Spray washers are composed of a conveyor system that flows through a cabinet. The cabinet houses a cleaning tank and several nozzles that are angled at different positions in order to clean the whole surface of every part. These cleaning systems are designed to wash newly machined products in medium to large volumes, such as industrial drums, appliances and automotive parts. They are batch or inline systems, often integrated with other industrial processes like metal stamping and CNC machining. They are powered by gas or electricity, and the nozzle sprays water at the parts by high pressure water pumps.

Spray washers are almost always fully automated and operate by a CNC system (computer numeric controlled) or PC software. Loading is often done by pick-and-place robotic arms or a conveyor that transfers the parts from a manufacturing operation to the spray washer, which is usually one of the last steps in inline processing.

After the parts have been loaded, they are taken through a wash, rinse, blow and dry cycle. The nozzles spray warm water and water-based solutions, never flammable mineral spirits, which may start a fire or explosion if shot out of a nozzle. The solution is usually set at a temperature of 130º to 190º F, and the spray pressure reaches anywhere from 40 to 60 PSI in order to ensure all grime and contaminants are cleaned from the part surface.

The drying system can consist of either heated air or a simple air blower gun or process dryer, which doesn't use heat. There are many specifications and options when it comes to spray washers, including spray pressure, flow rate, heater power, wash tank capacity, power source type and loading method. Loading methods include front, top or continuous (conveyor belt); spray washers can be built to allow any of the three loading configurations.