Case Study

Precision Components Manufacturer Enjoy Cost and Waste Saving Benefits from Magnetic Filtration

16 Jan 2024

Aaron Manufacturing Limited has been providing precision grinding and machining services for almost 50 years. A family-run business, they supply precision parts such as gears and bearing housings to a wide range of sectors, notably motorsport, metrology, aerospace, nuclear, and offshore industries. They are driven by providing excellent-quality products at market-competitive prices. As subscribers to the Low Carbon Dorset scheme, they are also committed to waste reduction, having already reduced their CO2 footprint by 17.5 metric tonnes per year.

Their machine capacity includes four Jones and Shipman Ultramat CNC grinding machines. They operate for around 11 hours per day, producing precision parts for motorsport, nuclear, and defence applications in EN36 steel and 440C stainless steel. The machines circulate MacDermid Enthone Relubro Bio coolant.

The Challenge:

As part of an active continual improvement programme, the Aaron Manufacturing management team was reviewing means of improving processes and reducing environmental impact. They identified coolant usage and paper filter usage as areas for improvement and any resultant savings from reduced downtime. Because the existing paper filters were restricted by a 10-micron mesh size, smaller ferrous particles were still circulating, thereby degrading the coolant, and causing rapid bacterial growth. This meant that fluids had to be changed regularly. The paper filters also needed regular change as they became blocked by the continued circulation of ferrous waste.

The Solution:

After careful evaluation, they installed and trialled a single Micromag MM10 unit, which was successful. They subsequently installed a further three Micromag filters on the other grinding machines. These were installed on the post pump supply flow, allowing the paper filters to remove larger contaminants prior to these reaching the Micromag filter.

In a matter of days, they produced outstanding results, removing fine ferrous particles from the coolant, thereby reducing bacterial growth and the frequency of fluid change. Usage and disposal of paper filters also fell significantly. The cumulative effect reduced machine downtime and helped increase production efficiency.

In monetary terms, it is estimated that the filters have been instrumental in saving nearly £5,500 annually in reduced coolant and paper consumption and downtime. In addition, there are environmental benefits of consumable usage and waste disposal.

Comment:

Aaron Coulling, Operations Director, has been suitably impressed. “We thought our fluids were relatively clean until we installed the magnetic filters. The fine particle capability provided by the Micromags has made a big difference to our grinding process. The cost savings have ensured a rapid payback on our initial investment, and it contributes to our goal of minimising our carbon footprint.”

Precision Components Manufacturer Enjoy Cost and Waste Saving Benefits from Magnetic Filtration | Eclipse Magnetics >