ALC - Abanaki

Companies look for effective ways to remove oil from water or coolant to reduce costs and the liability of proper disposal. Another reason for removing the oil is a better work environment. Letting oil remain in the coolant tank allows anaerobic bacteria to grow. Anaerobic bacteria break down the components of coolant, causing it to need changing more frequently. Oil-laden coolant with a high anaerobic bacteria content has two other drawbacks as well. The first drawback is an unpleasant odor caused by the bacteria. The second drawback the smoke generated from the oil-laden coolant coming in contact with the operating cutting tool. One of the easiest ways to remove hydrocarbons from water or coolant is by using an oil skimmer. It is a low maintenance, easy to use tool for removing oil from water or coolant.

It is a common question asked every day by people in all fields of industry. Machine shops, steel mills, industrial manufacturers, and many others are faced with the problem of removing oils from coolants and wastewater on an everyday basis. They are faced with high disposal and maintenance costs. Some manufacturers are charged extreme amounts to have their contaminated water treated properly by their local water treatment facility.

The use of an oil skimmer in the machine shop setting holds many benefits. Removing the oil from a machine coolant tank will initiate some esthetic benefits such as cutting down on the amount of smoke generated from the cutting tool coming into contact with oil laden coolant.

When a machine is shut down for the weekend, oil has a chance to come to the surface of the coolant tank. Bacteria that are living in the coolant tank use up the dissolved oxygen in the coolant mix, a process that is sped up by having a layer of oil on the surface. This allows odor causing anaerobic bacteria to thrive, giving off that familiar “rotten egg” smell.

Tramp oil is huge problem for machining centers.  It can affect the appearance of the finished part, lead to worker skin conditions and leave a haze of smoke in the shop creating an environmental hazard.  Many machining centers built today have limited access to the coolant sumps more than they used to.  This creates a dilemma: how do you remove oil from a coolant sump when you barely have access to it? A mini tube skimmer, like the Abanaki’s Tubetastic!®, may be the perfect solution for this problem. The Tubetastic! has an oleophilic tube that snakes into your machining center and removes the oil from the surface of your coolant.  It attaches to the side of the tank lip or it can enter through a slot in the side of the machine.   Furthermore, it has a high capacity to remove oil.  The Tubetastic! can remove as much as 1.5 gph of oil from the surface of cutting fluid, enough to handle virtually any tramp oil problem.

1. Oil Boss

Many of the machining centers built today have limited access to the coolant sump. This presents an interesting challenge to plant maintenance personnel on how to remove...