5 considerations when updating a fluid filtration process

As aerospace manufacturers attempt to avoid environmental compliance liabilities and lower production costs, improving coolant management is increasingly becoming an area of focus.

Here are five topics for consideration when contemplating updates to fluid filtration processes and equipment.

1. Coolant management has largely been a manual task for metalworking operations. Why should aerospace manufacturing companies consider automating their metalworking fluid (MWF) maintenance program?

Modern, automated cutting fluid recycling equipment offers many advantages compared to traditional MWF maintenance processes. Automated systems minimize operator involvement, enabling companies to allocate valuable labor resources to other operations, lower costs, and reduce financial risks associated with compliance lapses.

Amid rising lubricant and transportation costs, manufacturers can see reductions in:

• New fluid expenses
• Disposal costs
• Hazardous waste liabilities

Automated systems also minimize operator errors resulting in maintenance or coolant concentration issues. Clarified coolant centralized fluid recycling systems produce a significantly longer service life than fluids filtered through basic systems. A recycling system also consistently delivers cooling properties and lubricity necessary for the tool and workpiece to prevent premature tool wear and part quality problems. It also can greatly increase tool life.

Advanced coolant recycling systems also help improve employee health and safety by lowering exposure to fluids contaminated with fine particulate, tramp oil, bacteria, viruses, yeast, and mold. These hazards can cause serious lung and skin infections resulting in medical claims and employee absences. Additionally, recycling systems eliminate the foul odors from rancidity.

An automated recycling system delivers combined cost savings, minimized downtime, increased production, and improved worker safety that create a competitive advantage.

2. What are the pros and cons of basic, entry-level fluid filtration solutions?

The upfront investment for basic fluid filtration equipment is much less than an end-to-end, fully automated fluid recycling system; however, the return on investment (ROI) will be reduced.

If streamlining MWF maintenance practices to reduce operator involvement is a goal, then entry-level filtration products may not be the answer.

The processing rate for basic filtration systems is usually much lower compared to a centralized system. A single, automated fluid recycling system may be able to continually process 300gpm to 1,500gpm. More basic systems can only provide a fraction of that flow rate, often with frequent stop-and-start intervals. Furthermore, centralized fluid recycling systems provide capabilities that extend beyond basic filtration to encompass other important aspects of coolant management such as concentration and controlling bacteria.

3. What role does tramp oil separation play alongside a centralized fluid recycling system?

Preventive maintenance and good housekeeping practices help reduce tramp oils, but they can’t eliminate them. When tramp oils accumulate, they cause problems in coolant systems leading to machine downtime, increased tool wear, and mists and aerosols buildup, causing health problems such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonitis, and dermatitis.

Tramp oil separators remove tramp oils, but successful fluid recycling also requires:

• Particulate filtration
• Coolant concentration control
• Additional bacteria elimination

Tramp oil separation is usually just one aspect of centralized fluid recycling, albeit a very important one. In addition to managing tramp oils, end-to-end fluid recycling systems:

• Automate monitoring, adjustment of coolant concentration
• Prevent rancidity through ozone injection (reducing biocide and haul-away expenses)
• Meet tighter coolant clarity tolerances through additional polishing
• Prevent slime in sumps and clogging in coolant lines, reducing downtime and system maintenance
• Automate cleaning cycles and/or discharge of solids

4. Are there any unexpected costs associated with fluid filtration and recycling?

While advanced fluid filtering and recycling equipment is essential for making productive updates to a MWF maintenance program, this step typically follows transferring metal scrap away from the work zone and modifying the scrap to collect fluids and reduce scrap volume. A supplier may recommend improvements to those two processes to ensure metalworking operations achieve their waste stream management goals.

If the shop’s goal is to maximize labor resources or improve workplace safety, then automating all aspects of metal scrap processing will have the greatest impact. This may require installing or upgrading:

• Conveyors suited for the application and plant’s floor space
• Turning and chip processing equipment to create flowable chips and collect the maximum fluid quantity

Replacement filter media or pre-filtration equipment may be necessary. Using high-intensity ferrite or rare-earth magnets to capture ferrous material – including sludge and chips – prior to the contaminants reaching filtration equipment will help ensure the equipment’s proper operation.

Ease and frequency of maintenance are other considerations. Filter media replacement requires operator intervention and results in recurring downtime and expenses. Systems offering continuous, automated removal and collection of solids and fluids – or that automatically purge coalescing media – reduce downtime and minimize operator involvement.

Forethought about accommodations needed to meet future production or processing goals can help companies avoid secondary investments and establish a sustainable approach. Increased waste volumes, future plant configurations, and floor space utilization are other factors to consider.

5. What are strategies for securing funding approval from decision-makers and obtaining the right fluid management upgrades to advance waste stream processing?

Unfortunately, the battle for capital expenditures continues to be a major hurdle for many environmental health and safety managers. Too often, managing waste to mitigate its associated risks is considered a secondary goal. However, if the matter is approached from a perspective of accruing material cost-savings, decision makers may be more receptive to capital investments. Showing proof of ROI up front is essential.

A trusted provider of waste stream reduction solutions will work with a manufacturer to validate and ensure ROI prior to purchase of coolant filtration equipment. For optimal results, this validation should include testing the plant’s metal scrap and fluid to gather data about potential moisture and volume reduction, as well as fluid recovery. Testing will determine what equipment is needed to achieve processing goals and establish a benchmark for ROI.

About the author: Mike Hook is the director of sales & marketing at PRAB and has more than 15 years of mechanical design and application experience. He can be reached at mike.hook@prab.com or 269.382.8200.