How to Calculate the Operating Cost of an Industrial Cleaning Machine: Energy, Consumables and Maintenance

Overview

The purchase price of an industrial cleaning machine is only one part of the total cost of ownership.

During years of production, electricity, water, cleaning chemicals, filter media, wear parts, maintenance labor, and unplanned downtime can become significant operating expenses.

For this reason, industrial cleaning equipment should be evaluated not only by its initial purchase price, but also by its long-term operating cost and total cost of ownership (TCO).

For customers evaluating automated cleaning systems from Big Bird Industrial, formerly Harbin Shimada Big Bird Industrial, understanding these recurring costs can help determine the most economical equipment configuration for a specific production application.

1. Why Are Operating Costs Often Underestimated?

Industrial cleaning equipment is typically used as long-term production equipment, often with a service life of more than ten years.

The equipment purchase is a one-time investment, while the following expenses continue throughout the operating period:

• Electricity
• Water
• Cleaning chemicals
• Filter media
• Nozzles and seals
• Other wear parts
• Maintenance labor
• Unplanned downtime

In high-volume or continuous production, the accumulated operating expenses can become substantial and may eventually exceed the original equipment investment.

Therefore, equipment selection should consider both:

Initial Equipment Cost + Lifetime Operating Cost

rather than focusing only on the equipment quotation.

2. Cost No. 1: Energy Consumption

Energy consumption in an industrial cleaning machine can come from several systems:

• High-pressure pumps
• Circulation pumps
• Heating systems
• Vacuum systems
• Conveyors
• Industrial robots
• Control and auxiliary systems

Depending on the process configuration, heating systems and high-pressure pumps can represent major energy consumers.

How Can Energy Consumption Be Reduced?

One of the most practical approaches is to match equipment parameters to the actual process requirements.

For example:

• Avoid using unnecessarily high cleaning pressure.
• Avoid heating when ambient-temperature cleaning is sufficient.
• Use lower pressure and ambient-temperature water for suitable rinsing stages.
• Apply different parameters to different process stages.
• Optimize filtration to reduce unnecessary cleaning-fluid replacement.
• Minimize unnecessary conveying and workpiece-transfer distances.

The objective is not to use the lowest possible pressure or temperature, but to use the lowest effective process parameters that consistently meet the required cleaning result.

Example: Robotic Transmission Valve-Body Cleaning

A six-axis robotic transmission valve-body cleaning machine may have a total installed power of approximately 18 kW.

The actual equipment configuration can be customized according to the required cleaning pressure, heating requirements, robot configuration, drying method, and other process conditions.

Proper parameter matching can help prevent a production line from carrying installed capacity that significantly exceeds the actual process requirement.

3. Cost No. 2: Consumables and Cleaning Chemicals

Consumables are another important part of long-term operating cost.

They can include:

• Cleaning chemicals
• Filter media
• Nozzles
• Seals
• Gaskets
• Other wear components

Among these, cleaning-fluid service life and filtration performance are closely related.

Why Does Filtration Affect Cleaning-Fluid Cost?

The filtration system helps maintain the cleanliness of the cleaning solution by continuously removing contamination generated during production.

A properly designed filtration system can reduce the rate at which contamination accumulates in the cleaning fluid, potentially extending its usable life and reducing replacement frequency.

Different applications may require different filtration technologies.

For example, an oversized industrial cleaning system may use:

• Automatic backwash filtration with automatic residue discharge
• Bag filtration
• Paper-band filtration

Each solution has a different balance between initial investment, consumable cost, maintenance requirements, and automation level.

Automatic Backwash and Residue Discharge

Automatic backwash filtration can reduce manual cleaning and residue handling.

Its initial equipment cost may be higher, but it can be advantageous for applications with high contamination loads and continuous production.

Paper-Band Filtration

Paper-band filtration has a relatively simple structure and continuously consumes filter paper.

It can be practical for applications where ongoing filter-media consumption is acceptable and the contamination load is suitable for this filtration method.

Bag Filtration

Bag filtration provides a relatively simple filtration configuration and straightforward maintenance.

The appropriate choice should be based on:

• Contamination volume
• Particle characteristics
• Production hours
• Required filtration level
• Labor cost
• Filter-media cost
• Required automation

The cheapest filter to purchase is not necessarily the lowest-cost filtration solution over the entire equipment life cycle.

4. Don't Overlook Nozzle Wear

Nozzles are another important consumable in high-pressure cleaning systems.

During long-term operation, nozzle orifice wear can gradually change the opening geometry.

This can affect:

• Jet shape
• Flow rate
• Impact characteristics
• Cleaning coverage
• Cleaning performance

For high-pressure systems, nozzles should therefore be treated as wear parts rather than permanent components.

Regular inspection and scheduled replacement can help maintain consistent cleaning performance and prevent degraded nozzles from affecting the process.

5. Cost No. 3: Maintenance and Downtime

Maintenance costs include:

• Routine maintenance labor
• Preventive inspections
• Scheduled servicing
• Spare-parts replacement
• Wear-part replacement

However, one of the most important costs in a production environment is often unplanned downtime.

If a cleaning machine becomes a bottleneck in a high-volume production line, equipment downtime can interrupt downstream production and create losses that are significantly larger than the repair cost itself.

How Can Downtime Risk Be Reduced?

Several design and management measures can help:

Easy-to-Maintain Equipment Structure

Wear parts, filters, fixtures, pumps, and other service components should be accessible for inspection and replacement.

Automated Filtration and Residue Removal

For high-contamination applications, automated filtration and residue discharge can reduce manual intervention and cleaning-related downtime.

