Innovations in cleaning technology help make production more stable, cost-efficient, and resource-efficient across all industries. This is demonstrated by the clever developments from the companies that competed this year for the FiT2clean Award—worth 10,000 euros—presented by the Association for Industrial Parts Cleaning (FiT). Of the three finalists who presented their innovations on the third day of this year’s parts2clean trade show, BO-INNO GmbH took first place with a smart data tracker. They were followed by solutions from Nägele Mechanik GmbH and SAFECHEM Europe GmbH.
Demonstrably consistent process quality, higher productivity through automation and digitalization, reduced resource consumption, and lower operating costs—industrial parts cleaning faces a wide range of challenges. Solving these challenges requires innovative developments in industrial cleaning technology. “To this end, the Fachverband industrielle Teilereinigung e. V. (FiT - Association for Industrial Parts Cleaning) has been presenting the FiT2clean Award—which comes with a prize of 10,000 euros and one year of free membership—annually since 2022,” reports Dr. Michael Flämmich, chairman of the FiT board. “The innovations submitted this year by companies and institutions are helping to solve these challenges.” For the jury—composed of eight members from academia, research, industry, and the media—it was therefore no easy task to select the three finalists for the coveted FiT2clean Award 2025. These companies presented their solutions on the third day (October 9) of this year’s parts2clean.
Smart data tracker records relevant process parameters in real time
BO-INNO GmbH won this year’s FiT2clean Award with a smart data tracker that enables the objective, repeatable, and location-specific recording and storage of critical process parameters. The compact, robust, and heat-resistant device undergoes the cleaning process alongside the components. During this process, the data logger continuously measures and stores parameters such as temperature, time, motion profile, and ultrasonic intensity. After cleaning is complete, the recorded data is transferred to a PC, allowing subsequent cleaning cycles to be recorded and directly compared with stored data using the software. Deviations in temperature, motion profile, and ultrasonic intensity are automatically displayed. This enables irregularities, wear, and defects in the cleaning system to be detected and rectified at an early stage.
Fully automated particulate contamination testing
Second place went to Nägele Mechanik GmbH for a new testing system that performs fully automated inspections for residual particulate contamination in accordance with VDA 19.1. To this end, the steps of particle extraction, filtration, and microscopy are integrated into the system. After manually loading the component and selecting the test program, extraction/cleaning takes place in a closed chamber using spray nozzles or ultrasound, with the medium being continuously extracted and filtered. The captured particles are measured on the wet filter. Through the combination of reflected-light and transmitted-light microscopy, not only sufficiently dark and metallic particles but also virtually all low-contrast particles and fibers are detected and measured. With minimal staff involvement, this solution enables more than 100 cleanliness tests to be performed per day. Compared to conventional, time-consuming laboratory tests, testing costs are reduced by up to 90%, and in some cases even up to 99%.
Automated, digitally networked solvent quality monitoring
Third place went to SAFECHEM Europe GmbH for the development of an automated, digitally networked testing device for monitoring solvent quality. Using integrated sensor technology, the system fully automatically measures all key parameters—including acid number, alkalinity, and acid absorption capacity—for various solvents such as modified alcohols and perchloroethylene. A key feature is the two-stage analysis, in which an initial optical screening takes into account additional safety-related aspects such as signs of foaming or unusual discoloration. The system not only detects and reports critical deviations in real time, but also ensures complete and automatic documentation of all measurement results. Continuous data collection also enables trend analysis and supports predictive process maintenance.
Ready for the FiT2clean Award 2026
“These and all other new and further developments demonstrate the innovative strength of industrial cleaning technology providers,” explains Michael Flämmich. “For the FiT2clean Award 2026, we therefore anticipate exciting and groundbreaking innovations that will help companies optimize their processes and strengthen their competitiveness in the markets.” The FiT Innovation Award will be presented next year as part of the 34th “Industrial Parts Cleaning Symposium". This event will take place on June 25 and 26, 2026, at the Neckar Forum in Esslingen.