CNC machines are found in countless industrial settings, and their regular maintenance is essential for production efficiency. Regular, thorough cleaning of cutting tools and tool holders and other moving parts can make a real difference in terms of machine and component operation lifespan, quality and consistency of finish.
What are CNC Machines?
Machines designed to transform the shape and size of workpieces made of any material have been a feature of manufacturing for many years. Originally, different machines were required for different operations (such as turning, milling, drilling and cutting), and they were manually controlled by skilled machinists who were responsible for the production of each individual part.
Over time, increasing production volumes and the development of modern industrial technology led first to the automation of many of these machine tools, and then to the development of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) technology, which uses computer software and an adaptable array of specialised tools to perform all the operations required to transform a given workpiece in a single, system-driven activity.
In recent years, these CNC machines have changed the way that manufacturing operates, becoming the new heart of many production lines and engineering workshops.
How are CNC Machines usually cleaned?
The default approach to cleaning CNC machines is manual. Compressed air is used to disperse waste materials, dust and swarf, and cutting tools are often wiped down with rags soaked in solvent.
The downsides of manual CNC cleaning
The most obvious limitations of manual cleaning are that results will not always be 100% consistent or of the required quality, and require considerable resources in terms of staff time and focus. But they also leave businesses open to more serious problems:
- The risk of eye injuries from airborne machining swarf and particulate
- Exposure to VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions from cleaning solvents
- The need to dispose of used rags as hazardous waste
But there are safer and more efficient maintenance solutions available to businesses that rely on CNC machines. Running cutting tools and tool holders through a cleaning cycle on an automatic parts washer can significantly improve the quality and consistency of cleaning while eliminating the need for manual operation and drastically reducing the risks involved.
This approach is particularly useful for businesses that routinely work on smaller batches and change tools frequently, but even companies that work on large orders and therefore change the tool settings of their CNC machines infrequently, can benefit from high-pressure parts washers with powerful jets that can effectively clean even complex-shaped tools without disassembly.
These parts washers use non-flammable, water-based cleaning solutions that are free of VOCs and other CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reprotoxic) substances, rather that hazardous solvents, improving workplace safety, but they can still be formulated to include anti-corrosion agents that prevent flash rusting on any parts made of oxidisable materials.
Parts cleaning solutions as a service
Safetykleen has been operating in the industrial cleaning sector for over 50 years and supports around 900 customers in the mechanical engineering and machining sectors every year.
Our solutions combine the parts cleaning machine and cleaning fluid best suited to your specific needs, into a subscription package with a simple, fixed monthly fee.
At set intervals, our service experts visit customer sites to replace the used cleaning fluid and carry out preventative maintenance on their parts washer to ensure continued consistent cleaning. They also remove the used cleaning waste from the customer site. We then send the waste for safe and compliant disposal or recycling, and provide the related compliance paperwork back to the customer as part of our standard duty of care.
