Floor Cleaning Technology Advancements Provide a Cost-Effective,
Sustainable Solution for Industrial Cleaning Applications

Floor Cleaning Technology Advancements Provide a Cost-Effective, Sustainable Solution for Industrial Cleaning Applications

By Mike Kanitz, Product Manager for Industrial Scrubbers & Sweeper-Scrubbers,
Nilfisk-Advance

The industrial floor cleaning industry relies on technology to provide robust, efficient operating performance, while still adhering to limited maintenance budgets and effective cleaning results. However, with an increasing focus on the environment and a push for more sustainable cleaning practices, many engineering, technical and management professionals are also seeking technology that will comply with stringent environmental standards.

Advancements in floor cleaning technology enable industrial professionals to satisfy high-quality performance requirements, while minimizing fuel costs, fuel emissions and overall cleaning maintenance. Additionally, these advancements provide increased operational range to reduce the total cost of ownership on floor cleaning equipment.

Electric drives simplify operation and maintenance

Advance, a brand of Nilfisk-Advance who manufactures and supplies professional cleaning equipment, has recently developed floor cleaning technology that allows for effective surface sweeping and scrubbing capabilities while providing flexible, cost-efficient and sustainable cleaning performance.

The CS7000 sweeper-scrubber platform includes both Hybrid drive models and ePower™ extended-range battery models to support diverse cleaning applications. In place of traditional hydraulically-driven technology, the CS7000 operates with electronically-controlled electric drives to power all sweeping and scrubbing functions, providing increased operating efficiency, simplified operation and maintenance and reduced cleaning costs.

Hybrid drive fuels sustainable cleaning

The CS7000 uses electric hybrid drive technology to provide operators with energy-efficient operation. Either a liquid propane (LP) or diesel-fueled engine drives a high-capacity A/C brushless alternator, combined with a 36-volt battery package for seamless operation.
The 36-volt battery system’s primary purpose is to provide supplemental peak load sharing capabilities. The batteries also provide sufficient capacity for short duration operation of all machine functions without engine power. During normal operation, the hybrid system uses output from the alternator to maintain a full-state of charge in the 36-volt battery pack.

The 36 volt system supplies both the high efficiency A/C brushless electric motors for the steering and propulsion functions and the DC motors used in the sweeping and scrubbing functions.  Engine speed is automatically varied to deliver the electrical power output needed to support the diverse machine operating modes. During all machine operations, power levels for all major systems are managed independently by a sophisticated control system to minimize peak loading conditions and protect systems from overload conditions.

Hybrid drive technology provides up to 50 percent less fuel consumption. This not only minimizes fuel costs, but also reduces harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions—allowing industrial professionals to significantly reduce their overall environmental impact and minimize fuel costs. In addition to reduced fuel, hybrid drive technology results in quiet operation—only 82 decibels (dBA) and 81 dBA respectively—due to the use of quiet electric drives and elimination of loud hydraulic pump noise of hydraulic sweeper-scrubbers. This allows operators to easily clean without disturbing occupants who may be in close range to the cleaning application.

A significant advantage of Hybrid drive technology is the additional functionality offered with the hybrid battery. In the event of a disabled engine or if fuel runs out, the machine can operate strictly on battery power for up to 30 minutes during transport. This ensures operators are not stranded in remote cleaning areas without power. Operators also may choose to employ this unique capability for up to 15 minutes of emission-free and quiet cleaning as required in their application

ePower extends cleaning operation

Providing the same advanced high-efficiency electric drives and controls technologies offered in the Hybrid drive models, the CS7000 also includes an ePower battery configuration, which delivers up to 64 percent greater run-times compared to competitive battery machines. ePower uses conventional, commercially available lead acid battery technology to supply 36-volt high-efficiency drive systems. This technology delivers cleaning performance equal to or better than competitive engine and hydraulic powered machines.

ePower enables extended equipment run time with the ability to provide up to 5.4-hours of sweeping and scrubbing on a single battery charge, compared to under 3.5-hour run times on competing machines. This allows industrial professionals to minimize operation downtime and complete large cleaning jobs without multiple battery exchanges.

Extended run times expand the use of battery machines into a more diverse range of industrial cleaning applications that traditionally required engine powered machines to sufficiently complete the job.

In addition to extended operation, ePower technology offers cost-efficient, sustainable cleaning performance as it requires no fuel for machine operation. Emission free operation results in enhanced indoor air quality and minimal noise during cleaning.  Maintenance and fuel costs associated with engine powered machines are also eliminated offering significant cost savings for equipment owners.

Dedicated sweeping and scrubbing functions ensure efficient operation

The CS7000 employs a separate cylindrical sweeping system and disc scrubbing system to accommodate both dry sweeping and wet scrubbing cleaning applications. Dedicated sweeping isolates the sweeping and scrubbing functions to allow operators to employ sweeping, sweeping and scrubbing or just plain scrubbing. The dedicated design ensures that water from the scrubbing process is not introduced into the dry debris in the hopper.  This simplifies cleanup and waste disposal by keeping the larger volume of dry debris dry. Further, the dedicated dry sweep and disc scrub technology delivers a lower total cost of ownership compared to high cost cylindrical sweeper-scrubber technologies.  These benefits are supported by significantly reduced disc scrub brush replacement costs as compared to cylindrical brushes. Also, a dedicated sweeper and dry debris hopper minimizes clean-up times while eliminating the need to frequently replace the dust control filters that become saturated by high volumes of water swept into the hopper.

Optional equipment features enhance operation to maximize cleaning results

Along with sustainable and effective cleaning performance, the latest technology advancements also provide the flexibility needed to satisfy multiple cleaning goals, such as improving air quality or increasing cleaning efficiency. Instead of requiring owners to purchase multiple floor cleaning machines, technology advancements allow equipment owners to remain within budget while providing the performance needed to meet these goals.

One of these key technology advancements is increased dust control. DustGuard™ technology suppresses dust at its source during sweeping, reducing dust generated by side brooms by up to 75 – 85 percent. Advanced filtration technology also increases dust control capability. A Donaldson PowerCore™ filter with UltraWeb™, which is up to 60 percent smaller than conventional panel filters for equivalent filter areas, provides a more compact filter with greater dirt holding capacity for improved and sustained dust control when sweeping. The heated water option, available on hybrid models, utilizes heat from the engine coolant to heat water for scrubbing at up to 130°F  (54°C).  Heated water provides more efficient cleaning without any additional fuel while decreasing the overall carbon footprint. Every 18° F (10°C) of increase in water temperature can increase the effectiveness of a cleaning agent, resulting in less detergent usage, cleaner floors and faster drying on porous surfaces. 

In addition to dust control and filtration, technology advancements also allow operators to select their desired cleaning method to accommodate varying cleaning requirements. This allows users to switch between water-only cleaning and various detergent cleaning intensities. At a touch of a button, operators can quickly select detergent use, pad pressure and flow rate to match their cleaning application. Sustainable, flexible cleaning capabilities allows operators to easily satisfy higher sanitary standards, different surface types or unexpected cleaning challenges—helping facility owners maintain a clean and healthy environment.

About the Author:


Mike Kanitz has over 18 years combined sales and product management experience in the hydraulics industry serving global, mobile, off-highway OEMs. Mike has a diverse background in applying innovative drive and controls technologies to deliver superior product capabilities and customer benefits. He is now applying this knowledge to help introduce the next generation of industrial floor cleaning machines.