initial cost will be lower, but the retrofit to upgrade the system can be costly.
Test
The system has to clean well and not damage the substrate. Particularly if the current cleaning process is being modified, or if you don’t yet have a cleaning process, test the equipment before purchase.
One initial question to ask the rep is: do you have an applications lab to help me optimize the cleaning process? If you optimize the process through testing, you are likely to save money right away; and, over time, the process should be more efficient. By testing, you will be better able to determine what optional features are most likely to result in more effective and efficient cleaning. Sometimes, leasing equipment is an option. More likely, you will need to work with the applications lab. For more about testing with vendors, read “The Applications Laboratory, Part 1” in the May 2014 issue of Controlled Environments Magazine.
Lemons
We’ve provided you with a few initial questions to ask sales reps about cleaning equipment. As a brilliant manufacturer, you won’t base your purchase on supplier claims, or equipment appearance, or the assertion that the latest bells and whistles will save you money. The point is that with a little background, including self-education about cleaning, and a few incisive questions, you can learn a great deal about the true capabilities of cleaning equipment.
There are many other factors in determining the costs of cleaning equipment. The fear of buying a “lemon” is real. Any system from any company can have problems. How do you avoid lemons? You can minimize problems by purchasing a quality system from a reliable supplier, and by confirming that other manufacturers really are pleased with cleaning equipment reliability, even after the “new car” aroma has vanished.
