Industry: Industrial manufacturing
Problem: Aluminum turnings and mist slow productivity and damage products
Solution: A Donaldson Torit® Cyclone Dust Collector and WSO Mist Collector to capture by-products and mist during routing process
Headquartered in an 140,000 square foot facility in Columbia City, Indiana, 80/20® Inc. is the one-stop resource for more than 6,500 aluminum modular framing systems and accessories. Known for the first Industrial Erector Set®, 80/20 Inc. designs, manufactures and assembles standard and custom-built solutions for machine frames, guarding, enclosures, displays, workstations and more.
To create the range of 80/20 solutions, T-slotted aluminum frames are custom cut on-site using high-speed saws and routers. During the routing process, dust, mist and aluminum by-products, called turnings, are generated. These need to be captured and filtered into the scrap aluminum recycling stream. “We immediately contacted Donaldson Torit,” said Mike Downam, maintenance facility manager at 80/20. “We needed a filtration solution that included a vacuum strong enough to pick up the turnings and collect the mist generated from the water- soluble coolant used to cool down the cutting tools during the routing process. If not removed quickly, the turnings will damage the frame, not to mention the mess the dust and mist can leave on the shop floor."
The Donaldson Torit Solution
Two Donaldson Torit solutions were combined to meet 80/20’s filtration needs: A Model 24 Cyclone Dust Collector was installed to capture the aluminum turnings, and a WSO 25-2 Mist Collector to remove the water-soluble mist.
The Cyclone Dust Collector is a mechanical separator that uses centrifugal force to remove large and high-volume particulate formed in industrial manufacturing. For 80/20, an abrasion-resistant coating was put on the interior of the Cyclone to protect it as the turnings were removed. The collector’s legs were also extended to accommodate a Donaldson® Torit® 10AN rotary valve.
Uncollected coolant can cause slippery floors and collect on machines, walls and ceilings, creating an unpleasant, high-maintenance working environment. To remove the mist generated from water-soluble coolant, a WSO Mist Collector with a water-soluble filter was ducted into the 80/20 central system. The versatile WSO provides three filtering solutions for the three mist categories: water-soluble coolants, straight oil and oily smoke. It can be modified with a simple filter change, leading to leaner operations, cost savings and a cleaner plant floor. The WSO also employs Donaldson’s revolutionary Synteq XP™ Media Technology engineered to provide superior draining, which results in lower pressure drop and longer filter life.
- Mike Downam, Maintenance Facility Manager at 80/20
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the filtration solution Donaldson recommended,” continued Downam.
The two Donaldson Torit solutions were installed in early 2009 and have been running stable at 2 ”wg, 16 hrs/day, 5 days/week. 80/20 has also installed Donaldson Torit filtration solutions on the factory’s saws.
