Projects

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Sheet Metal Fabrication equipment

PROJECT DETAILS:

Sheet Metal Fabrication equipment

CATEGORY:

Steel industry

Sheet metal fabrication shops produce stamped, bent, and formed components for industries ranging from automotive to HVAC to appliance manufacturing. The dies, punches, and tooling used in these operations are coated in stamping lubricant, metal fines, and drawing compound residues that must be cleaned regularly — both to maintain dimensional accuracy and to allow inspection for wear, cracking, and surface damage.

In this project, Calumet Chicago cleaned sheet metal fabrication equipment using a Cuda aqueous parts washer. The equipment was loaded into the wash chamber, where the pressurized hot-water spray system cut through layers of stamping oil and embedded metal fines that had accumulated over weeks of production. The cleaning cycle left surfaces free of residue, ready for measurement and visual inspection.

Stamping and fabrication shops have traditionally relied on solvent tanks or manual cleaning with degreasers — methods that are slow, inconsistent, and increasingly problematic from a regulatory standpoint. Aqueous cleaning with a Cuda washer eliminates the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), fire risk, and hazardous waste generated by solvent systems. The biodegradable detergent used in Cuda machines is effective on petroleum-based lubricants and drawing compounds without the health risks associated with chlorinated or hydrocarbon solvents.

For fabrication shops running multiple shifts, the time savings alone justify the investment. Instead of dedicating labor hours to manual cleaning, operators load the parts, start the cycle, and return to productive work. Calumet Chicago offers Cuda washers in sizes ranging from compact top-loaders to large front-loading models, with purchase, lease, and outsourced cleaning options to fit any operation’s budget and workflow.