The efficient filtration of cooling lubricants and grinding oils is a significant prerequisite for the cost-effectiveness and quality of the tool grinding process. By selecting the right filter system, considerable cost savings can be achieved and product quality improved. Vomat GmbH, based in Treuen, Germany, offers the metalworking industry innovative solutions in the field of filter technology – for example the range of compact ultra-fine filtration systems in the FA series 120 to 420.
In the low to medium flow rate range, these compact class systems guarantee an extremely economical 100% separation of clean and dirty oil in a full-flow process. Steffen Strobel, Sales Manager at Vomat: “In an automatic cycle – depending on the amount of dirt – this technology not only guarantees 100% separation of the dirty and clean oil via a frequency-controlled system pump, but also ensures that oil with a filter fineness of 3-5 µm is always available for the production process over a long period of time during cleaning using special high-performance precoat filters.”
Vomat relies on the use of highly efficient pumps to make the operation of the ultra-fine filtration systems energy-efficient. In conjunction with optimized process control, unnecessary energy losses are avoided. Vomat systems automatically control the filter flow and backwash cycles according to demand. This extends the service life of the filter elements and leads to significant energy and cost savings.
In contrast to conventional systems, which often work continuously at maximum filter performance, Vomat systems adapt to the current production process. For example, if grinding machines are running at a lower speed, only the required amount of cooling lubricant is filtered. In Vomat central systems that filter several grinding machines, some of which are not in operation, the filter capacity is automatically adapted to the cutting volume. This simultaneously reduces the heat supply to the medium, which means that less cooling capacity is required and energy consumption is further reduced.
During the full-flow backwashing process, on-demand backwashing brings further benefits: With Vomat filters, the backwash cycles are controlled depending on the degree of contamination of the filter elements. As soon as relevant contamination levels are reached, the time-delayed backwash starts for each individual filter. The other filters continue to ensure a continuous supply of clean oil. This fully automatic control and adjustment of the filter capacity enables efficient control of energy and operating costs.
The grinding sludge is disposed of using a special sedimentator with fully automatic treatment of recyclable materials with a residual moisture content of between 5 and 10 percent. Overall, the treatment process is extremely user-friendly. The sludge is fed directly into the recycling companies’ transport containers.
Steffen Strobel: “If cooling lubricants remain clean for longer in the machining process, they can also be used for longer periods of time. Vomat Technologie achieves this, for example, thanks to the needs-based backwashing of the Vomat ultrafine filtration systems in conjunction with special cooling concepts. This leads to significantly reduced machine downtimes for users and increases production efficiency while minimizing losses due to contamination and heat input into the medium. As a result, this also leads to considerable savings in energy costs.”
