THE MAKING OF A CLEANING MACHINE

Cleaning machines are among the few that are subjected to uncompromising treatment even before they are put to use. Right from the time they are conceptualised, prototyped, manufactured and launched, the cleaning machines are put to stringent and scientific tests at every stage to ascertain quality delivery. Clean India Journal team takes a tour of the Kärcher factory site in Winnenden, Stuttgart-Germany, to experience the tethering, battering and wrapping in the making of professional cleaning machines. Mohana M reports

Among the 24 production and logistics facilities of Kärcher, the Winnenden premises holds history of the first machines that were rolled out of this workshop, which is today one of the most modern factories in the world. Situated in Stuttgart where the famous Benz is housed, the Kärcher Winnenden factory is a self-sustained property with multiple facilities for employees and visitors. From workshops to warehouses, it completes end-to-end requirement of production and storage.

Virtual Reality

The facility is equipped with the superior technology and advanced manufacturing provisions, implementing the Kärcher standard processes in its production line. The Clean India team on a guided tour of the entire Kärcher Winneden facility witnessed the extent of research and development, inclusion of latest manufacturing methods, precision in the assembling, perfection through rigorous testing methods and finally packaging & stocking/delivering the cleaning machine.

The process of the making of a perfect machine begins with the best of the engineers at Kärcher conceptualising and viewing the machine in Virtual Reality as a design prototype. The VR-room offers an insight into the development efforts at Kärcher and how new products are improved, at an early stage through virtual simulations. To this end, a 3D-animation of a H&G or professional product is shown and examples from virtual flow, structure and injection moulding simulations are presented. It is at this stage that the whole machine is viewed, scrutinised and developed before getting on to making a prototype. This flow simulation enables to identify any possible faults or shortfall at an early stage of the design. Kärcher has the added advantage of all its components being manufactured at its facility enabling modification and customisation to attain the right results. Hence, more than 80% of the prototypes designed are the final product.

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Sound Laboratory
“What sound does a private customer expect from his pressure washer? What requirements regarding noise levels does a cleaning device have to conform to if it is being used in a hospital? How to create a silent and pleasant sounding product? These questions, always with regard to target groups, are addressed in the sound laboratory. The sound of future Kärcher products is developed in this class-1 facility – in hundreds of small development steps requiring up-to-date measuring techniques and computer simulations.”[/box]

Prototyping

Following the simulation and design approval, the product formulation enters the prototype stage, where Kärcher’s creative team using the most modern techniques makes the machine a reality. All metal and plastic components and nozzles and parts are given shape using the laser sintering technology, one of the most expensive and quickest means of making a prototype.

Laser Sintering printer which creates tough and geometrically intricate components or prototypes uses a high-powered laser to fuse or sinter powdered thermoplastics. One key advantage is that as a part is made, it remains encased in powder. This eliminates the need for support structures and allows for complex geometries.

This machine can create complex and intricate prototypes in a single piece without the need to fuse together different parts to complete the whole design. The benefits of such modern techniques are that even the prototype when tested yields the same results as one expects of the final product.

Thus, the combination of know how and high tech machinery to build all prototypes makes development processes faster and less costly. Who could have imagined 10 years back that different materials can be made into one piece or single component!

Another interesting technique, Kärcher’s latest addition, used in the prototype section is the 3D printer which enables complete colouring and partial or selected colouring of components.

Besides manufacturing the components in house, the plastic manufacturing department produces all plastic parts required to complete the machine. There are two different methods of producing plastic parts for scrubber-dryers and pressure washer lines. The injection moulding machines for pressure washer-parts and the rotation-sintering facilities produce the tank-in-tank chassis for srubber-dryers out of one mould.

Testing

Every model is put on to the testing track and subjected to rigorous assessments and fine-tuning before it is approved fit for production. This facility is equipped with different kinds of surfaces to test the brushes of sweepers. In addition, there’s a crash wall for simulating more severe incidents. Inside the facility, scrubber-driers and sweepers are tested automatically on five testing tracks, as well as in special testing rooms to ascertain the machine’s sturdiness. These include climate chamber, UV-radiation room, etc.

In the testing areas, professional HD and HDS units as well as vacuums and several H&G products are evaluated. To achieve meaningful results, the testing facilities are fully automated and simulate the everyday usage of the machine. This also helps to determine service intervals and to constantly improve products before and after market launch. This department also deals with official certifications required for the products.

[box type=”shadow” ]There are over 40,000 variations, one different from the other, that are manufactured in the workshop at Winnenden. Strongly focussing on customer orientation, the machine accommodates the requirements whether it is a single unit or multiple unit order.[/box]

Machine Manufacturing

There are over 40,000 variations, one different from the other, that are manufactured in the workshop at Winnenden. Strongly focussing on customer orientation, the machine accommodates the requirements whether it is a single unit or multiple unit order. A decade ago, while a minimum of five-unit batch order of a particular specification would have been a necessity to take up production, today the Karcher facility can produce even a single unit batch order in its Industry 4.0 standard production line. The Winnenden assembly line churns out high quality scrubber-dryers and pressure washers for the professional sector.

A high tech scrubber dryer machine typically performs two jobs – scrubbing and drying requiring water, detergent, brush or disc and cleaning unit to clean the floor, besides squeegee to remove the water and a system to suck and store the black water from the floor. Kärcher also includes options of cleaning black water tank and has a double tank system for fresh water inbuilt in the walls of the machine. Besides, the machine also has multiple operating systems for the supervisory and janitorial levels installed in the machine. The keys provided to the supervisor allow the user to alter the program setting while the keys provided to the janitor only allow the user to run the machine.

All these parts and components are put together in the assembly line using the latest technology.

The three different assembling stations piece together the exterior and interior and test the machine. The process begins with the collection of parts and components in the equipment trolley which holds a RFID chip which has all the information about the machine. As the trolley is moved into the first collection line, the with the system from the equipment holder and the reader system from the assembling station communicate. The containers consisting of the components required for the specific machine get lighted enabling the collector to pick up the right ones. In case of any mistake in the type or quantity of parts being collected, different coloured lights provide guidance. For further clarification, the required information of the process and component can be called on the screen. This ensures that even the smallest of the screw picked up is perfect  Each and every machine is tested once ready. The standards and procedures of manufacturing are maintained at all the plants of Kärcher worldwide. Thus, a flawless automated computerised procedure enables precision and accuracy in each machine rolling out of this workshop.

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With more than 400m², the Kärcher Museum offers a journey through the world of cleaning and the 75-year history of the company. After starting with the times of Alfred and Irene Kärcher, the tour continues to cover different fields of cleaning competence as well as Kärcher innovations in robotics, ergonomics and design.

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