Magido Italy
When selecting an aqueous parts washer, one of the first decisions you will face is the cleaning method: spray washing, immersion cleaning, or a system that combines both. This choice matters more than most buyers realize. The wrong method delivers poor cleaning results no matter how powerful the machine is. The right method delivers excellent results even on difficult parts. This guide covers how each method works, where each excels, and how to decide which one — or which combination — is right for your application.
How Spray Washing Works
In a spray cabinet washers, parts are placed on a rotating turntable inside an enclosed stainless steel cabinet. Precision-angled nozzles deliver heated aqueous cleaning solution at pressure from multiple directions simultaneously. The combination of hot detergent solution and spray impingement physically dislodges and emulsifies surface contamination. Spray washing is excellent for removing heavy, surface-level contamination — thick oils and greases, carbon deposits, metal chips, coolant films, and road grime. Magido spray cabinet washers include the X81 (compact), the X51 and X51/2 (mid-size top load), the X53 and X53/2 (front load for large components), and the Eco series (high-capacity top load). Browse top load washers or front load washers to compare models.
X53 Series — L190
How Immersion Cleaning Works
Parts are fully submerged in a heated bath of aqueous cleaning solution. The solution surrounds the entire part — including internal cavities, blind holes, threaded bores, channels, and features that spray jets simply cannot reach. Agitation drives fresh cleaning solution into these internal features and flushes contaminants out. Magido's Agita uses a pneumatic platform that oscillates to create controlled agitation, forcing solution through every passage in the part. Operating at temperatures up to 167°F, immersion cleaning is the correct choice for hydraulic components, castings with internal passages, complex machined parts, and any component where internal cleanliness is critical.
Agita Series — A700
When Spray Washing Is the Right Choice
Choose spray washing when your contamination is primarily on external surfaces, when throughput favors fast automated cycle times, and when your parts do not have internal cavities that require cleaning. The automated wash cycle in a spray cabinet runs without operator involvement — load the parts, start the cycle, return to retrieve clean parts. For high-volume applications, spray washers can be sized and configured to run back-to-back cycles throughout the shift.
When Immersion Cleaning Is the Right Choice
Choose immersion when parts have internal cavities, blind holes, threaded bores, or complex geometry where spray impingement cannot reach all surfaces. Hydraulic valve bodies, engine components with oil passages, investment castings, and precision machined parts with tight internal tolerances are all classic immersion applications. Immersion is also the preferred method when you need chemical soak time to loosen particularly stubborn contamination before agitation removes it.
When You Need Both: Combination Systems
Magido's Platinum series immersion washersrotary combine spray, immersion, and rotational basket agitation in a single machine. Parts receive direct spray cleaning while simultaneously being immersed and hydraulically purged through multiple wash and rinse stages. This is the solution for parts with both heavy external contamination and critical internal cleanliness requirements — precision aerospace components, complex automotive assemblies, and medical device parts where a single-method approach does not deliver the required result.
Making the Decision
If you are unsure which method is right for your parts, Magido offers free parts cleaning process evaluations. Send us your part dimensions, a description of the contamination, and your cleanliness requirements — Scott Morin will recommend the right cleaning method and the specific model that fits your application. Contact us at 844-462-4436 or Sales@MagidoUSA.com, or visit the how-to-choose page.