Process and apparatus for performing forced immersion oscillatory cleaning

Abstract

An open top tank assembly for performing forced immersion oscillatory cleaning of products, parts, assemblies or other materials with or without non-line of sight (NLOS) features, wherein the apparatus repeats a process during application of pressure gradients to the fluid in the tank to develop a consistent rhythmic oscillation that creates movement of product in a center cavity of the tank to repeatedly transfer the fluid through the product to clean the product.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for performing forced immersion oscillatory cleaning, comprising:
 a tank including a membrane sealed about an upper open perimeter of the tank via a first seal and for receiving product to be cleaned in a fluid;   a rigid frame arranged at a bottom of the tank, the membrane being further sealed at a bottom of the tank via a second seal;   a vibration inducer fixedly attached to the rigid frame for inducing mechanical vibration of the rigid frame;   a first pump in communication with the tank via a first hose: and   a second pump in communication with the fluid via an net suction pipe fixedly attached to the tank at a lower area to submerge the net suction pipe in the fluid, the second pump having a return pipe extending to the upper open perimeter of the tank for returning the fluid to tank.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a frame basket arranged on the rigid frame for allowing a plurality of products to be placed in the tank.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the frame basket is porous to allow for unimpeded flow of the fluid. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the membrane is an one of air tight fabric or a porous fabric comprising one of a poly vinyl chloride (PVC) coated nylon fabric, a laminate and other combination of materials which is one of porous and air tight to function as the membrane; and wherein the membrane is sealed to the tank in an air tight manner. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the vibration inducer is one of electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic in driven energy input. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first hose is a high or low pressure air or gas feed hose and is sealed at the tank in an air tight manner. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first pump is an air or gas pump or a blower. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first pump is one of a squirrel cage blower, a rotary vane type pump, root pump and other type of air pump or gas pump. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second pump is one of a centrifugal pump, a self-priming pump and other type of fluid transfer pump.