As one of the nation’s largest robotic integrators, RobotWorx buys and sells hundreds of used robots each year. When the used robots arrive, they are typically covered in grime, welding residues, paint, grease, and other debris. To speed up the cleaning and refurbishing processes, RobotWorx recently replaced its traditional solvents and manual cleaning methods with a Cold Jet Aero Series dry ice blast cleaning system. As a result, RobotWorx has dramatically reduced its cleaning time per robot from an 8 hour work day to less than 2 hours, saving the company more than $60 in labor costs alone per robot.
The Cold Jet Aero system uses compressed air to accelerate recycled CO2 pellets at supersonic speeds through a specialized nozzle to create mini-explosions on the surface of the robots. This process removes the dirt and grime without damaging the robots’ hard surfaces or sensitive electrical controllers, cables, and wiring. Upon impact, the CO2 pellets sublimate and do not create any secondary waste product. The system has helped RobotWorx with its green initiatives by allowing the company to reduce its use of cleaning solvents by 75%, as well as the costs of other supplies needed to clean robots by hand.
“Cold Jet’s dry ice blast cleaning process is much faster than the tedious and time-consuming solvent alternative,” said Matt Schrift, RobotWorx shop manager. “Unlike steam cleaning or using water, it allows us to clean electrical equipment because it doesn’t leave a moisture blanket on or inside the robot. Cold Jet saves us time on the initial cleaning of the robots, which in turn speeds up the entire refurbishment process, allowing RobotWorx to prepare more robots for customers.”
Today, the company has dedicated an area of its 100,000 sq ft Marion, OH headquarters to cleaning robots with the Cold Jet system. Multiple people have been trained on how to use the system, so that RobotWorx can clean robots as frequently as necessary.
“The major advantage of cleaning robots ahead of time is that they are much more attractive to buyers,” added Schrift. “If a clean robot sits in storage for too long, it has to be cleaned again, which makes having a fast and effective cleaning solution even more important.”
“Our dry ice blast cleaning systems are having a significant impact on reducing cleaning times and costs for companies around the world,” said Gene Cooke, president and CEO of Cold Jet, LLC. “Cleaning industrial robots presents many challenges because they are often used non-stop for years and have a combination of steel and electrical components. Our process is a non-abrasive, non-flammable and non-conductive cleaning method that is as effective at cleaning a robot’s hard surfaces as it is cleaning the more fragile or delicate electrical components. We appreciate the confidence that RobotWorx has in our solution, and we look forward to helping them for many years to come.”
In addition to being effective in the refurbishing and remanufacturing markets, Cold Jet’s non-abrasive dry ice blast cleaning systems are used for a variety of industrial cleaning processes, from casting systems to wood processing equipment.
