Over 12 Months Without Faults, €20,000+ Saved per Year
A paint line cleaned 3,500 litres of hydraulic oil with an EFR D16 for approximately six weeks without interrupting production, reducing contamination by more than 90%. After cleaning, its system of 12 hydraulic motors operated without faults for over 12 months. Annual repair savings exceeded €20,000, while a planned oil change costing more than €10,000 was avoided.
Case Background
The large sheet-metal-parts paint line uses 12 hydraulically driven paint pumps supplied by a central system containing HLP 46 hydraulic oil.
Problem: Frequent Hydraulic Motor Failures
Because the system was heavily utilised, the scheduled oil change could not be carried out. Replacing the hydraulic oil required approximately 24 hours of downtime, including tank cleaning and other maintenance work. As oil contamination increased, the hydraulic motors began to fail—sometimes as often as once a week.
To minimise downtime, the motors were connected to the hydraulic system with quick couplings instead of permanent connections. Each motor overhaul cost approximately €500. The plant operator therefore needed a way to clean or replace the oil during production and restore fault-free motor operation.
Solution: FRIESS EFR D16 Electrostatic Oil Cleaning
During ongoing production, a FRIESS EFR D16 electrostatic oil cleaning system was connected to the hydraulic reservoir. The 3,500 litres of oil were intensively cleaned for approximately six weeks without interrupting production. During the first week after connection, one more hydraulic motor failed and had to be overhauled. No further motor failures occurred during the remaining cleaning period.
Results
Oil analysis showed that contamination in the hydraulic oil was reduced by more than 90%. Because electrostatic cleaning also removed oxidation products and fine particles, all other measured values remained within the equipment manufacturer’s specified tolerances for new oil.
- The complete system of 12 hydraulic motors operated fault-free for more than 12 months after cleaning.
- After 12 months, cleaning was repeated only as a preventive measure because contamination had risen slightly.
- No further hydraulic-motor failures have been reported since.
- Cleaning the hydraulic oil saved more than €20,000 per year in repair costs.
- The planned oil change costing more than €10,000 was also avoided, together with the associated labour and production downtime.
For hydraulic-system operators:
FRIESS also provides on-site hydraulic-oil analysis and purification services. Equipment repairs and spare-parts supply are not included.
Hydraulic-oil contamination causing motor failures and paint-line downtime?
Please share your hydraulic-oil grade, reservoir volume, system pressure, ISO 4406 cleanliness level, particle and oxidation-product condition, hydraulic-motor failure records and target values. Our China engineering team can recommend an EFR D16 configuration, bypass flow rate and operating cycle for your application.