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| Stanfordville
Machine contiuously invests in the latest in machine tool
and tooling technology. |
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The TKO-6 separator is mounted
to the machine without hardware using the magnetic frame.
Note the floating inlet device, the clean coolant in the sump,
and the dark band of collected oil in the separator tank.
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| The bag filter
conveniently removes the large quantity of floating aluminum
chips before the oily coolant is pumped to the separator tank
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Stanfordville Machine (Stanfordville,
NY), founded in 1975, is a leading supplier of precision parts to
the semiconductor, medical, aerospace, and electronics industries.
Running a busy shop with 24 machines, Stanfordville management continuously
invests in new machines in order to ensure Just In Time deliveries
and to be working with the latest in machine technology at all times.
However, Peter Johnsen, Manufacturing Manager, found that his objectives
for the long term investments in tools and tooling were being compromised
by lack of effective maintenance of the coolant in his machine sumps.
Buildup of tramp oil and other impurities in the coolant required
frequent pumpouts of the sumps, resulting in excessive coolant and
waste disposal costs and, more important, unacceptable unscheduled
machine downtime.
Stanfordville Machine pursued some typical approaches for keeping
the coolant clean. They tried skimmers with no success. A skimmer
operates only in a small area of the sump, leaving most of the sump
covered with oil, and removes a large quantity of coolant along
with the tramp oil. They next tried a pumping separator with an
electric pump. The electric pump immediately proved to be unreliable,
and the overall construction of the separator was not rugged enough
for the Stanfordville application.
Peter Johnsen then contacted Keller Products (Acton MA), which he
knew to be a leader in coolant cleaning systems for sumps under
1000 gallons. With over 5000 units in the field, the rugged Keller
pump/separators are specifically designed for trouble-free service,
with 1/2” air-operated diaphragm pumps and patented permanent
oil separating (coalescing) elements that require no maintenance.
Keller offers both dedicated and portable units to handle any shop
requirement. Since Peter did not want to require his crew to move
portable units, the Keller salesman recommended the TKO line of
pump/separators, designed to service individual sumps.
A TKO skimmer pumps oily coolant from a floating inlet device on
the surface of the sump, through a prefilter to remove floating
chips, and into a separator tank containing the Keller permanent
separator element. The separated tramp oil is held in the tank until
drained whenever convenient. The cleaned coolant recycles continuously
to the sump at high flow rate. The high recirculation rate turns
over the sump rapidly, ensuring that there are no stagnant areas
in which oil and solids can accumulate. The smallest unit in the
TKO line, the TKO-6, can be mounted to the side of the machine tool
without hardware using the Keller magnetic support frame CLO-1.
This feature was especially important to Peter, since it kept the
aisleways clear for stock movement.
He ordered two TKO-6 units with magnetic frames and evaluated them
for one month. They performed exceptionally well. Stanfordville
primarily machines aluminum which generates a large quantity of
floating fines that are pulled into the separator along with the
tramp oil. Although the TKO separators are equipped with a cartridge
type prefilter as standard, Peter requested that Keller supply the
units with a high capacity bag filter for added operating convenience.
Even including the bag filter and the 1/2” air operated pump,
the Keller system was more economical than the unreliable pump separator
previously evaluated.
The result of the test was total customer satisfaction. Peter Johnsen
then ordered identical units for his remaining machines. He says,
“I have cut my waste generation from 10 drums per month to
two drums per month. In addition, I have increased production by
minimizing
downtime, which helps us meet our customer deadlines. By removing
the
tramp oil, my coolant is less likely to foam, and filtering out
the
aluminum means I am less likely to plug coolant lines in my machines.
The Keller units paid for themselves in a few months. I’m glad
I kept
looking for the right solution to this difficult problem.”
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