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Solutions for Machining Clean, Green and Fast [Manufacturing Engineering]
[September 01, 2014]

Solutions for Machining Clean, Green and Fast [Manufacturing Engineering]


(Manufacturing Engineering Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Visit this pavilion to see experts on way covers and tracks, spindles, bearings, ballscrews, servomotors, maintenance equipment and more Whether you're milling, grinding, eroding, lasing, or using any of the other manufacturing disciplines represented at IMTS, it's a safe bet you rely on the technology displayed in the Machine Components/Cleaning/ Environmental pavilion. Not just "use," but RELY on. As in, if you screw up on these, your shop shuts down.



As the name "environmental" suggests, this pavilion offers a number of solutions for filtering the air in your plant, controlling noise, suppressing fires, purifying or otherwise handling your used coolants, and so on. It's also the place to go for things like machine enclosures, safety guards, and floor mats.

Naturally, you'll want to do whatever you can to run a healthy shop, and just as naturally, the competitive demands of business make this a moving target. For example, the demand for higher material removal rates in a wide variety of machining operations leads to higher temperatures, which drives the need for higher coolant pressures. According to Absolent's Business Development Manager Erik Jansson, this causes finer and finer mist particles. In fact, Jansson says particles are typically submicron now, which Absolent characterizes as "oil smoke" as opposed to "oil mist." This quickly defeats many mist extraction systems.


Absolent's approach uses a three-stage filter. The first two filters are fiber based and they block most of the particles, causing them to coagulate and drain back into the reservoir. (Jansson calls this basically a "capture and release" system.) The final stage is a HEPA filter, ensuring the air that finally emerges is extremely clean. Each stage is replaceable, and because most of the oil drains before reaching the HEPA filter, the filters last two to three years.

Jansson says they're also seeing the trend toward higher coolant pressure on small Swiss machines running small parts. Owners of course want small extraction systems for these machines, but one that handles the oil smoke. Absolent responded with a new 350 cfm (9.9 m3/min product called the A-smoke5. In addition to a new four-stage filtration approach, the A-smoke5 has a variable speed drive and an energy-efficient fan with airflow guarantee (EcoDrive) that ensures that the filter unit consumes as little energy as possible. The fan starts at low speed when the filter cassettes are clean and revs up slowly as they become dirtier, to ensure the correct airflow. It also responds if the machine is open or closed and adjusts its speed accordingly. The user can also set an initial flow rate under the full 350 cfm rating without using baffles. Whatever the setting, the system delivers significant energy savings and longer filter life.

The device is also tiny, only 35.4 x 24.4 x 20.5" (900 x 620 x 521 mm). So you get a small system that handles a tough task with the minimum power consumption. Energy savings has been a bigger concern in Europe, where Absolent is based, but Jansson says it's getting more emphasis here. He calculates that in some US markets using variable speed drives for motors of 5 hp (4.3 kW) and up will pay for itself in 15-16 months. You can see them in Booth E-5669.

Cleanliness is Next to...

Besides ensuring the cleanliness of your shop, you might very well need to clean the parts you produce. For smart, safe, and environmentally friendly ways to do that, the Miraclean Ultrasonics booth (E-5458) is an excellent place to start. As Miraclean's Cheryl Larkin explains, "the demand for aqueous part cleaning took off beginning in 1989 and especially in the early 1990s with the implementation of the Montreal Protocol which controls the release of chemicals harmful to the ozone layer. Since then it's been increasingly expensive to dispose of regulated solvents and CFCs like Freon. So all our systems are water based." Interestingly, they're also all built to order since customers often have very specific throughput requirements and cleaning protocols, or they're trying to meet specific standards, like those of the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). Some systems include the removal of free iron from part surfaces (a process called "passivation") or even adding color. Miraclean offers fully automated machines that can perform all these steps in sequence, including either nitric or citric passivation.

Anodizing titanium in any of a rainbow of colors has emerged as a niche in the orthopedic market because surgeons prefer that bone screws be color-coded by size. If you're serving that market, or have other "colorful ideas," you can now take that capability in-house with a compact solution from Miraclean.

