Window Cleaning With Custom 3D Printed Tools

“Making our own bespoke cleaning equipment has been the only way to achieve the standards we want.”

UK Company is Cleaning Windows Eight Stories High with Custom 3D Printed Tools: It’s an architectural showpiece, and 25 Churchill Place will be one of the most energy efficient office buildings in London’s Canary Wharf. The towering glass enclosure features elevators capable of storing and reusing their energy elsewhere in the building, and it was designed by architects at Kohn Pederson Fox Associates.

It’s big, and it’s got a whole lot of windows, and those windows need regular cleaning to keep the tenant’s views of the London cityscape pristine. Spectrum Window Cleaning is helping out.  They claim to be the first commercial window cleaners to invest in their own 3D printer for the purpose of creating new tools for the cleaning process.

Spectrum managing director Lucian Ivan says the investment was a necessary progression. “The crew here love a challenge, and after the recent success on the final cleaning of 25 Churchill Place at Canary Wharf, we’ve been attracting consistently bigger, bolder and more demanding proposals,” Ivan said.

So why a 3D printer? Ivan says it comes down to keeping up with changes in the high-flying industry. “The team are constantly devising solutions to increasingly difficult access issues; the problem it seems is that the current cleaning industry is often quite literally unequipped to deal with the flow of ideas,” Ivan says. “Making our own bespoke cleaning equipment has been the only way to achieve the standards we want.”

Spectrum says that as a result of the initiative, several of the company’s London clients are seeing results which once required the use of scaffolding or ‘cherry pickers’ to access. Ivan said existing commercial cleaning equipment just won’t cope with the angles and glass design features which were included in many new building sites in the capital.

That’s where Spectrum brought their own bespoke tools to bear, and the tools were engineered from conception to completion in-house. The tools have been so effective, in fact, that Spectrum says they’ll soon market their own line of 3D printed commercial cleaning equipment.

“Some of our designs were so effective we were fielding inquiries from the off,” Ivan adds. “The need is out there, so production seems a natural step. We are looking at a completely new method for cleaning windows. It’s uncharted territory, but the power 3D printing gives us is the possibility to achieve it.”

Although the company says they’re currently in discussion with manufacturers for the “reach pole system” they’ve developed, the details of the product design is still “top secret.”

These “reach and wash systems” can access windows up to 92 feet high, and Spectrum says they have approved contractor status for the process. The method requires 100% purified water which undergoes a filtration process known as reverse osmosis. Purified water is pumped through carbon fiber, telescopic poles.

Companies are re-thinking the way they do business to keep up with changing markets, and part of that process often involves using 3D printing to prototype and build new tools. 

Could This Be The Ultimate Window Cleaning Van?

Window cleaning firm takes delivery of first Ford Transit Custom. Click to enlarge.

The first new Ford Transit Custom sold in the UK has been put to work by a high-tech window cleaning service. Andrew Wilkinson, owner of H2O Cleaning Contractors in Lincoln, bought - and drove away the same day - a Ford Transit Custom from Evans Halshaw Ford dealership, making him the first customer to take delivery of the van. The Transit Custom is well-suited to independent vehicle operators' offering strong residual values, and boasts a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and class-leading load-carrying ability. The vehicle comes with the improved 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi engine available with Auto-Start-Stop, which provides class-leading fuel economy and CO2 emissions from 178g/km.

Outstanding load space and access. Access to load space is unparalleled too, as the Transit Custom has the widest side load door opening of any vehicle of its type, a remarkable opening height and the lowest rear access step. The sliding doors also have a new checking mechanism which holds them securely open for loading.

Wilkinson said: "I am very impressed with how the Ford Transit Custom has been engineered and the large payload it can carry, meeting our need to carry a half-tonne water tank in the back. It drives more like a car than a van and the fuel economy I'm getting is excellent." David Petts, Ford Britain Transit marketing manager, said: "The new Transit Custom offers a complete package to a wide range of customers and we are delighted to add H2O Cleaning to them. Its fresh looks, innovative design features and attention to detail, combined with its car-like interior and driving dynamics make it an attractive purchase."

The Transit Custom is the first of several Ford commercial vehicle models to be introduced that will form a whole new line-up by 2014. It features a number of new loadspace features such as the load-through hatch in the bulkhead for extra-long items, and the integrated roof rack which can be folded away when not in use. The driver also benefits from the latest Ford technologies such as Lane Keeping Aid and Ford SYNC.

Takes items up to 3m long. Click to enlarge.

Unique, load-through storage area: The Transit Custom has a unique feature designed to extend its load space. A full height, full width bulkhead divides the load area from the passenger cabin and this bulkhead has a flip-up panel at floor level. This means you can load items up to 3m long through the rear doors and into an extended storage area under the van’s dual passenger seats, even in the short wheelbase version. This smart feature enables you to keep valuable materials inside your vehicle, rather than on display on the roof.

Integrated roof rack. Click to enlarge.

Integrated Roof Rack improves convenience, economy and noise: A unique, innovative roof rack simply folds flat when not in use. As well as saving you the hassle of bolting on and taking off a conventional rack, it lets you pass under 2m height restrictions (except for the 3,300 kilo Gross Vehicle Mass model). It also helps save fuel because of reduced drag, and gives you a quieter ride with less wind noise.

Easier reversing with a rear view camera: Bollards, bins, low walls… the Rear View Camera shows whatever’s behind you on a screen built into your rear view mirror. Not only can it help you see things you might miss, but it also helps you park, by displaying virtual lines to guide you into the smallest space. For added convenience, it activates automatically when you select reverse gear.