In 1991 Guild was awarded a contract by Natick RD&E Center to develop a Laundry and Decontamination Dry Cleaning System (LADDS) that would decontaminate clothing and accessories contaminated by chemical warfare agent. There emerged from this four year development effort a solvent-based system that simultaneously removed soil and agent contamination while neutralizing agent solvated from processed articles.
The system was multi-solvent capable and utilized a novel chemical approach for neutralizing chemical agent. The objective of the LADDS was operation without water. However, as concern for ozone depletion arose, solvent use came under closer scrutiny, and the Army relaxed the water requirement from complete absence to low usage. Guild responded with a proposal for a closed-loop aqueous-based system. In July 1997 a performance-based contract was awarded for a mobile laundry system, known as the Laundry Advanced System (LADS). The LADS met the Type Classification-Standard during the first quarter of fiscal year 1999.
LADS deployed with operational platform
Two dry-to-dry wash drums are operated by one touchscreen panel
The LADS consists of two wash/dryer drums, a thermal-fluid heater and a water recovery system, mounted on an 8x8x20 ISO-configured flatrack. The LADS operates while mounted on a 40-foot flatbed trailer (M871A3). A 30-kilowatt tactical generator, mounted over the trailer’s rear axle provides power to operate LADS up to 7500 feet above sea level.
The LADS represents a huge savings in operational and support costs by replacing four M-85 field laundry systems. The LADS reduces water consumption from 24,000 gallons-per-day for four M-85s to less than 1300 gallons-per-day. Wastewater is reduced from 20,000 gallons-per-day to 20 gallons-per-day. Most water is recycled using LADS’ thermal-fluid heated still. Additional savings are in manpower where the LADS requires two operators versus eight for the equivalent M85s. Each LADS will process the laundry of 50+ soldiers-per-hour and 500+ soldiers-per-day. The LADS features an on board microprocessor that controls all dry-to-dry laundering functions. This allows laundry personnel more time to process (receive, bag, and return) clothing.
The LADS will launder the Army’s newest chemical protective suit, the JSLIST. A new technology introduced with the LADS is the application of a Teflon-based additive, which will restore water repelling capability to Gortex clothing and rain gear.
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Here is a short video produced by the 340th Quartermaster that explains the immediate benefits of using the LADS system for training.