Chemical (caustic and acid) cleaning.

Prior to plating the wire surface needs to be cleaned and lubricant residue removed from the surface. A clean wire surface is imperative to obtain good adhesion to the wire surface of the plating metal. Batch cleaning lines are still widely in use but continuous single and multistrand process lines is the widely accepted state of the art for wire cleaning be it a chemical, electrolytic ultrasound or aggitated process. The Q.E.D. Multiple Stage High Turbulence™ Pickling System is a patented state of the art high speed wire cleaning process. With tanks constructed of composite materials and using advanced fluid flow technology, the design guarantees reliability and efficient pickling within a minimum length. This environmentally friendly system is a totally enclosed design that prevents acid fume escape.

Features Highly Turbulent acid flow Multiple stage cleaning Straight through wire path Double water curtain sealing Three stage cascading rinse Threading & Wiping Systems Self draining acid trays Low maintenance design Rugged construction

HighTurbulence™ - Exceptional Cleaning at High Wire speeds!

The High Turbulence™ acid section represents the latest development in acid cleaning technology. The carefully designed flow patterns effectively break down the boundary layer pocket of spent acid adjacent to the wires, thus continuously supplying fresh acid to their surface. Pickling speed is further increased by the effective scrubbing action of the turbulent acid flow. In keeping with today’s energy conservation concerns the acid section is designed in a series of modular stages, with each section having a separate optimally sized corrosion resistant pump, turbulence tray and re-circulating loop. The multiple stage design allows for lower acid consumption, by the efficient "stepping" of acid concentration levels. The modular system also ensures a lower spare parts inventory cost and eliminates the need of costly back-up pumps. The system can be operated at temperatures of up to 85 0C (185 0F) with a maximum of 20% HCl acid concentration. The two entrance curtains and two rinse curtains are supplied with re-circulated water through special corrosion resistant pumps. The smooth laminar flow curtains effectively seal in the acid fumes and flood the rinse trays. The final rinse is accomplished by high pressure water spray.

Optional Features Acid Heat-Exchanger Quick lift-off hood Temperature control system Cooling Tower Computer interface package

All pictures on this page courtesy of Q.E.D.