Ford UK motor ahead with coolant savings
Clearwater Systems - a Clearwater Group subsidiary - were able to provide Ford with a new high performance coolant recovery system for their machining and process operations.
Ford Dagenham purchased a dedicated coolant recovery system after they realised the vast potential for savings from their stamping operations. A year later they are now enjoying the benefits of increased tooling life and a notable reduction in coolant disposal.
High volume engineering, like the production of car wheel rims at Ford Dagenham, uses large amounts of coolant. The plant had to replace its coolant frequently to ensure the high quality of their products and to prevent tools from being damaged by contamination. This in turn meant higher coolant purchases and hazardous waste disposal costs.
Clearwater Systems were appointed to design and install a system that would address these issues. Ford Motor Company stated, "We are delighted with this system which has significantly reduced coolant expenditure and tooling costs." The cost savings on coolant became apparent within the first quarter and hazardous waste disposal costs were reduced dramatically.
Marc Horn, General Manager of The Clearwater Group added: "I am extremely pleased for Ford but I am not surprised that this system has made such an impact. We have provided a high quality and affordable solution that included the use of vertical gravity separation to remove oil contaminations. A hydrocyclone system was also introduced to remove swarf particulate which links to Ford's existing band filter to remove large particulate"
"From machining workshops to large plants, everybody with the need for extending coolant life can benefit in the same way as Ford. We have developed a range of coolant recovery solutions that do so much more than just recovering coolants. The cleaning capabilities even enable customers to sell the condensed oil as opposed to tankering it away to landfill."
To find out more about Clearwater, email or call 01926 818283.