06. November 2024
Reading time 14 min
Laser Technology
Laser Technology – Cleaner than Fiction
Success Stories
06. November 2024
Reading time 14 min
Success Stories
Laser Technology
Laser Technology – Cleaner than Fiction
Twenty-Nine: This is the maximum number of “largest” particles of 5 micrometers or more that may be present in ISO class 5 clean room production – per cubic meter of air. Sounds like something out of a science fiction movie? It's reality in the clean room areas of TRUMPF Laser SE in Schramberg, Germany. The company develops and produces solid-state lasers for industrial material processing.

The scenario in which the MAFAC PALMA is located at TRUMPF in Schramberg is unusual: In front of the system, Christof Fehrenbach, Industrial Engineering Technical Cleanliness, in animated conversation with cleaning process developer Sercan Gümüs, both dressed in standard clothing. Behind them, people in overalls with arm and leg cuffs, cleanroom shoes, full protective hoods, face masks and perfectly fitting gloves. Because, when assembling solid-state lasers, people are the biggest source of contamination.

MAFAC brings expertise in application technology. This is a prerequisite for our complex requirements. The entire process must fit perfectly into our sensitive process chain.

Christof Fehrenbach, Industrial Engineering Technical Cleanliness

Interface for maximum Cleanliness

Another source of contamination is the large number of precision mechanical components that may be brought into the assembly area. Or not: Just as employees are only allowed to enter the assembly area through an airlock system once they have been properly prepared, the workpieces on the MAFAC PALMA also undergo a complex process. This ensures the required maximum film and particle cleanliness of the components. 

Gas chromatography is part of the quality control measures in the TRUMPF testing laboratory.
View through the window of the cleanroom airlock.

“Especially our laser-guiding components in particular must be absolutely residue-free and clean in order to guarantee their full functionality,” outlines Christof Fehrenbach, responsible for the cleaning systems at TRUMPF until his retirement in May 2024. He names further requirements: “We have an extremely wide range of parts, from one millimeter in diameter to components measuring 500 by 300 by 250 millimeters. And we use a wide variety of materials: aluminum, brass, copper, bronze, stainless steel, non-ferrous metals and plastics. In addition, many of these parts have highly complex geometries, such as extremely small and deep holes. That's exactly what we wanted to clean even more thoroughly with the new process.”

Sercan Gümüs, the successor of Christof Fehrenbach, continues: “The system is, if you like, the interface. This is where all the parts from our suppliers arrive and from here, they are transferred to the various assembly areas. So, we not only need an appropriately designed cleaning and drying process, but also a protected transfer to this highly sensitive environment.”

A lifting process chamber, determined by work ergonomics and integrated into the transport system, regulates the height difference between loading and the cleaning.

In brief and in detail: the Process

Spraying and flooding with ultrasonics and vacuum, impulse blowing, hot air drying: this is the MAFAC PALMA process in a nutshell. In addition, there is semi-automatic loading, fully automatic transfer to the clean room, cooling, degassing and packaging.

This is how the complex process works in detail: The baskets are manually loaded with the goods to be cleaned in several layers at ergonomic height and then automatically fed into the PALMA by a subsystem. During spray flooding, vacuum technology is used to complement kinematic cleaning. This ensures that critical areas are safely reached and cleaned. 

 

To prevent carryover of dissolved particles and recontamination, multiple rinses from cascaded tanks follow. The key to consistent cleanliness is the quality of the cleaning media and the water. Three of the system's four media tanks are equipped with full-flow and bypass filtration systems. This ensures a very long service life for the precisely adjusted baths.

A coalescing oil separator removes contaminants from the process. The water for the rinsing tanks is supplied by a water treatment and reverse osmosis system. The water is fully demineralized. 

 

Ultra-fine cleaning with the PALMA is an important essential for producing the highest quality. Contamination is removed thoroughly and effectively, resulting in improved product performance and consequently customer satisfaction.

Sercan Gümüs, Cleaning Process Developer

Testing station in theTRUMPF technical cleanliness laboratory: Microscopic analysis as well as particle counting and analysis.

Perfectly dry, perfectly protected during Assembly

To completely dry the workpieces, they are blasted with high purity compressed air in pulses, with hot air added, if necessary, followed by vacuum drying in the third step. The products are then transported via an elevator and a closed transfer system to the buffer zone with constant flow of clean room air. Here the parts can cool down and be temporarily stored. In the clean room lab, the cleaning results can be checked with various tests.
Finished? Not quite – even when it comes to packaging, more is more: all products are packed in PE bags to ensure that the level of cleanliness is maintained until the next process.

About TRUMPF

TRUMPF is a high-tech company offering manufacturing solutions in the fields of machine tools and laser technology. The company drives digital connectivity in the manufacturing through consulting, platform products and software. 
TRUMPF is one of the technology and market leaders in highly versatile machine tools for sheet metal processing and in the field of industrial lasers. With roundabout 90 subsidiaries, the TRUMPF Group is represented in nearly every European country as well as in North America, South America and Asia. The company has production facilities in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, the United States, Mexico and China. In total, the company employs approximately 18,550 people worldwide. Around 1,500 employees work at TRUMPF Laser SE in Schramberg, Germany. There, solid-state lasers are produced for use in electromobility, e.g. for the production of batteries and electric motors.

TRUMPF SE + Co. KG  | 71254 Ditzingen, Germany | www. trumpf.com

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