Beginning with the PermaClean coolant tank accessory that eliminates sludge, Jorgensen Conveyor and Filtration Solutions President Karl Kleppek highlighted key developments to the company's full automated filtration system on display at the Jorgensen booth during IMTS 2024.

"The goal of our system is to make sure that the spindle on the machine tool is always running — the spindle is the money maker," Kleppek said, explaining that the focus of the display is on 100% automation and eliminating the need for manual intervention by machine operators or maintenance personnel.

The system, Kleppek explained, helps ensure that shops can significantly reduce the time and expense associated with having their machine operators or maintenance personnel clean out sludge. The PermaClean coolant tank accessory seamlessly integrates into Jorgensen's multi-step filtration system, he added, noting that coolant tanks equipped with PermaClean are said to be nearly maintenance free.

A typical PermaClean system includes an EcoFilter conveyor and additional fine filtra tion options. Jorgensen's EcoFilter 80, which was included in the IMTS display, is a self-cleaning conveyor that enables filtration of fine chips down to 80 μm nominal, and is said to be the first economical non-drum style conveyor capable of filtering chips smaller than 100 μm, according to the company.

EcoFilter conveyors use a two-stage chip removal and filtration process that carries out large chips on a hinged steel belt. Fine chips flow with used coolant between the belt runs to a flowthrough EcoFilter cell where they are separated from coolant. After primary filtration through the EcoFilter conveyor, eductor nozzles keep coolant in motion, suspending chip particulates and preventing them from settling. Coolant is then pumped through a secondary filtration such as cyclonic, bag filters or gravity media.

The IMTS display was equipped with a hydrocyclone filter, which is an environmentally conscious option with no disposable filter media. Contaminated coolant enters the cyclonic filter at a high velocity that increases as it swirls downward inside the conical separating chamber. Centrifugal force throws solid contaminants against the walls of the chamber and forces it to the bottom. The solids are then discharged through a nozzle at the bottom of the cyclone filter.

The coolant, meanwhile, is redirected to an ultra-clean tank for reuse in the machine tool. PermaClean combined with cyclonic filtration has no consumables in the system, resulting in an environmentally friendly, nearly maintenance- free solution, Kleppek observed.

The filtration system displayed at IMTS also was equipped with a Will-Fill accessory that offers trouble-free care and monitoring of metalworking emulsion. The system combines automatic measuring, filling and conditioning and can alert operators via a Wi-Fi connection when attention is required. This wireless system ensures an ideal coolant solution is maintained without manual intervention.

Kleppek's tour of the IMTS display concluded with Jorgensen's chip processing technology, a briquetter that uses hydraulic pressure to condense metal chips while pushing out residual cutting fluid.

View the video for a highlight reel of the entire filtration system on display at IMTS.