Whether it's implementing lean manufacturing practices or following the 5S workplace organization methodology, many companies around the world are looking for ways to do more with less; less waste, less people, less space, less time and a smaller investment in tools, equipment and inventory. We live in a world of just-in-time inventory and manufacturing that is striving to help improve an organization's return on investment. The concept of Lean Manufacturing has become a corporate culture and a way of doing business that is having an impact on everything from costs of goods to jobs. The ability to leverage the maximum output of equipment and people to produce high-quality products faster, more economically and with less waste can also have a major impact on companies' bottom lines.
In addition to inventory and production, lean and organizational principles are also being applied to maintenance and cleaning processes as companies try to reduce prolonged downtimes, make better use of maintenance resources and reduce costs and risks associated with traditional cleaning practices. In most manufacturing environments, maintenance and cleaning is a scheduled activity that requires operations to be shut-down. In many cases, equipment must be disassembled, moved to a designated cleaning area, reassembled and then re-heated before production can once again begin. The maintenance teams work closely with hot or sharp equipment and potentially hazardous chemicals. Despite these extensive and tedious efforts, the hard to reach or small areas of the machinery may not get clean. In addition, the cleaning agents used, from ultrasonic washes to power sprayers, produce secondary waste that requires additional effort and costs for proper disposal.
An alternative to conventional cleaning methods is dry ice blast cleaning. Dry ice blast cleaning uses soft dry ice, accelerated at supersonic speeds, to remove dirt, contaminants and coatings from equipment. The combination of the kinetic and thermal effects breaks the bond between the residue and the surface. Unlike other blasting applications such as sand, soda or grit, dry ice blasting is non-abrasive and does not produce secondary waste. Once the dry ice hits the surface, the solid recycled CO2 return to its natural gas state. As a result, there is actually less clean-up and no downstream contamination.
How does dry ice blasting support companies' lean manufacturing and 5S efforts?
Improve Processes
With dry ice blasting, companies can do more with less. They can streamline the cleaning and maintenance process while reducing the impact of these processes on bottom line production. Rather than having an entire team focused on shutting down operations and disassembling machinery, the machine operators can use dry ice blast cleaning systems to maintain their own workstations, allowing the maintenance team to focus on repairing and cleaning other areas of the facility.
Dry ice blast cleaning systems are more efficient than manual cleaning processes, allowing employees to clean more equipment, more frequently. In addition to scheduled maintenance, maintenance workers can use dry ice blasting cleaning systems for spot cleaning. The process can be performed while the machines are still hot and online, which reduces the overall shutdown time required to clean the equipment.
Reduce Waste
Reducing waste is probably one of the most commonly talked about concepts in Lean Manufacturing. While for 5S, the focus is on standardizing work practices, and removing excess by keeping things clean and organized. In manufacturing, waste is considered as anything that is in excess or not of value to the customer. When it comes to cleaning and maintenance, waste is anything that was produced as a result of the cleaning process, including the removed contaminants and the cleanser or solution used to clean the equipment.
Manual processes use chemicals that produce secondary waste, while other blasting solutions require significant containment measures to help reduce the impact of their blast media. Whether cleaning coatings off of injection molding machines or pitch and resins off of wood panel presses, the only residue left to clean up after dry ice blasting is what was on the machines.
In addition to eliminating secondary waste, dry ice blasting helps reduce wasted product that does not meet quality standards because the equipment was not cleaned properly. Slag build up on welding stations and weld tips, for example, can result in misalignment and poor weld lines. Rubber and plastic molds that are not cleaned properly and are not free of contaminants also negatively impact the quality of the products being manufactured. In these situations, as well as other production processes where cleaning is not done properly or often enough, products must be scrapped. Regular maintenance and cleaning will reduce product waste, while keeping the equipment in pristine condition.
Increase Productivity
Dry ice blasting is helping manufacturers around the world be more productive. Because cleaning can take place without disassembling equipment and without completely shutting down operations, manufacturers conserve the time and energy it would have taken to re-assemble and restart operations. In essence, the cleaning process becomes a critical part of the actual manufacturing process.
According to Cold Jet's findings, dry ice blasting reduces the time it takes to clean production equipment, such as injection molding machines, die-casting machines, printing presses, etc, by 60-80 percent. Tire manufacturers for example have been able to reduce production costs by approximately $1 million per facility on an annual basis. By cleaning the mold presses while they are still assembled and hot, the manufacturers have seen their press downtime reduced by 65 percent. For tire manufacturers, dry ice blasting eliminates any need to hand drill micro vents, helps to reduce tool damage caused by hand scrubbing and equipment disassembly and reassembly, reduces the need to re-stamp sidewall lettering and helped achieve near zero-defect levels.
Dry ice blasting has also helped aluminum permanent molders to cut mold and corebox cleaning time by 60 percent. Leading blow molding bottle manufacturers have been able to reduce their mold cleaning time by about 80 percent simply by cleaning molds hot and in place. Weld lines that usually took two hours to clean by using the traditional methods of hand scraping and chemical use can now be done in 25 minutes.
Increase Customer and Employee Satisfaction
When machines are clean, they produce better products. Better products make for more satisfied customers while more efficient and cleaner working environments have also proven to improve workplace morale, safety and efficiency.
There is a fairly simple correlation between clean machines and customer satisfaction, but the ability to clean equipment faster and with less waste, allows manufacturers to consistently produce high quality product every time. Cleaning better with dry ice blasting also means eliminating the damage caused to equipment by the traditional chemicals and tools used to clean them. Dry ice blasting lessens the risks for flaws and errors by eliminating human contact with the equipment and because the cleaning process can quickly remove dirt and residues.
In addition, because the equipment is online during the cleaning process, manufacturers can run more production cycles, and meet or beat customer timelines and expectations. And finally, workers will take greater pride in their workstations and facility if equipment is maintained to high standards.
For organizations in the process of implementing Lean Manufacturing and 5S initiatives, dry ice blasting provides an almost unlimited number of cleaning applications. Whether big or small, aggressive or gentle, dry ice blasting fits in nearly all situations. Dry ice blasting has proven to help manufacturers clean their equipment and facilities better in a shorter period of time, with fewer resources. Replacing conventional cleaning methods with dry ice blast cleaning, companies will strengthen efforts to do more with less by improving their internal processes, productivity, and quality while increasing efficiency and reducing was
Kellie Grob is the chief marketing officer for Cold Jet, LLC. Since 1986, Cold Jet, LLC (www.coldjet.com) has been the pioneer of dry ice blasting technology development, continuously improving on the efficiency and effectiveness of this environmentally safe cleaning method. Today, Cold Jet remains the world leader in the dry ice blasting industry, manufacturing a proprietary line of dry ice production and blasting equipment, as well as providing rental services to industrial and commercial customers worldwide.
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