On the floor, the whole multi-stage pretreatment system is simply the wash, and a part either went through the wash or got hand-wiped. Problems are blamed on the wash when water spots, flash rust or poor adhesion show up. The word covers everything from the cleaner tank to the dry-off oven exit.
Run those back through the wash, they came out of the dry-off with water spots all over.
Also heard as
- washer
- the washer
Related terms
Five-stage
Shop name for a spray washer with five tanks: clean, rinse, conversion coat, rinse and final seal or DI rinse.
Pretreatment
The cleaning and chemical conditioning a part gets before powder, which decides most of its adhesion and corrosion life.
Dry-off oven
The oven after the washer that drives off rinse water before parts reach the powder booth.
Flash rust
A thin orange rust bloom that forms within minutes on wet, freshly cleaned steel.