Problem solving

Industrial vacuum on the VW Touran production line

Cleaning is part of preventive maintenance

Volkswagen, the automobile manufacturer is also a leader when it comes to manufacturing technology. There is practically no other area of industry where quality standards are so high and where logistics are so complex. Production plant and component logistics have to maintain high levels of availability.

It comes as no surprise then to say that preventive maintenance has a very special role to play in car manufacturing. The car body maker Auto 5000 GmbH at Wolfsburg produces the VW Touran compact van. Cleaning at this body plant is an integral part of preventive maintenance schedules. Cleaning is one of those aspects of preventive maintenance which is often forgotten but which is of vital importance. Especially in a car body plant. Car body manufacture involves the wide use of laser optics for welding, positioning and measuring. Laser equipment is very sensitive to dust. The many electrical controllers used are also very sensitive to dirt. Employees are therefore required to maintain high standards of cleanness at work stations. Maintenance teams are required to remove all dust and dirt immediately.

To do this job, Auto 5000 (the name comes from the innovative "5000 x 5000" production concept) specified industrial vacuum cleaners. The vacuums specified had to be very robust and powerful to ensure that they could provide efficient, long-term service during three-shift working. They also had to be compact so that they could be moved into position quickly and easily and also reach those awkward spots. For this reason the company specified vacuums with a 15-metre hose and a wide range of attachments to ensure that cleaners could really reach all the nooks and crannies. The vacuums had to be compact, even with all the extra equipment.

Auto 5000 found the answer to its cleaning requirements from Ruwac Industrie-Sauger GmbH. Ruwac had already supplied similar vacuums to other companies in the automobile industry. For this customer, Ruwac developed a vacuum built using the drives, main filters and special filters from it wide range of modular components. The vacuum is compact (L x W x H 850 x 520 x 830 mm). The large size filter guarantees a long service time between filter changes. The two 1200 W motors have separate cooling; this is good for the motor windings. The GRP housing is strong and corrosion-proof.

The vacuum developed for Auto 5000 has another special feature. Fitted downstream from the bag filter, the vacuum has a second treatment filter. This is a special, Dust Class H filter which meets the requirements of the European standard DIN EN 60335-2-69/ Annex AA. The transmission factor for this filter is less than 0.005%. This means that of the 20,000 tiny particles sucked into the vacuum, only one, at the most, makes it way into the open with the exhaust air. Dust Class H filters are normally used for vacuuming fine, noxious dusts. This is of course not the case at Auto5000 where the production of car bodywork only involves the use of sheet steel. Choosing a Class H filter demonstrates exactly how seriously the automobile industry takes its obligations regarding health and safety in the workplace.

For its bodyshop maintenance teams, Auto 5000 has ordered 20 Type WS 2220 H vacuums. This may seem a lot but it should be remembered that the production area for the VW Touran body covers 130,000 m² and when running at full capacity produces 800 vehicles a day. Auto 5000 has also ordered four RuwacWS 1000 water vacuums for it bodyshop.