Dresden FEP establishes learning laboratory for particle-precise industrial cleaning

Even the smallest grains of sand or films of dirt can bring powerful industrial plants to a standstill. In order to effectively prevent this, specialists are now being trained at the Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology (FEP) in Dresden using a new learning laboratory. The pilot cleaning system used here sets new standards.

The thorough cleaning of industrial components is subject to complex requirements, which (prospective) specialists usually learn primarily in theory. This is now set to change with the learning laboratory for industrial parts cleaning, LinTR for short. The Fraunhofer IPA, the Fraunhofer IVV Dresden and the Fraunhofer IWS have joined forces under the leadership of the Fraunhofer FEP. Supported by the Fraunhofer Academy, the training options were designed and finally realised. The programme can be attended as a three-day compact seminar or as an in-service qualification.

Above all, the new multi-chamber cleaning system for aqueous ultrasonic cleaning sets standards – not only for the Dresden region, but throughout Germany: six tanks, each with a capacity of 100 litres, all individually controllable. Project manager Daniel Weile explains: “This means that the direction, frequency and power of the ultrasound and therefore the cleaning effect can be varied over a wide range. This allows the cleaning processes to be customised for a wide variety of contaminants and components.”

The LinTR learning lab is designed to deepen theoretical skills in practice and utilise various cleaning processes and test methods. A special test component, for example, contains different material surfaces such as metal or plastic as well as typical drill holes, edges and screw connections of real industrial components. Participants in the training sessions have to find the perfect settings for the most effective cleaning of common soiling.

However, it is not only the laboratory itself – thanks to the modular training concept and co-operating learning locations across the institutes – but also the learning approach as such that is interdisciplinary: in order to guarantee the desired quality characteristics of the industrial components, cleaning steps must be planned in coordination with all participating trades. The learning methods are therefore subordinate to a strict process chain approach.

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