Case Studies

Date: March 1997
The global CNC industry takes an step ahead towards effective coolant management program with the use of Coolant Wizard Senior. This initiative economized the cost of coolant consumption by reducing coolant purchases by 90%.

Coolant Used: Trim-sol, soluble oil and water miscible metal working coolant

Problem: Coolant became rancid overnight, generating the need to clean sumps frequently and dispose the coolant, thus increasing wastage & expenses.

Conventional Controls: Adding biocide and cleaning of machine sumps on regular basis

Actions:
Use of Coolant Wizard reconditioning system was in initiated in March 1996 and has been in use since then by different machine sumps to manage the coolant. CNC Industries operate 24 x 7 and so does the Coolant Wizard. The system processes each and every sump and when the last sump is done, it starts over with the first machine again. A company that makes use of 10 machines having an average of 50 to 60 gallon sumps, the process time for each sump would be 1 hr and 40 mins to 2 hours. One of the prime advantages observed was that there has been no significant requirement of maintenance of Coolant Wizard and the final filter elements lasted over a year. Operator/ manpower involvement in the entire process is not more than 15 minutes per shift.

Accomplishment:
Before implementing the coolant management program the companies under observation were buying 1 to 1.5 drums of coolant concentrate every month and were having the spent coolant hauled away at a significantly high price, and the entire process becoming an expensive affair, which also involved huge wastage. But the Coolant Wizard, coolant purchase and disposed have reduced down by almost 90% a year.

Date: March 1997
The Coolant Wizard System reduces coolant costs by 66% leading to cost efficiency and effective waste minimization

Coolant Used: Blaser Swisslube 4000 CF soluble oil, water miscible or metal working fluid.

Problem: Coolant purchases were excessive due to disposal and re-supply

Conventional Controls: Discarding a portion of coolant and adding newly mixed coolant to reduce the tramp oil entrainment problem.

Action:
The company under observation machines stainless steel aircraft landing gear parts, in addition to nickel and cobalt based alloys. The company has more than 30 machines with sumps that range from 40 to 100 gallons each. It installed the Coolant Wizard system in May of 1996, along with coalescing and skimming unit, for effective reduction of tramp oil entrainment. The unit operates the Coolant Wizard system for 20 hours a day and also maintains a regular schedule to recondition all machine sumps. There has been almost no maintenance of the Coolant Wizard system and use of minimal consumables is also noted. Bacteria and fungus levels are reduced and maintained.

Accomplishment:
The purchase and disposal is notably reduced by over 66%, leading to a three month return on investment. The quality of the coolant has been more consistent, thus leading to better machining operations. Enhanced tool life along with faster and deeper cuts is the present reality.

Date: June 1997
X-Rite resolves the increasing dermatitis problem, while reducing machine downtime required to clean sumps. Coolant cost and disposal was significantly reduced by 50% with the use of Coolant Wizard.

Coolant Used: AMACO semi-synthetic, water miscible metal working coolant

Problem: Complains of odor and skin irritation by operators. Downtime to clean the sumps was hampering production and the cost associated with coolant was increasing.

Conventional Control: Adding biocides, dumping sumps and then cleaning machines to eliminate odors.

Action:
X-Rite installed Coolant Wizard and trained its employees, establishing a metal working coolant management program. The sumps were monitored every day for concentration, adjustments to the fluid to maintain the level of concentration and an overall housekeeping. The use of Coolant Wizard System reduced the skin irritation, order was eliminated and the cost efficiency increased. The Coolant Wizard is now use, two times a week on the machines, on two shifts, while the operator involvement and filter element usage is nearly zero, presently.

Accomplishment
The fluid management program achieved the objectives and Coolant Wizard is the only system that could suffice the needs of X-Rite in terms of size, ease of operation and cost. Consequently, the cost involved in purchase of coolant concentrate and in the disposal of spent coolant, costing a roung$50.00 per drum, was reduced by more than 50%.