Wastewater Got You Down? Getting rid of used water-based coolant or wash waters is expensive. You have to pay for handling, trucking, and treatment by your local POTW (Publicly Operated Treatment Works). Plus you have to replace it with clean water. So your costs can vary based on local water supplies, fuel prices, and even the edicts of the POTW. (The EPA sets limits for the POTWs but you live under the requirements of the local POTW.) That's why companies like PRAB (N-7288) are experiencing strong interest in systems that deal with wastewater right at the source.

Andrew Flowers, PRAB's Business Development Manager for their wastewater treatment division, says your goal should be "to recycle your coolant, wash water and other fluids locally to increase your tool life and product quality, reduce your maintenance, and increase the life of your working fluids. Then finally when you do have to dispose of it, you have a smaller volume to get rid of, or a concentrated stream that you can treat yourself for lower cost handling at the POTW." PRAB offers solutions for all phases of the life-cycle, including particle filtration, membrane separation (micro-, nanoand ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis), and vacuum evaporation technology. Flowers adds that PRAB's technology "can positively separate contaminants and reduce or even eliminate the chemicals used in conventional wastewater treatment. This improves the reliability and increases the amount of water you can recover compared to conventional treatment." Vacuum evaporation has been used internationally for years, however it's a relatively new technology in North America. So it's one of the things they'll feature in the booth.

PRAB's installations range from those handling 100 gal/ day (379 L/day) on individual machine tools to 5 million gal/ day (18,927,000 L/day) in huge central systems. Flowers reports that payback is often under six months. No wonder interest is from all over the country.

Turning Trash to Cash If you're cutting metal, you're producing chips. So at the very least, you have a material handling challenge. If you're not recycling those chips, you're throwing money away. But not all recycling technologies are equal.

PRAB (N-7288) alsooffers comprehensive chip handling and recycling systems besides-and often in concert withtheir coolant treatment systems. According to Ron Chapman, PRAB's national sales manager, "as recently as eight to ten years ago we didn't have briquetting systems to facilitate fluid removal. And while traditional wringing systems typically do a better job of removing coolant from chips, a briquetting system produces 75-80% solid material, which remelts more easily than chip form. In fact, unless they're sized properly, chips contain lots of fines which will go right up the stack or they'll end up as dross. They won't be remelted.'' Obviously that makes a huge difference in the value of your "trash." Briquets are also easier to handle, as they're typically compact units at 70-100 lbs/ft3 (0.89-1.27 kg/m3), whereas chips pile up at a tenth that density. Chapman adds that there are still cases when wringing is best and PRAB offers both approaches, sometimes in combination.

PRAB is perhaps unique in offering complete systems that take in rough chips, grind them, remove the coolant, treat and recycle the recovered coolant, separate ferrous and non-ferrous materials, and load out the scrap metal. Chapman says the market is especially excited about the fact that they can deliver even large-scale systems as modular units. "We do everything up front in our factory. The units are pre-assembled on a skid, pre-wired, and programmed. So an installation takes only a few days, instead of a few weeks or months as is typical in the industry." Chapman says they're also getting more frequent requests to deal with a mix of materials and occasional requests to make changes after the initial installation, such as increased volume or different fluids and materials. He says their systems are engineered to be forgiving up front and modularity makes it possible to augment or rearrange the system to adapt to such challenges.

