A ‘go-anywhere’ magnetic water jetting machine which can be used to clean almost any large steel surface has been developed by Jetstream Europe.
The Magnetic Crawler M250 is specially designed to remove coatings, rust and scale in a variety of positions, not only horizontally and vertically but also in inclined and overhead applications.
It is suitable for use on ship hulls, storage tanks and any large areas of steel that need surface preparation prior to applying a new coating.
The lightweight aluminium device features rubber-covered crawler tracks and two pneumatically actuated drive modules, which make it very mobile and easy-to-manoeuvre.
The crawler, which is able to safely stick to the surface thanks to 8 permanent magnets positioned on either side of the tracks, also moves easily across weld seams and uneven areas.
Its cleaning head typically incorporates a 250mm nozzle bar and a vacuum device for removing debris including paint and dirt. The vacuum system uses a rotary piston pump to produce a flow rate of 2,100 m³/h and 500 mbar. Different sizes of nozzle bars are available to suit specific applications.
The crawler is operated using a mobile control panel and easy to handle as the frame is built from aluminium. Jetstream Europe also supplies a safety device, which prevents the crawler from falling to the ground in the event of incorrect operation.
“This magnetic crawler opens up new dimensions in cleaning and preparing steel surfaces by means of high pressure water technology. Its 250mm nozzle bar achieves a far greater removal rate of up to five times more than a standard jetting gun,” said Danny Monaghan, Jetstream Europe’s UK technical and operations manager.
“Jetstream Europe has created a unique design that comprises a bank of ‘floating magnets’, which mean this machine can effortlessly negotiate large welded seams, dents or other surface distortions without falling off.
“In addition, no vacuum is required to keep the crawler on the surface, it is only used to recover coating debris and waste water to a collection point to maintain site cleanliness,” he added.
For more information, visit www.jetstreameurope.co.uk
