Partscle AN i N g
Drawn to Closed-Loop
Cleaning
F
ChemiCaL system enhanCes Deep-Drawn
metaL stampings.
or Gem Manufacturing of
Waterbury, Conn., small parts
mean big business.
The family-owned company produces precision deep-draw metal
products, stampings and mechanical
assemblies. It specializes in small
components���most smaller than
4-inches long and 1/2-inch in diameter���made from steel, aluminum,
brass and copper. Among the company���s broad portfolio are cigarette
lighters and tire valves for automotive
customers, as well as formed parts
for electrical, explosives, industrial
and medical applications.
Nearly all of Gem���s products are
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JANUARY 2013
customer-specific designs, so meeting customer quality standards is
critical to the success of the business.
Part of that means removing the
synthetic and water-soluble drawing
lubricants used in Gem���s transfer and
progressive presses, as well as any
other contaminants that could have a
detrimental impact on performance.
���While our cleaning standards are
not necessarily scientific, they are
measurable and are especially vital
for the detonators we produce for
the mining and construction industries, and for military applications,���
says Vice President Mark Caulfield,
whose grandfather established the
company in the 1950s. ���You have to
be able to print important data and
information on the detonators, and
they must be perfectly clean in order
for the ink to adhere.���
To meet that kind of exacting standard, as well as even simple cosmetic
standards on other less-critical components, Gem relies on the SafeCare
System as a key component of its metal
cleaning and degreasing process.
Keeping it CLean with
soLvents
The SafeCare system is a product of
SafeChem, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co. It enables operators to take