Chapman sees aerospace manufacturing as a key driver in his field. "When a typical wing spar goes from a 10,000 block of aluminum to a 100-lb [45.4-kg] part, that's a lot of scrap. And of course you want to get the fluid back, because 20-30% of the original chip weight will be coolant. So large systems, up 15,000 lbs/hr [6804 kg/hr], are in high demand and customers have few options, especially for fully integrated solutions like ours." On the other end of the spectrum, PRAB builds systems handling as little as 200 lbs/hr (90.7 kg/hr). "Below that, the payback is questionable unless you're dealing in exotic materials. Payback is usually around 15 months to three years but sometimes in the range of 12 weeks." ME -Ed Sinkora, Contributing Editor Improved Steel Belt Conveyor The MunchMan hinged steel belt conveyor was designed specifically to handle heavy chip loads with large stringy chips and balls of chips generated in milling and turning applications where high workpiece stock removal rates exist. The design has been refined and improved in the MunchMan II. The enhancements include improvements to the drive system which allow just one gear motor to run both drive shafts, and new speed control functionality and a current overload sensor with JamManager programming safety device. The conveyor track has also been reworked to offer rapid customer design modification and more efficient fabrication Jorgensen Conveyors Inc Ph: 262-242-3089 Web site: www.jorgensenconveyors.com/munchman Reduced Maintenance Chip Handling Conveyor The CleanSweep-RM, uses proven cleaning technology for effective chip handling and removal. It will handle most types of chips and turnings with a compact design that will fit almost any machine tool and coolant tank. It is a reduced maintenance alternative to a basic hinge belt conveyor offering increased machine uptime and reduced coolant tank maintenance. The unique design of the system allows chips and coolant to enter the load area of the conveyor where large chips are carried by the hinge belt and elevated to the discharge hopper. An internal chip handling system removes small chips and fines while a removable screen box cleans the coolant. Reported payback period for the CleanSweep-RM conveyor is reported to be within one year.

Mayfran International Ph: 440-461-4100 Web site: www.mayfran.com Industrial Wastewater Treatment Equipment PRAB Inc., a manufacturer of fluid filtration and wastewater treatment equipment will feature its full spectrum of industrial wastewater treatment equipment. The company has partnered with Veolia Water Solutions of Italy to market and support the exclusive EVALED line of vacuum evaporators in North America. The partnership with Veolia Water broadens PRAB's line of wastewater treatment systems from particle filtration, to membrane separation (micro-, nanoand ultra-filtration, and reverse osmosis) to now include a full line of vacuum evaporators.

Prab Inc.

Ph: 800-968-7722 Web site: www.prab.com/ Multistage Ultrasonic Cleaning Stations The Viking line of multistage ultrasonic cleaning stations offers customers requiring precision parts and components cleaning with efficient, effective ultrasonic cleaning technology, and also with multiple washes and rinses and highefficiency parts drying. Omegasonics offers the Viking X2, DX3 and DX4. All units are designed for portability with built-in casters and a single point of connection for utilities. In addition, they're fabricated from corrosion-resistant materials. The high-efficiency hot-air dryer is contained within the system to maximize space and improve convenience. Multistage systems from Omegasonics do not include automation, making them reasonably priced and economical for even small to mid-sized businesses.

Omegasonics Ph: 800-669-8227 Web site: www.omegasonics.com New Solvent-Based Part Cleaning Systems The EcoCCore system offers a one-third increase in product throughput and load weight, which yields a reduced cleaning cost per unit. The new machines are equipped for improved cleaning performance, superior process reliability and significant energy savings. Designed to use nonhalogenated hydrocarbons or modified alcohols, the EcoCCore also boosts superior ease of operation, less space demand and a translucent design. The work chamber is designed to hold cleaning loads measuring up to 670 x 480 x 400 mm, thereby offering one-third more loading volume compared to the Universal 81C/P system. Throughput can thus be doubled, depending on the basket size. The maximum load weight capacity has likewise been increased by more than 30% to 200 kg. With a cycle time of less than eight minutes this provides a significant reduction in cleaning cost per unit. The system also uses innovative technology to optimize cleaning quality, such as a preliminary vapor degreasing process Dürr Ecoclean Inc.

Ph: 248-560-2100 Web site: www.durr-ecoclean.com Tabletop Servo Press Assembly Stations New line of standardized compact tabletop servo press assembly stations is based on the company's ElectroMechanical Assembly Press (EMAP) technology. The new assembly stations include press capabilities from 1 to 12 kN along with all necessary sensors, controls, software and safety equipment for a virtual turnkey installation. Designed for batch assembly operations, the tabletop assembly press is an optimum solution for highprecision applications such as small valve and electrical/electronic component assembly. Other potential applications include precision joining, join on contact, riveting, testing and measuring, surface checking, press fitting, clipping, and bending. The assembly stations are all-electric, providing a clean, low-noise working environment free of air and oil leaks.

