Cleaning requirements in industrial manufacturing vary widely depending on the part, the process, and the stakes involved. Parts vary in geometry, weight, contamination type, and the quality standards they must meet before moving downstream. What doesn’t change is the need for a system that can deliver consistent, thorough cleaning, especially in high-throughput environments where downtime, scrap, and rework quickly become expensive.
Zenith’s patented Advantage Automation System is designed specifically for industrial applications. While other automation models, like overhead pick-and-place robotics, are built around cleanroom criteria or pharmaceutical specs, the Advantage system focuses on handling large batches, complex parts, trapped contaminants, and hard-to-reach surfaces.
How Part Positioning Affects Cleaning
Part movement is a critical variable in ultrasonic cleaning. It directly affects how thoroughly a system removes contaminants from internal surfaces and complex geometries. The Advantage system uses a series of agitation platforms—one in each tank—to move baskets of parts through the cleaning and rinsing process. Rather than relying on static submersion or simple transfer from one stage to another, the system is built for active motion.
In the Advantage system, each basket is supported from overhead. By eliminating submerged support structures, the system avoids absorbing or distorting ultrasonic energy within the tank. That energy is instead directed entirely toward cleaning the parts, resulting in stronger scrubbing action and more effective contamination removal. Once submerged, the basket can be mechanically oscillated through the cleaning fluid. The basket can be raised and lowered repeatedly, allowing the parts to interact dynamically with the ultrasonic field and fluid.
Oscillation helps improve how cleaning fluid flows across and through each part. It’s particularly important for parts with internal cavities, blind holes, or threaded features, where contaminants tend to collect and standard ultrasonic energy may not reach on its own. When a part with a blind hole is submerged and then raised through the surface of the liquid, it replicates a rinse-and-drain cycle. Dirty fluid is forced out, fresh fluid is drawn in, and particles that might otherwise remain trapped have a chance to exit. If a part were to simply be held still in a cleaning tank, contaminants might not be dislodged.
With the Advantage system, agitation is programmable and repeatable. Operators can run an oscillation cycle as many times as needed, with manual repositioning between cycles if a part requires different orientations to fully expose each cavity. For aerospace, defense, or other high-spec industries, it’s not uncommon for operators to lift a basket, rotate parts, and resume the process several times within a single cleaning cycle. The automation is structured to support absolute precision.
Why Not Pick-and-Place for Industrial Cleaning?
Overhead pick-and-place automation systems are seen in sectors where cleanliness is defined more by environmental control than mechanical agitation. In these systems, a robotic arm lifts each basket, moves it horizontally, and places it into the next tank. They’re popular in pharmaceutical manufacturing and cleanroom environments where minimizing splash, entrapment points, and cross-contamination is critical.
Pick-and-place systems do have clear benefits when cleanliness centers on bacterial control or eliminating trapped debris. The mechanical design avoids tank-based agitation platforms, which means fewer crevices where particles might accumulate. They’re easier to sanitize and are generally preferred in applications governed by strict regulatory or sterilization protocols.
But pick-and-place systems come with trade-offs. Most notably, they don’t offer in-tank agitation unless additional equipment is installed. To introduce meaningful oscillation in a pick-and-place environment can require anywhere from $20,000 to upward of $40,000 in supplemental systems—and even then, the movement is often limited in range and frequency.
When cleaning industrial parts that hold trapped oils, metal shavings, or fine particulate matter, Zenith’s Advantage platform outperforms pick-and-place systems. It combines ultrasonic energy with programmable mechanical motion, all without compromising throughput or adding unnecessary costs.
Smart Covers, Smarter Process Control
Another feature built into Zenith’s industrial automation systems is something far simpler, but no less important: machine covers. Each stage of the Advantage system is equipped with a lid that closes during operation. While it may seem minor, this design serves multiple purposes. It reduces evaporation and heat loss from the tanks, which helps maintain consistent fluid temperatures and chemistry across long cleaning cycles. It also minimizes fluid contamination from external debris and reduces water loss over time.
From an operational standpoint, tank covers help extend the life of both cleaning and rinsing fluids. Less evaporation means fewer refills, and fewer contaminants introduced from the surrounding environment means better fluid integrity. That translates directly into lower maintenance costs and better day-to-day performance.
Covers also contribute to workplace safety. By shielding operators from direct exposure to heated fluids or ultrasonic activity, the system provides a safer working environment without relying on external guards or enclosures.
Purpose-Built for Industrial Cleaning
Zenith’s Advantage Automation System addresses the specific challenges that define industrial cleaning: mechanical complexity, trapped contamination, process repeatability, and real-world operator involvement. While pharmaceutical-grade systems serve a different kind of standard, the Advantage system adapts to part geometry and supports repeatable processing to simplify both operation and maintenance for industrial manufacturing. Learn more about the Advantage Automation System and request a complimentary demo cleaning today.
