Cleaning of extrusion dies

Safe, automated and fast cleaning of aluminium extrusion dies.

After the aluminium extrusion process, aluminium residues remain in the dies. Thorough chemical cleaning with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is required so that they can be used again safely and accurately. PCA develops and builds fully automatic, turnkey die cleaning installations.

Our systems eliminate manual transfers between baths, prevent exposure to caustic vapours or liquids and guarantee fast, controlled cleaning tailored to your production hall.

Our applications & solutions

Automated all-in-one solution in a single process tank

When you want to eliminate risks to operators and remove manual handling from the cleaning process, such as moving heavy die baskets between open caustic and rinse baths.

All process steps (cleaning with hot sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and rinsing with hot and cold water) take place in a single closed process tank. By keeping the pre-heated liquid in the tank in continuous motion, the reaction proceeds considerably faster. The operator loads the basket and starts the cycle; the installation handles the rest autonomously via valves and pumps.

Result:

A drastic reduction in process time, an ergonomic working environment with no manual intervention during the process, and maximum safety for your staff.

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Smart liquid and energy management with buffer tanks

When you want to lower chemical purchasing costs, minimise wastewater streams and switch quickly using pre-heated liquids.

We equip the installation with insulated buffer tanks, in which used NaOH is buffered for reuse in subsequent cycles. In addition, we use contaminated rinse water internally to dilute highly concentrated NaOH (50%), which greatly reduces the purchase of new NaOH and the disposal of rinse water.

Result:

Maximum savings on liquid purchases, efficient use of process heat thanks to insulation, and minimal disposal of rinse water.

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Vapour extraction, gas scrubber & ATEX safety

To prevent corrosive vapours or hydrogen gas (H₂), released by the reaction between aluminium and NaOH, from entering the production hall or causing safety risks.

The process tanks are kept under continuous slight negative pressure by powerful fans. Depending on your site requirements, the extracted vapours are cleaned by integrated droplet separators or a gas scrubber (in synergy with our air treatment department LINKJE). The installation is thus designed to be fully ATEX-compliant.

Result:

A healthy, vapour-free and safe working environment that meets the strictest ATEX and safety standards.

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Optional pellet dosing for maximum operational reliability

When the market faces shortages or extremely high prices for liquid NaOH and you want to safeguard the continuity of your cleaning process.

As an option, we extend the installation with an automatic dosing system for NaOH pellets. The pellets are poured into a hopper, after which the installation automatically adds the correct dose to the NaOH buffer tank.

Result:

Complete independence from the availability of liquid caustic soda and guaranteed operational continuity.

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Improve the safety and speed of your die cleaning.

Would you like to automate the cleaning of your extrusion dies, improve working conditions or drastically reduce your NaOH consumption? Our specialists design a turnkey installation tailored to your dies and available space.

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