Industrial tunnel washer or MecanoFAST: how to choose

The MecanoFAST washes and dries each part at the pace of your line, in a 2 m² cabinet. Where a tunnel takes meters of floor space, water and energy, it fits inside your robot cell.

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Compact MecanoFAST parts washer: 2 m² footprint, an alternative to a tunnel washer

2 m²footprint, 700 mm wide

½the energy of a tunnel washer

¼the water of a tunnel, in a closed loop

30 sper cycle, one or several parts

When does a tunnel washer make sense?

A wide mix of parts in large volumes, washed without dedicated fixtures.
Continuous or indexed transport on chains, belt or pallets, at 0.5 to 2 m/min.
Degreasing between operations, with no demanding particle cleanliness specification.
Floor space available: the tunnel gets longer with each stage (wash, rinse, blow-off, drying).

See our continuous degreasing and drying tunnel, modular and built in 304L stainless steel.

When is the MecanoFAST the better choice?

Parts produced one at a time, in line or in a robot cell: from 30 s per cycle, with one or several parts per cycle.
Cleanliness specified to ISO 16232 or VDA 19: dedicated tooling cleans critical areas such as blind holes and threads.
Limited space: from 2 m² (22 ft²) and 700 mm wide.
Complete drying, with no extra operation after washing.
Low operating cost: closed loop for water and detergent, automatic filling and few wear parts.

MecanoFAST MF500 parts washer, a compact alternative to a tunnel washer

Tunnel washer vs MecanoFAST

Criterion	Tunnel washer	MecanoFAST
Floor space	Large; grows with the number of stages	From 2 m², 700 mm wide
Output	Continuous flow, high throughput	One part at a time, from 30 s per cycle
Water and detergent	Losses by evaporation and drag-out; frequent water changes	Closed loop: about a quarter of the water of a tunnel
Energy	Blowers, multiple heaters and motors	About half the energy of a tunnel
Cleanliness	General cleaning; dirt builds up on the walls	Self-cleaning chamber and dedicated tooling; ISO 16232 / VDA 19
Drying	Partial, depending on geometry	Complete
Maintenance	Chains, blowers and many wear parts; long downtime	Few wear parts, quick draining, remote support
Work in progress	Parts accumulate on the conveyor	None: each part leaves clean at line pace
Part changeover	No tooling, but less targeted cleaning	Tooling per part family, upgradable

An example in production

On steering housings, the MecanoFAST reaches 1 mg maximum contamination per part and 0 particles larger than 600 µm, with perfect drying, in a robot-loaded cell. Over 200 MecanoFAST machines run in 20 countries, and more than half are loaded by robots.

Tunnel or MecanoFAST for your part? Send us your parts: we run the washing trial and recommend the technology based on the results. Request a washing trial.

Frequently asked questions

What is an industrial tunnel washer?

It is an in-line washer where parts move on chains, a belt or pallets through several stages: spray washing, rinsing, blow-off and drying. It is used to wash large volumes of parts continuously.

What is the alternative to a tunnel washer?

For parts produced one at a time, the alternative is a one-piece-flow washer such as the MecanoFAST: it takes from 2 m², uses about half the energy and a quarter of the water of a tunnel, and reaches ISO 16232 / VDA 19 cleanliness with complete drying.

Can the MecanoFAST replace an existing tunnel?

Yes, when parts arrive one at a time or in small groups and the line cycle time is 30 s or more. The machine can wash one or several parts per cycle. We confirm it with a washing trial on your parts.

Does WashTech build tunnel washers?

Yes. We design and build modular degreasing and drying tunnels in Querétaro, Mexico, in 304L stainless steel, with chain, belt or pallet transport at 0.5 to 2 m/min.