Preventive Maintenance

Instead of waiting for a failure, maintenance schedules can be established for:

• Nozzles
• Seals
• Filter media
• Pumps
• Fixtures
• Other critical components

Critical Spare Parts

Keeping appropriate spare parts in stock can reduce the time required to recover from unexpected failures.

6. Equipment Design Also Affects Maintenance Cost

Long-term maintenance cost is not determined only by the quality of individual components.

Equipment architecture also matters.

For example:

• Can the operator easily inspect the internal cleaning chamber?
• Can fixtures be removed quickly?
• Can filters be accessed without extended downtime?
• Can nozzles be replaced efficiently?
• Is residue removal convenient?
• Are maintenance areas accessible?

These details directly influence the labor hours required over the equipment's service life.

A machine with a slightly higher initial price may have a different long-term cost profile if its maintenance requirements are significantly lower.

7. Practical Ways to Reduce Operating Costs

1. Match Process Parameters

Set pressure, temperature, flow rate, and cleaning time according to the actual workpiece and contamination requirements.

Avoid running permanently at excessive process parameters.

2. Use Multi-Stage Filtration

Use different filtration stages for different contamination loads.

For example, coarse filtration can capture larger particles while finer filtration protects the final cleaning or rinsing stage.

This can help extend cleaning-fluid and filter-media service life.

3. Automate Residue Removal

For applications generating large quantities of contamination, automatic residue discharge can reduce manual cleaning requirements and production interruptions.

4. Use Flexible Equipment for Multi-Model Production

When multiple workpiece models are produced on the same line, a flexible cleaning system can increase equipment utilization.

Higher utilization can help distribute fixed equipment costs across more parts.

5. Implement Preventive Maintenance

Establish inspection and replacement schedules for:

• Nozzles
• Seals
• Filter media
• Pumps
• Fixtures
• Other wear components

Preventive maintenance can reduce the probability of unexpected failures.

6. Evaluate Water and Heat Recovery

Where technically and environmentally appropriate, production facilities can evaluate:

• Cleaning-fluid recirculation
• Water reuse
• Heat recovery
• Waste-heat utilization

The feasibility should be determined according to the cleaning process, fluid chemistry, contamination characteristics, local requirements, and production conditions.

8. A Simple Industrial Cleaning TCO Framework

When comparing different cleaning-machine configurations, the operating cost can be considered through three major categories:

Energy

Electricity + Heating + Vacuum + Conveying + Robotics

Consumables

Cleaning Chemicals + Filter Media + Nozzles + Seals + Wear Parts

Maintenance and Downtime

Routine Maintenance + Spare Parts + Labor + Unplanned Downtime

A more complete evaluation can therefore be expressed conceptually as:

Total Cost of Ownership = Equipment Investment + Energy + Consumables + Maintenance + Downtime

The exact calculation should be based on the customer's production hours, annual volume, workpiece contamination, process parameters, labor costs, and expected equipment service life.

FAQ

Q: What are the main operating costs of an industrial cleaning machine?

The main costs typically include:

• Electricity for pumps, heating, vacuum systems, robots, and auxiliary equipment
• Water and cleaning chemicals
• Filter media
• Nozzles and other wear parts
• Maintenance labor
• Spare parts
• Production losses caused by unexpected downtime

The relative proportion varies significantly depending on the process configuration and production conditions.

Q: How can the service life of cleaning chemicals be extended?

Filtration and contamination management are key factors.

A suitable filtration system can continuously remove particles from the cleaning solution and reduce contamination accumulation.

Useful measures include:

• Multi-stage filtration
• Timely residue discharge
• Separate filtration for final rinsing
• Regular monitoring of cleaning-agent concentration
• Monitoring pH where applicable
• Replenishing the cleaning solution according to actual condition rather than replacing the entire tank unnecessarily

The actual maintenance and replacement strategy should follow the cleaning-agent supplier's technical requirements.

Q: Does the filtration method have a major impact on operating cost?

Yes.

Different filtration systems have different cost structures.

Automatic backwash and residue discharge: higher initial investment, lower manual intervention, suitable for high-contamination continuous production.

Paper-band filtration: relatively simple configuration, but continuously consumes filter paper.

Bag filtration: straightforward structure and maintenance, with filter bags requiring periodic replacement or cleaning.

The appropriate system should be selected based on contamination load, operating hours, labor cost, required filtration performance, and long-term consumable costs.

Q: Do high-pressure cleaning nozzles need regular replacement?

Yes.

Long-term high-pressure operation can gradually wear the nozzle orifice and change the jet characteristics.

This can affect flow rate, jet shape, impact force, and cleaning performance.

Nozzles should therefore be included in the equipment's regular inspection and preventive-maintenance plan.

The replacement interval should be established according to actual operating pressure, fluid condition, production hours, nozzle material, and observed wear.

Conclusion

The purchase price of an industrial cleaning machine is only the beginning of its economic evaluation.

For long-term production, three major operating-cost categories should be considered:

Energy + Consumables + Maintenance and Downtime

The most economical equipment is not necessarily the machine with the lowest purchase price. A better evaluation considers whether the equipment can maintain the required cleaning performance while controlling energy consumption, cleaning-fluid usage, filter consumption, wear-part replacement, maintenance labor, and production downtime.

Big Bird Industrial, formerly Harbin Shimada Big Bird Industrial, can evaluate equipment configuration according to the customer's workpiece, production volume, contamination characteristics, cleaning requirements, and operating conditions, helping customers consider both process performance and long-term operating economics.