Industrial parts cleaning association FiT celebrates its 20th anniversary at Dresden conference
In 2024, the German Industrial Parts Cleaning Association (FiT) celebrated its 20th anniversary at the 32nd Industrial Parts Cleaning Conference. This took place on September 11 and 12 in Dresden with 121 participants and 26 exhibiting companies. One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the third FiT2clean Award (see news item). The program of the event at the Dorint Hotel in Dresden included a total of 15 presentations. In keeping with the motto "FiT - 20 years in the service of industrial parts cleaning - a look back and two forwards combine tradition and innovation", the 121 participants were able to find out about far more than just the innovations and advances in industrial parts cleaning over the last two decades from the perspectives of systems engineering, chemistry and measurement technology. For example, the plenary presentations on the first day focused on the new challenges and fundamental changes in parts cleaning resulting from the transformation from combustion engines to e-mobility and hydrogen technology for the automotive industry and its suppliers. The cleanliness requirements that need to be met in the final cleaning of components for the semiconductor industry, medical technology, hydraulics and vacuum technology, for example, were also highlighted. In other words, in fields that are regarded as future technologies. The other presentations from the areas of "Environment & Chemistry" and "Systems & Processes" provided information on product development for cleaning media and the influence of national and international chemicals legislation on this. The examination of developments in solvent and aqueous parts cleaning as well as advances in processes and procedures, including partial cleaning, offered solutions for mastering current challenges in parts cleaning sustainably, reliably and economically. The presentations on the second day dealt with the topic of "Measuring & Testing", whereby methods for cleanliness analysis were presented as well as developments in devices for process control and the current status of VDA 19 and an outlook on future developments in this area. The participants were also brought up to date on the FiT guideline "Process Solutions", with which the FiT has heralded the next step in knowledge preparation and transfer. Another presentation shed light on how the requirements for surface cleanliness in high purity applications could develop by 2030. In the concluding keynote speech, the audience learned about the steps and measures that AI can take to become the best employee in the company.
The members of the newly elected FiT board: Juliane Schulze (SITA Messtechnik), Rainer Straub (Ecoclean GmbH), Birgit Fruggel (Schaeffler Technologies), Florian Weber (Weber Ultrasonics), Kerstin Zübert (Hermann Bantleon), Dr. Michael Flämmich (Vacom Vakuum Komponenten & Messtechnik) and Gerhard Koblenzer (LPW Reinigungssysteme).
At the association's general meeting following the symposium, former board member Andreas Pradel (SurTec Deutschland GmbH) stood down at his own request. Birgit Fruggel (Senior Expert Surface Conditioning & Technical Cleanliness, Schaeffler Technologies GmbH & Co. KG) became a new member of the Board. The remaining members of the Executive Board were confirmed by vote, as were the previous Chairman of the Executive Board Dr. Michael Flämmich (Vacom Vakuum Komponenten & Messtechnik GmbH) and his deputy Rainer Straub (Ecoclean GmbH).
