A FRIESS bypass oil separator continuously removes oil from a degreasing bath before automotive components are coated, reducing chemical consumption and stabilising surface quality.
An automotive supplier operates an electroplating line for coating manufactured components.
As the first process step, every component passes through a degreasing bath. It removes machining oils, grease and particulate contamination so the subsequent coating can achieve the required adhesion and finish.
The manufacturer found that chemical consumption in the degreasing process was increasing significantly, making frequent top-ups necessary.
The active ingredients in the bath continually bound with removed oil and contamination and were consumed. Their effective concentration fell quickly, driving up operating costs.
If chemicals were not replenished promptly, degreasing performance deteriorated. Oil accumulated as a visible floating layer, increasing the risk that components would carry contamination into the coating stage and compromise the final finish.
Both the rising chemical consumption and the quality risk had the same cause: oil was accumulating in the degreasing bath instead of being removed continuously.
The buildup forced the company to add chemicals more frequently while increasing the likelihood of an oil layer forming on the bath surface.
To solve the problem, the supplier first rented a FRIESS Skimmtelligent unit for an on-site trial.
Although the trial unit was undersized for the bath volume, the benefits became apparent quickly:
Based on the successful trial, the customer purchased a FRIESS oil separator sized for the degreasing bath.
Once the correctly sized system entered service, the results improved further:
The customer reduced chemical consumption and operating costs while improving process stability and product quality.
The oil separator has now operated reliably for two years, and the customer remains highly satisfied with its performance and results.
Compact bypass separation for finely dispersed oil that does not rise in the main tank.
High-capacity oil-water separation using proven FRIESS skimming technology.
