A medium-sized plastics processor wanted to reduce the cost of changing the hydraulic oil in its injection moulding machines. After discussions with its oil supplier, the company considered testing low-cost reclaimed oil. Because the oil source was not always traceable and the reconditioning process was unclear, this approach was abandoned.
Despite regular oil changes, hydraulic problems occurred approximately twice a year, including pump failures and defective valves.
The resulting production interruptions eliminated any hoped-for savings. Instead, an increasing amount of money was spent on repairs and further oil changes.
A trial with a FRIESS EFR D8 electrostatic hydraulic oil cleaner began in November 2003. The first improvements appeared after only a short cleaning period. Maintenance personnel and machine operators consistently reported that, after roughly one-third of the scheduled cleaning time, the injection moulding machines ran more quietly and consistently.
Oil-sample evaluation at the end of the cleaning cycle confirmed these observations and showed excellent cleanliness levels between NAS 3 and NAS 5.
The convenient, menu-guided user interface simplified commissioning of the oil-cleaning system. Data for every injection moulding machine, including the oil type and volume, was programmed in advance. After connecting the hydraulic hoses, the operator only had to select the machine number on the display. Because the controller stored the oil type and quantity, it automatically calculated and displayed the cleaning time. The operator could immediately see when each machine was finished and move the EFR electrostatic oil cleaner to the next injection moulding machine.
This made it possible to clean different machines and reproduce the positive results.
After 1.5 years of operation, every injection moulding machine had undergone electrostatic oil cleaning, and many machines had already received a second cleaning cycle.
In the first year after introducing electrostatic hydraulic oil cleaning, the number of hydraulic failures fell from two to zero. Machine-filter consumption dropped by 75%. No oil changes have been required since electrostatic cleaning began; only oil lost through leakage has been topped up.
Oil analyses confirmed that all measured values remained within the machine manufacturers’ specified tolerances and that the hydraulic oil achieved excellent cleanliness.
Would you like to reduce hydraulic failures and extend oil service life? Request a FRIESS application assessment.
