Gearbox Shaft Manufacture

Company Name: MMTCI Group

Location: France

Eclipse Product Installed: FiltraMag+

Industry: Automotive

Machined Material: Steel Grade 27 CrMo4

Process Type: Turning, drilling and deep drilling

Application Background

MMTCI Group’s environmental division develops and installs high performance filtration systems in partnership with Eclipse Magnetics in France. MMTCI, and more specifically its environmental subsidiary, develops specific filtration systems that meet the constraints of a variety of industry sectors.

As specialists in the filtration of liquids including cutting fluids and detergents, MMTCI offer complete management of reprocessing solutions. With extensive expertise regarding new technologies in the field of filtration, the business provides innovative solutions to meet the technical and financial needs of its customers.

The MMTCI Group’s environmental division worked closely with Eclipse Magnetics to offer a leading car manufacturer a method of keeping coolant clean during the manufacture of shafts for gearboxes.

The Challenge

The material machined by the car manufacturer is steel grade 27 CrMo4, which is used in turning, drilling, and deep drilling processes. Due to the nature of the machined material and the application process, the coolant used had a tendency to become saturated with particulate. This, therefore, impacted the quality of the surface finish, the efficiency of the process, and the downtime involved in rectifying the problem.

The car manufacturer’s initial situation involved a centralised media-based filtration system (threshold 340 µm) with a volume of 92 cubic meters and 800 cubic meters per hour of water. 14 machines were connected to the central filtration system. A more effective method of filtration was required to solve the problems associated with the particulate building up in the coolant.

The Solution

MMTCI Group’s environmental division installed Eclipse Magnetics high-performance filtration systems in order to recover the particles that were collecting in the coolant and effectively remove them from the process. An initial solution of two FiltraMag FM2.0+ were installed in order to protect the two machines equipped with high pressure pumps. The Filtramags were installed in parallel for a flow of 30 cubic meters per hour.

Filtramag+ is a high performance magnetic filter with full stainless steel construction. Its high intensity magnetic cores make it 100% effective for use with materials which have lower magnetic permeability, and it can be used to remove both magnetic and non-magnetic contamination. Eclipse Magnetic’s Unique Dual Flow Technology TM maximises collection capability, and its non-block, easy clean design offers rapid return on investment.

The second phase included the installation of a set of Eclipse Magnetics magnetic filters, which enabled the filtration of the full volume of fluid. This closed-circuit assembly is installed directly on the central filtration system and consists of two AutoMag AM12s, a separator drum for the evacuation of the sludge, a plunging pump, and the electric/pneumatic steering box.

The AutoMag is a fully automated magnetic filtration unit which is ideal for 24/7 machining operations. With high contamination collection capacity and an ability to handle high flow rates, the Automag was able to offer a solution for the car manufacturers’ problems with contaminated coolant, enabling the effective removal of contaminate.

Before the Eclipse Magnetics filters were installed by MMTCI Group, the machining liquid had a contaminate reading of 556 parts per million. After a week of use, this had reduced to 139 ppm, and is now less than 100 ppm.

Comment

Jonathan Michels at MMTCI said: “This technology is economical, reliable and efficient. I believe that magnetic filtration technology is the future. There is work to be done, however, with educating customers to overcome the reticence that they may have about this technology. We have to prove to them what we already know: it works!”

Find out more about Magnetic Filtration or contact us for more details