Dip and Drain Wire Mesh Basket
Dip and Drain Wire Mesh Basket
A couple of years ago, I was visiting a customer’s plant that had rows of screw machines making brass pipe fittings. The finished parts come off each machine, down a chute and collected in a basket. When each basket was full, the machine operator dipped the basket of parts in a bucket of solvent to clean off the cutting lubricants, then they carefully balanced the basket on the edge of the bucket to let the parts drain. As I looked around the plant, all of the other machines had similar solvent buckets with baskets full of parts balanced precariously on top. Some had cardboard on the floor catch the solvent dips, some had the baskets leaning against stools or the machines to help stabilize them. What should be a simple cleaning operation, was messy and cumbersome. That’s when I came up with the idea for our Dip and drain wire mesh basket.
- Part Number: DND-095RND120-C04S
Customer Requirements
I took one of our traditional dipping baskets, and added these swinging feet to the bottom. With the swinging feet tucked under, the basket sits flat to be loaded and fits into a bucket for dipping and cleaning. When done, the feet swing out to hold the basket of clean parts over the bucket so any extra solvent drains back into the bucket, not on to the shop floor.
Our Solution
Our elegantly simple Dip and Drain Feet swing under to let the basket be dipped into any 5 gallon pail filled with solvent or cleaning solution. After dunking and swirling the basket to clean the parts, then lift the basket and swing the feet back outward to support the basket just below the top rim of the bucket to let the parts drain. All of the extra solution goes back into the pail.