High-tech and Defense Industries, Machining Fluid Filtration, Israel

Background

This subcontractor manufactures components for the high-tech and defense industries, requiring very precise processing.
The products are manufactured in small batches (a few thousand per batch) and are made from a variety of raw materials, such as, plastic, aluminum, brass, stainless steel and other hard metals.
The production floor has over 20 CNC machines, some of which are quite old, and production operates six days a week, around the clock.

Challenge

The CNC machining field is a very competitive one, and there are constant requirements to keep costs to a minimum.
This subcontractor was looking for ways to streamline the manufacturing processes and become more efficient, cost-effective, profitable and competitive.
During our meeting with management, they explained that the existing bag filter solution installed on the majority of the machines was not efficient, and even added costs for disposing of the filtered materials. This caused them to stop using this filtration method and to look for alternatives.
Additionally, they wanted to make one of their older machines more efficient by adding filtration, and asked if we could provide a solution.

Solution

Our solution for the older machine (Mazak) was a system consisting of:
• Filter: ECO Flow
  Filtration degree: 70 micron
  Flow rate: 70 l/m (18.5 gpm)
• High pressure pump: up to 20 bar (not feasible without filtration)
• PLC: communicates with the CNC machine to stabilize production processes

Results

The ECO Flow filtration system provided emulsion that was free of micro-particles and allowed the machine to
work under higher pressure without damaging the surface area of the finished product.
The system also removed tramp oil that otherwise would reduce the lifespan of the emulsion.
By installing the ECO Flow filter, the machine was able to produce more product per minute with less interruptions for cleaning and by using the high-pressure pump, the lifespan of the CNC tool was extended, saving costly maintenance.
With less maintenance required, one employee can now work on 4 machines at once, allowing more time for actual production.