Assembly Line

Washing and cleaning

Water, solvent or steam carries away dirt and leftover chemicals before the next step can be spoiled by them.

100 lines that use it

Acetaminophen 6 stations · 5 raw sources Alumina 6 stations · 4 raw sources Aluminum can 6 stations · 17 raw sources Ammonia 6 stations · 3 raw sources Aspirin 7 stations · 12 raw sources Balloon 8 stations · 3 raw sources Bamboo 4 stations Bath towel 7 stations · 14 raw sources Biodiesel 5 stations · 6 raw sources Borax 5 stations Brown sugar 6 stations · 4 raw sources Caffeine 7 stations · 7 raw sources Canned meat 9 stations · 23 raw sources Carbon monoxide 6 stations · 2 raw sources Carnauba palm wax 3 stations Cattle hide 5 stations Chlorine 5 stations · 4 raw sources Chromium 6 stations · 13 raw sources Coal 3 stations Condom 9 stations · 13 raw sources Contact lens 6 stations · 9 raw sources Copper ore 4 stations Copper wire 6 stations · 4 raw sources Corn starch 6 stations · 2 raw sources Cream 5 stations · 1 raw source Decaf coffee 7 stations · 7 raw sources Diesel fuel 5 stations · 6 raw sources Double-glazed window 6 stations · 18 raw sources Down 5 stations Energy drink 7 stations · 19 raw sources Epoxy 6 stations · 7 raw sources Feldspar 5 stations Flour 7 stations · 9 raw sources Frozen french fries 7 stations · 7 raw sources Frozen peas 6 stations · 4 raw sources Gelatin 7 stations · 4 raw sources Glycerin 6 stations · 8 raw sources Gold ore 4 stations Hydrogen 6 stations · 2 raw sources Imitation crab 7 stations · 9 raw sources Jarred salsa 9 stations · 25 raw sources Jeans 7 stations · 18 raw sources Kaolin 3 stations Ketchup 8 stations · 15 raw sources Kevlar 6 stations · 6 raw sources Kitchen sponge 7 stations · 13 raw sources Leather 6 stations · 14 raw sources Leather gloves 7 stations · 16 raw sources Linseed oil 7 stations · 1 raw source Liquefied natural gas 5 stations · 1 raw source Lithium carbonate 8 stations · 12 raw sources Malted barley 5 stations · 2 raw sources Manganese ore 5 stations Mustard 6 stations · 15 raw sources Nail 6 stations · 14 raw sources Naphtha 5 stations · 3 raw sources Nichrome 8 stations · 15 raw sources Nitrile glove 8 stations · 17 raw sources Nitrogen gas 5 stations · 1 raw source Nonstick pan 7 stations · 10 raw sources Olive oil 6 stations · 1 raw source Olympic-style medal 8 stations · 12 raw sources Orange juice 8 stations · 2 raw sources Oxygen gas 5 stations · 1 raw source Phosphate rock 3 stations Photoresist 6 stations · 5 raw sources Pickles 6 stations · 16 raw sources Pigment 8 stations · 8 raw sources Polycarbonate 5 stations · 7 raw sources Potato chips 7 stations · 10 raw sources Rare earth ore 4 stations Rayon 6 stations · 7 raw sources Roasted coffee 8 stations · 2 raw sources Safety pin 9 stations · 21 raw sources Sausage casing 8 stations · 4 raw sources Semolina 6 stations · 2 raw sources Sheet steel 7 stations · 13 raw sources Silica sand 5 stations Silver ore 4 stations Socks 6 stations · 11 raw sources Solar panel 11 stations · 21 raw sources Stainless steel 7 stations · 15 raw sources Stainless steel fork 8 stations · 15 raw sources Stainless steel water bottle 7 stations · 25 raw sources Steel wire 7 stations · 12 raw sources Sugar 8 stations · 4 raw sources Sulfuric acid 6 stations · 3 raw sources Sunglasses 9 stations · 15 raw sources Tailored suit 7 stations · 12 raw sources Tennis ball 8 stations · 10 raw sources Tinplate 6 stations · 13 raw sources Tofu 7 stations · 3 raw sources Tortilla 7 stations · 12 raw sources Vanadium 6 stations · 14 raw sources Water 4 stations Whitefish 5 stations Wine cork 8 stations · 11 raw sources Wood pulp 6 stations · 6 raw sources Wool sweater 6 stations · 9 raw sources Wool yarn 5 stations · 2 raw sources

What it looks like on the line

  • TinplatePickle away the oxide. The strip runs through acid to remove mill scale. Tin only sticks properly to bare, clean steel.
  • Contact lensHydrate in water. Water replaces the diluent and the lens swells into its soft gel. Makers call this step time consuming and difficult to control, so much patent work has gone into it.
  • FlourDampen the kernels. The wheat rests in bins after a measured dose of water. Moisture toughens the bran so it peels off in big flakes instead of shattering into specks, and it softens the starchy middle so it grinds cleanly.
  • Wool yarnScour out the grease. Raw wool, called greasy wool, carries lanolin, dead skin, sweat and plant matter. Scouring washes this out, with baths from simple warm water to detergent and alkali in industrial lines.
  • LeatherSoak them soft. In a rotating drum, clean water washes the salt out and puts the water back so the hide can be treated.
  • Nitrile gloveSoak out solubles. The mold and gel soak in water that removes water-soluble material.
  • Sheet steelDissolve the scale. Hot steel grows a dark crust of mill scale. Acid baths strip it, so the cold rolls meet clean metal and do not press the scale into the surface.
  • Solar panelWash the front glass. A glass washer rinses and dries the sheet that will face the sun. A station then cuts EVA film, a clear encapsulating plastic, and lays it on top.
  • HydrogenScrub out the carbon dioxide. A liquid solvent absorbs the carbon dioxide, which is either vented or captured for storage and sale. The gas that remains is mostly hydrogen.
  • Wool sweaterWash and relax the wool. The assembled sweater is washed in warm water, which cleans the wool and lets the loops settle. Finishing treatments can reduce felting and make it safe to put in a machine.
  • Olympic-style medalClean for plating. Gold-medal bodies are degreased, cleaned again electrically, and passed through an acid dip that removes any tarnish.
  • CoalWash the coal. Many coals from both surface and underground mines go through a preparation plant, which washes away rock and other impurities.