Wipes for automotive applications
April 1st 2011 Polishing bodywork, cleaning car parts, wiping windscreens, wiping hands – there
are numerous different tasks in the automotive industry that require specific types of
disposables wipers.Mark Riley of Tork wiper manufacturer SCA looks at how to
choose the right wipers to use with cars
Wiping tasks in the automotive repair and
refinishing industries are often highly
specialised.
Applications such as vehicle pre-cleaning, buffing
and compounding need wipers that are particularly
soft and low-linting.Tough, durable wipers are
required for heavy-duty tasks such as engine cleaning
and removing grease from components, whereas an
abrasive paper wiper works best when cleaning car
windscreens.
This means that anyone working in the automotive
trade needs access to several different kinds of wiper
to ensure that the right one is always available to
hand.And for most automotive applications,
disposables can offer advantages over textile rags.
Textile rags are made from clothes rejected from
charity shops and recycling centres that are then cut up.These can be
contaminated with dirt, stains or inks and often have fabric finishes
that inhibit their ability to absorb liquids.This means that they have
to be sorted before use which is both time-consuming and wasteful.
Some rags also shed fibres which means they are unsuitable for
many tasking including refinishing and engine work.
Disposables on the other hand are of a uniform size and shape and
are protected in a dispenser before use.The dispenser also makes the
wipers highly visible which means that they are easy to find while the
dispenser keeps the workplace tidy and free from hazards.
When polishing and refinishing, the wiper should
be low-linting to avoid damaging paintwork. It
should also be capable of transferring the polish
efficiently to the surface.
Tork Specialist Polishing Cloth is suitable for this
task since it is a soft non-woven wiper with a
honeycomb structure.This enables the cloth to
spread polish evenly over the surface and then lift it
off again, trapping the polish within the texture of
the cloth.This wiper is also effective for
compounding and buffing and can be used for
valeting the interior of a car as well.
When carrying out precleaning tasks in the
bodyshop, a strong wiper that can withstand
aggressive solvents and leave no traces of lint or fibre
behind is required.Tork Specialist Cleaning Cloth has
been developed specifically for precleaning tasks and
is tear-resistant and virtually lint-free.
The automotive industry has its fair share of dirty
jobs, especially when cleaning components and
engine parts. For heavy-duty cleaning where solvents
are required we offer Tork Premium 530 which is
capable of cleaning rough surfaces without linting or tearing.
Tork Premium 530 for example is particularly suited to the task of
cleaning engines and parts.This bulky spun-laced product can be
used for mopping up bodyshop spills, cleaning the hands and for
general workshop wiping.
In an environment that is heavily soiled with oils and grease,
wipers need to be able to cope with high-viscose substances –
otherwise the oil will simply be spread around the wiping surface.
Tork Advanced 430 has a surface texture specifically designed to
allow it to absorb oil and grease.
For windscreen cleaning an
abrasive paper wiper is best since
soft non-woven cloths may leave
behind smears. Paper products will
also absorb water rapidly which
means the glass windscreen will
be dried swiftly and efficiently.
Tork Advanced 420 is particularly
suitable for glass cleaning.
The stakes are high in the
automotive business where time is
money and where any damage to
the vehicles during repair will
prove costly. By choosing the best
wipers for each specific task,
automotive managers can help to
improve their productivity - while
ensuring that their operation is
run efficiently and producing
optimum results. More articles from SCA Hygiene Products UK Ltd: | 
