Turnkey package removes oil mist issues

Due to continued growth at Formaplex, the investment of new CNC machinery also meant increased usage of coolant. In order to meet demanding production deadlines, the company was running all its 18 CNC machines continuously. The oil mist within the facility had therefore increased leaving traces of residue on the overhead gantry cranes, resulting in maintenance procedures being put in to place. 

Ben Yule, Formaplex Operations Manager, commented, "The further investment in two more CNC milling machines meant oil mist was starting to cause concerns, especially on our high feed roughing applications. We needed to find an effective solution to solve the problem.” 

Recognising the need to support the company’s investment in its ‘state of the art’ facility and in order to improve the environment for employees, Formaplex sought the assistance of Filtermist to provide efficient oil mist extraction in the workplace. Filtermist southern area sales manager, Matthew Pearson, visited the facility and undertook a full onsite assessment of the oil mist extraction required and specified the best solution. 

As a result of the inspection, it was agreed that Filtermist’s FX range of centrifugal oil mist collectors would provide the most efficient extraction across the variety of machining centres in Formaplex’s facility. A total of 14 oil mist extraction systems were purchased, and the units were installed by Filtermist’s experienced installation team over five days. The engineers used different mounting options, including extendable floor stands and wall brackets, depending on what was best suited to the location, application and size of machine.  

After the installation, Formaplex noticed a significant improvement in air quality, reporting that there was no longer a haze across the roof of the facility, or traces of residue in the air or on the equipment. Ben Yule, commented: "The introduction of the Filtermist units has successfully dealt with the issues we were facing, helping to create a clean and safe working environment for our employees as well as keeping our facility operational around the clock.”

Due to the continuous running of the machining centres, a comprehensive service plan was also put in place to ensure that the air quality and efficiency of the oil mist collectors was maintained. Matthew Pearson, commented: "Filtermist’s service plan provides a cost effective and simple solution to ensuring extraction in the workplace remains efficient. It also demonstrates our commitment to providing the customer with unrivalled after sales support.”