KEEPING CLEAN IS A PRODUCTION PLUS

Buildup of solids in cutting oil posed a number of problems for Marox Corp. As might be expected of any quality operation, the Holyoke, MA, manufacturer of small precision parts from stainless steel, titanium, and other specialty metals for medical and aerospace applications has a commitment to maintaining a clean shop and clean equipment.

In the company's relatively new facility – it was built in 2002 – Marox's 55 employees work two full shifts, seven days a week. If nothing else, a clean workplace sends an important message to employees and customers. Because the manufacturer has chosen to produce surgical implants, among other products, the need for total quality has meant that all operations are maintained within the company's four walls, so that all steps are kept under direct control.

Marox has 15 CNC mills that use water-base coolant. However, it was the company's nine new CNC screw machines that created issues. Since they use cutting oil as the working fluid, solids built up in the oil, meaning significant down time for the machines as they were shut down to permit manual raking and shoveling of the solids from the sump.

Specific problems cited by Michael Consolmagno, operations manger of the Marox CNC Turning Unit, were that as chips and fines plugged pump inlet screens, its low flow alarm shut down the machines. In the coolant loop, too high a concentration of fines could compromise the finish of precision parts. With the use of a high-pressure coolant pump, solids can quickly plug filters in the high-pressure loop, often resulting in machine shutdowns for filter changes.

Consolmagno figures that it took three hours of machine downtime to clean one sump. Further, beside the loss in productivity for both machines and employees, manual cleaning resulted in oil deposits that required even more attention.

The answer to these problems came in the form of a portable pump/ filter unit, the PFA-1002 from Keller Products, Inc. The unit cleans settled and suspended solids from sumps without the need for draining or shoveling.

Operation of the PFA is simple and straightforward. Inlet and outlet hoses are inserted into the sump. Solids and oil are pulled into a bag filter that removes solids as fine as 5 microns and larger. The filtered oil is continuously returned to the sump at a high flow rate by an airoperated pump at a rate of 20 gallons per minute

As the liquid is driven back into the sump it scours the bottom of the sump, forces sludge and chips up, where it remains suspended for pick up by the inlet hose. Total cleaning time for both settled and suspended solids typically takes just 30 minutes or less. There is no electrical connection necessary, the unit requires a 1/4-in. compressed air line for operation. Since the PFA-1002 is mounted on a cart, it may move from one sump to another and setup to run in minutes. In fact, Marox uses just one of the units to service all of its CNC screw machines.

Not only does the pump/filter unit get rid of the problem of solid buildups, explains Consolmagno, it eliminates any problems with compromised parts finishes.

There's an added benefit with using the PFA-1002. Marox uses two different types of cutting oil. Since the self-priming pump on the unit completely drains the bag filter on the separator after treating a sump, there's no concern about mixing oils in the cleaning process. The only required maintenance on the unit is to change the inexpensive replacement filter bag when its pumping rate slows or stops. TMD

To learn more at www.kellerproducts.net.