Promess Inc.

Ph: 800-229-9334 Web site: www.promessinc.com High-Suction Sludge Vac CECOR Sharks are high-suction sludge vacs that remove collected metalworking fluids and solid waste (metal chips, sludge, swarf, etc.) from sumps in minutes. The patented filter system separates solids from the metalworking fluids. The filtered fluids can then be pumped back into the sump for reuse or transported to a central processing system. CECOR offers a wide range of sump cleaner models, tank capacities, power sources, transport systems and filtering options to fit any need, ranging from small machine shops to large international operations. Also available is a full line of parts and accessories to support these products.

CECOR Ph: 608-845-6771 Web site: www.cecor.net Snow Cleaning Technologies The Omega 3000 C02 precision cleaning module has Integrated C02 spray cleaning, or snow cleaning, an innovative development in the application of solidphase carbon dioxide. It has a wide range of applications in delicate parts, plastics, optics, and critical cleaning. Capabilities include particle, residue, thin film, and light oil removal with ability to remove fingerprints. C02 is noncondensing, dry, and environmentally friendly.

Cool Clean Technologies LLC Ph: 651-842-8600 Web site: www.coolclean.com Oil Mist Separation The Green Line Oil Mist Separators will be introduced to the North American market. Handling all applications using a coolant or straight oil in the manufacturing process, the series of oil mist separators is a cost-effective and user-friendly solution. The Green Line series has taken centrifugal separation to a new level of efficiency by separating even smaller particles in the disk stack. The series separates 100% of the fluid particulate down to 1 pm, 91% at 0.9 pm and 82% at 0.75 pm. With the HEPA filter for the final stage cleaning, the Green Line series ultimately delivers 99.97% clean air.

3nine Ph: 303 887 7877 Web site-, www.3nine.com Tabletop Aqueous Parts Washer The new Model 8 tabletop aqueous parts washer is designed for maintenance operations or production work stations. For production applications, cutting fluids and chips can be quickly removed for subsequent or secondary application. For maintenance work, hard to remove material can be soaked by letting the solution flow over the parts. Cleaning is accomplished with a flow-through brush using environmentally friendly hot water and detergents. After the part or parts are cleaned, the solution flows through a felt blanket filter before returning to the reservoir removing dirt particles larger than 100 pm. Water temperature is maintained by a thermostatically controlled immersion heater.

ADF Systems Ltd.

Ph: 800-798-5100 Web site: www.adfsys.com Twin Cameras Tool Presetter The new Khyan-TW hybrid tool presetter was developed as a more costeffective equivalent to competitor's tool inspection machines. Constructed using ground granite and stainless steel with a single 23" (584mm) high-definition screen, the unit has two optical cameras that also sport digital-zoom capabilities. Users can import and export dxf profiles to check and compare tools. Easy to set up and simple to operate, the unit even incorporates additional capabilities focused specifically on tool geometries. The 90° rotating support for the second camera allows for cutters to be viewed from the top and the sidemaking it possible to measure the tool with the traditional camera and check and/or inspect the geometry of the tools with the second camera without moving the presetter's axis. The precision spindle system is fully interchangeable and uses a onepiece cartridge, eliminating the need for adapters and any associated errors. The spindle on the Khyan-TW incorporates a universal mechanical clamping system on the retention knob of the toolholder including its own electronic tool clamping confirmation. The software provides a tool management system and working with your DNC system converts measured tool data in to CNC code for direct loading in to the machine's controller. The system comes with Wi-Fi connectivity as standard. Free software upgrades are available.

Koma Precision Ph: 800-249-5662 Web site: www.komaprecision.com "Your goal should be to recycle your coolant, wash water and other fluids locally to Increase your tool life and product quality, reduce your maintenance, and increase the life of your working fluids." (c) 2014 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (publishers)

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