Over 80% Fewer Hydraulic Faults,
Payback in Under Six Months
An automotive press-line operator used an EFR D16 to remove fine particles, oxidation products and varnish from hydraulic oil. Hydraulic faults fell by more than 80%, and lower servo-valve and pump repair costs delivered payback in under six months. Integrated particle monitoring records oil cleanliness every ten minutes and retains the latest 2,000 readings.
Case Background
A renowned global automotive supplier uses modern press lines at its southern German plant to manufacture high-strength sheet-metal parts. High-strength steel makes the parts lighter at the same strength, helping reduce the weight of the body in white.
Tight customer tolerances and demanding forming conditions require precise control of the press parameters. All four presses use high-quality servo-valve technology and premium hydraulic oil, yet the specified tolerances were repeatedly exceeded.
Oil Contamination Exceeded Servo-System Limits
A detailed fault analysis showed that the level of contamination in the hydraulic oil was substantially higher than the precision servo technology could tolerate.
Solution: FRIESS EFR D16 Electrostatic Oil Cleaning
After extensive research, the maintenance team decided to use a FRIESS EFR D16 electrostatic oil cleaning system to reduce contamination and remove oxidation products and varnish in the hydraulic oil.
To verify the expected results before purchase, the system was initially rented. During the trial, oil samples were taken repeatedly and analysed carefully. The results showed a substantial reduction in contamination as well as the removal of oxidation products and varnish.
At the same time, hydraulic-system faults on the presses fell sharply. Machine precision improved and scrap was reduced. The clear improvement in process reliability led the team to purchase the electrostatic oil cleaning system.
Automatic Particle Monitoring
Previously, monitoring oil cleanliness and quality required substantial manual work, including taking and shipping samples. The EFR D16 was therefore equipped with FRIESS’s fully automatic particle monitor.
The monitor continuously tracks hydraulic-oil cleanliness during electrostatic filtration and displays the measured cleanliness values on the D16 screen.
A small oil flow passes continuously through the particle monitor while the EFR system is operating. Contamination is measured every 10 minutes and can be shown on the oil-cleaning system’s display.
The latest 2,000 measurements are stored, and recent results can be displayed graphically. Oil cleanliness is therefore documented and visible without manual intervention, allowing deviations to be addressed before they affect production.
Combining electrostatic oil cleaning with integrated particle-count monitoring gives the operator continuous evidence of oil condition and process stability.
Cleaning Results
- Very clean hydraulic oil by removing particles and microparticles down to 0.1 µm.
- Reduced oxidation products, resin and varnish in the oil.
- Higher machine precision and process reliability by preventing contamination-related hydraulic faults.
- Less maintenance work because routine oil samples no longer need to be taken, commissioned and shipped.
- Easier troubleshooting: if process parameters deviate, recent particle-count measurements can quickly show whether oil contamination caused the problem or whether another fault source is responsible.
Hydraulic faults on the presses were reduced by more than 80%. Lower repair costs for servo valves and pumps delivered a payback period of less than six months.
Oil changes were no longer required because oil cleanliness and quality remained consistently high.
For hydraulic-system operators:
FRIESS also provides on-site hydraulic-oil analysis and purification services. Equipment repairs and spare-parts supply are not included.
Rising particle loads in your press-line hydraulic oil and difficulty measuring filtration performance?
Please share your hydraulic oil grade, reservoir volume, ISO 4406 cleanliness, particle monitoring trends, failure records, current filtration method and target performance. Our China engineering team can recommend an EFR D16 electrostatic oil cleaner, particle monitoring and bypass operating arrangement based on your data.