Continuous-Monorail Washer for Industrial Parts Washers

Continuous monorail washers are used to pretreat metal parts prior to powder or liquid coating. The parts are hung on a continuous motorized conveyor, enclosed track or I-beam, which moves the parts through the washer. A continuous monorail washer has a higher production rate with less labor than a cabinet/batch washer. The pretreatment process is typically a multi-stage process that cleans and applies a conversion coating to the parts prior to powder or liquid coating. The pretreatment process improves the adhesion of the powder or liquid coating to the part surface and increases its effective longevity and corrosion protection. In general, conversion coatings are iron phosphate, zinc phosphate, or the more environmentally friendly and versatile zirconium.

The pretreatment washers have solution/water tanks for each stage of the multi-stage process. The liquid in these tanks is pumped through spray nozzles onto the parts inside the canopy of the washer. In continuous monorail washers, by means of the conveyor, the parts move through each of the washer’s stages, e.g., cleaner, rinse, rinse, conversion coating, rinse.

The main factors to consider in washer designer are:

• Part sizes, orientation, and materials of construction
• Conveyor line speed
• Process specification (Typically provided by customer’s chemical supplier.)
• Washer’s materials of construction
• Spray system design
• Heating system requirements
• Washer housing cross section and drain lengths
• Exhaust Fan requirements
• Solution tank size requirements and burner tube accommodation (if applicable)
• Serviceability and maintenance

Multi-stage pretreatment washers are used by virtually every manufacturer that uses painted metal parts in their products; whether directly in their own in-house powder/paint line, or indirectly through out-sourcing.

Horizon Performance Technologies LLC (Horizon) utilizes its Torrent Technology™ in its pretreatment washers. Horizon Torrent Technology™ is used for single stage, pre-treatment, coating processes. An example of this would be an organic phosphating process, such as Plaforization.

Efficiency and Innovation for Continuous-Monorail Washers

Horizon patented Torrent Washers™ have riser bars with attached nozzles that move in a circular pattern as the riser bars rotate.

Less nozzles are required due to the circular motion, which results in less water flow. Less water flow means less pump horsepower, less electrical energy costs, and less chemical usage.

A swirling spray patterns results due to the rotating action which provides excellent coverage. The rotational velocity adds to the impingement of the water spray on the parts. VFD’s control the pumps and rotating motors.

The innovative, patented, Torrent Washer™ design, exclusively produced by Horizon, supersedes the older conventional design of washers, which uses multiple riser columns of many stationary nozzles.

The advantages of the Torrent Washer™ design include:

• Greatly improved wash solution/rinse application resulting in better chemical application and/or part cleaning.
• Lower wash solution/rinse flow resulting from replacement of the multiple riser columns in a typical washer design.
• Reduced amount of energy needed to heat solution.
• Many Torrent Washers™ require no exhaust systems.
• Smaller pump sizes.
• Lower wash solution/rinse capacity is required.
• Greatly reduced quantity of nozzles which means less maintenance is needed inside the washer.

Electrical Energy Savings

Below is a comparison between a proposed Torrent Washer™ and an existing, conventional design five-stage washer with a line speed of 12 ft./min.

Torrent Technology™
5-Stage Continuous Washer

Traditional
5-Stage Continuous Washer

The HP required to operate the Torrent Washer™ is less than half that of the conventional washer which results in significant savings in both electrical usage and demand charges.

Monorail Washer Performance

The rotating nozzle bars/arms create a swirling spray pattern which excels at cleaning the leading and trailing ends of the parts, as well as hard to reach pockets.

Industrial Monorail Washer Construction and Features

• Walls, roof, and drain boards are stainless steel.
• Piping is stainless steel.
• Wetted pumps are stainless steel.
• Nozzles are stainless steel.
• Plank grating for internal walkway are stainless steel.
• Stainless Steel, welded, leak tested tanks.
• Stainless Steel tank covers with handles and latches.
• VFD controlled vertical pumps.
• The rotating risers have adjustable speed drive mechanisms, and thus are not dependent on water pressure.
• The rotating unions are ceramic coated stainless steel, and oversized gearboxes are used for years of trouble-free service.
• Header pressure is continuously monitored.
• Access doors.
• Screens in each tank located in the charge box areas, prior to the pumps.
• PLC with PanelView HMI – allows adjustment of nozzle flow and pressure, and nozzle arm rotational speed. Also, specific recipes can be developed and programmed, such as recipes for light, medium, and heavy parts.
• Maxon, Eclipse, or Midco natural gas or propane fired burners.
• Incoloy sheathed, electric, immersion heaters. Flanged connections for ease of maintenance.
• Optional electronic liquid level sensing and control.
• Optional internal lights.

Continuous-Monorail Washer Accessories

Filtering – stainless steel bag filter housings equipped with isolation valves. Solids are contained inside the bag or basket. Pressure monitoring allows for better maintenance of the filter.

Magnetic Filter – Equipped with a drain board, the return water passes across the magnetic filter where the filter collects magnetic fines.

Internal LED Lighting – The operator interface terminal allows the operator to turn the lights on and off. The LED lights are mounted externally from the washer over a tempered glass window.

Oil Coalescer – Eliminates common build up in systems such as oil and grease to help reduce maintenance costs and fix waste treatment problems. The solutions will be filtered and then pass-through oil separation before returning to the tank. The removed oil and grease are routed to a container for disposal.

Blow-Off System – A high efficiency blower is located at the washer exit. The system is used to remove excess moisture from the products. Typically equipped with a high-pressure fan and VFD controlled motor.

Mist Eliminator – Comprised of stainless-steel framework and is used to separate small droplets from vertical gas flows that would otherwise be carried out with the exhaust.

Water Treatment System – Complete Water Treatment Systems, including Reverse Osmosis (RO), are available. Using RO can reduce water consumption, decrease chemical usage, and improve finish quality. See Torrent Technology™ page for more details.

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