| VPI HW-17 HW17 RECORD CLEANING MACHINE
The highly acclaimed VPI HW-17 VPI HW17 record cleaning machine is standard equipment in record libraries such as the US Library of Congress, and is undoubtedly one of the finest record cleaning machines in the world.
The VPI HW17 record cleaning machine is the state of the art automatic vacuum cleaning solution. Many music lovers and record collectors have a collection running into thousands of titles. In the case of a collection of this size, it is useful to have a faster machine designed from the outset for a higher duty cycle. That machine is the VPI HW17.
The principle of a vacuum machine is simple. The record is placed on the platter, the cleaning solution is applied to the surface of the record which is then worked into the grooves. The cleaning solution is crucial as it has to be an effective degreasing agent to remove grease which binds the debris to the surface of the vinyl without harming the long term stability of the vinyl itself. This solution must then lift and hold the dirt so that it can be completely removed from the vinyl by vacuum.
The quality and power of the electric motors in a record cleaning machine is critical to it's performance and long term durability. This VPI HW-17 HW17 record cleaning machine was designed to be used hour after hour, cleaning large batches of vinyl without a break. As such, the motors used within the VPI HW-17 HW17 record cleaning machine are of the very highest quality and with integral fan cooling, to ensure a long working life. The platter drive motor rotates at 18 RPM and is bidirectional. The bidirectional function was installed in the VPI HW-17 so that debris which had been driven into the bottom of the grooves in one direction could be loosened by cleaning in the opposite direction. This ensures that the cleaning operation of the HW-17 is the best currently available. Similarly the vacuum motor is very high powered and means the machine lifts the fluid with the suspended debris more effectively than almost any other record cleaning machine. Records can thus come off the machine quickly with only a few minutes air drying before being ready to play.
The record cleaning solution is applied to the vinyl via a pumped cleaning fluid reservoir built into the machine. This fluid applicator has been designed to apply a very even layer of fluid across the record without risking contamination of the label. The twin arms on top of the machine contain a vacuum slot and a cleaning brush, both of these arms are self-adjusting allowing optimal operation on a variety of vinyl thicknesses without user intervention. The brush profile has been designed in such a way that the fine bristles will reach the bottom of even the most tightly packed grooves, loosening dirt to be suspended in the cleaning fluid. The vacuum arm runs close to the record's surface to enable complete removal of debris from the grooves, while ensuring no damage to the vinyl itself.
The VPI HW-17 HW17 record cleaning machine is proven system and is undoubtedly one of the finest record cleaning machines in the world.
For additional information, download in .doc format the HW17 manual. |
