For components to perform correctly in finished products they must be technically clean. For this reason, being able to assess the cleanliness of components is important in any industry that produces mechanical devices, such as the automotive industry.

A classic example of components that must be clean are ball bearings, ball bearings play a key role in systems that use a rotating shaft. Bearings are manufactured precisely and often must show only minor levels of variation between units. In many applications a size variation of even 5 μm can result in parts failure, and for this reason particle contamination can also be problematic.

In worst case scenarios particle contamination can result in damage or failure, but even when it is not this catastrophic, they can still result in inefficiencies by reducing torque, stopping the machine from operating smoothly, or they can impact machine lifetime. For this reason, it is important that high levels of cleanliness are upheld throughout the manufacturing process to provide a quality product.

Residual particles can either be introduced by the surrounding environment or from the assembly and manufacturing process itself. To determine if particle levels sit within allowed limits, and to identify where particles originate from, the particle shape and composition must be known.

Conventionally optical light microscopy has been used to count and measure particles; however, this is a lengthy process, restricts the volume of particles that can be counted and does not provide any information on the composition of the particles.

Using an SEM (scanning electron microscope) alongside EDS (Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry) allows counting to take place on a finer scale and information on the nature of the particles can be collected. In addition, this process can be fully automated.

AZtecClean is a tool of the AZtecFeature which is designed to carry out technical cleanliness analysis to international standards that are in accordance with VDA19 and ISO 16232. This article explores an example of using AZtecClean to assess the cleanliness of ball bearing manufacturing to these standards.

Example: Technical Cleanliness in Deep Groove Ball Bearing Manufacture

Deep groove ball bearings are the most commonly used type of ball bearing. They are used in applications as varied as high-speed machine tools, automotive and aerospace, and in medical and dental equipment.