ExpertTalk - Process-Integrated Technologies for Effective Cleaning

1. What specific cleaning technology does your institute offer?

At Fraunhofer IPK, we develop and research application-specific, process-integrated cleaning technologies for industrial applications. A particular focus is on dry and residue-free cleaning processes, which are especially suitable for sensitive and quality-critical components.

Our established technologies include CO₂ snow jet cleaning, CO₂ pellet blasting, and micro-pellet blasting. In addition, we have the high-pressure CO₂ blasting process, which operates at pressures of up to 4,000 bar to effectively and gently remove even strongly adhering contaminants.

The core of our work is not the isolated consideration of individual processes, but the process-safe design, validation, and integration of the perfectly suitable cleaning technology into existing production systems – particularly for highly sensitive components, where reproducible technical cleanliness is a central quality requirement.

2. What competencies does your institute offer in relation to this technology?

Our competencies include the comprehensive analysis and design of industrial cleaning processes – from process analysis and component characterization using surface, residual contamination, and particle analytics to independent technology comparison and the development and validation of customer-specific cleaning solutions under real production conditions. With over 25 years of experience in industrial cleaning technology and as a founding member of Fraunhofer Business Area Cleaning, we possess extensive know-how that we strategically incorporate into our projects. A key part of our work is the simulation of cleaning processes, which we use for targeted design, effectiveness zone analysis, and ensuring process stability – from laboratory scale to series application. Furthermore, we support automation and integration of systems into existing production systems and ensure reproducible technical cleanliness with optimized resource and energy use through suitable quality assurance strategies as well as sustainability and media consumption analyses. As a production technology institute, we consistently connect cleaning technology with production system design, digitization, and automation, developing robust, industrially integrated overall solutions.

3. Why should one choose your service rather than opting for a solution available on the market? What advantages does it offer to the costumer?

The essential feature of our work is that we find technology-open and manufacturer-independent solutions for our clients. While equipment manufacturers offer their own systems, we evaluate different cleaning processes neutrally and based on scientific grounds. We not only analyze the contamination itself but also its causes within the overall process, viewing cleaning as an integral part of the value chain. Our goal is to optimize not only the required cleanliness but also energy efficiency, and sustainability.

For our customers, this means lower investment risk, a well-founded and validated process design, and long-term stable process management. We do not see cleaning as an isolated step but as a quality-critical component of production processes.

4. In which industry and for what cleaning tasks is the technology primarily applied?

Typical industries include the automotive and supplier industry – particularly for functional surfaces, engine components, and e-mobility components – the semiconductor industry with its highly sensitive manufacturing environments, medical technology, aerospace, optics and precision engineering, electronics manufacturing, as well as battery and hydrogen technology.

Typical cleaning tasks involve the removal of particles and filmic contamination, process-safe preparation for adhesion, coating, or joining processes, cleaning prior to high-precision assembly processes, and targeted structuring and functional activation of surfaces. Particularly in high-tech areas such as semiconductor manufacturing or safety- and function-critical engine components, reproducible technical cleanliness is a crucial quality and reliability factor.

A special added value is provided by the simulation of cleaning processes. Especially with complex geometries and hard-to-reach or invisible areas – such as in bores, cavities, or internal cooling channels – the digital representation of flow and impulse conditions allows for targeted design of nozzle guidance, process parameters, and effectiveness zones. This enables pre-evaluation of cleaning effects, reduction of process risks, and assurance of a robust, series-capable process management.

5. What does the future hold for this technology? What direction is it heading, and what developments can we expect?

We see several clear developments in cleaning technology: the integration of inline and in-situ cleaning directly in the production process is becoming increasingly important, as is the combination with AI-based quality assessment, which enables automatic process monitoring and optimization. At the same time, resource-saving, dry processes and energy-optimized processes come more into focus. Another trend is the use of digital twins of cleaning processes to realistically depict and optimize process behavior, complemented by automated residual dirt analytics. Overall, cleaning is increasingly evolving into a data-driven quality process that goes far beyond a supportive manufacturing stage.

6. What specific services do you offer in the field of cleaning technology? (e.g., seminars, services, development of customized process technology, etc.)

We offer a wide range of services in cleaning technology, ranging from feasibility studies and technology benchmarking to the development, simulation, and optimization of cleaning processes, as well as residual dirt analyses. Additionally, we take care of the design and integration into automated production systems as well as economic evaluations to optimize efficiency and resources. We also support research partnerships and assist in the implementation of national and EU-funded projects. Our approach is always holistic, covering everything from initial analysis to process development to industrialized, series-ready solutions.

7. What has been the most interesting project you have worked on in this field?

One particularly interesting project was the optimization of an industrial cleaning process using simulation. We were able to analyze how cleaning effects and effectiveness zones are distributed in complex component geometries – even in hard-to-reach areas.

The simulation showed that by adjusting nozzles and reducing process parameters, better cleaning results could be achieved than previously with higher parameters. This allowed for a reduction in energy use and a significant decrease in the consumption of cleaning media.

This project highlighted that simulations are a valuable tool for making processes more efficient, resource-saving, and simultaneously of high quality.