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Filter cuts costly spindle failures

A Fluid Conditioning Systems product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 20, 2004

Magnom distributor Fluid Technology Analysis was recently approached by GKN to help reduce spindle failures in high frequency grinding machines.

Magnom distributor, Fluid Technology Analysis (FTA), was recently approached by GKN (the blue chip axle manufacturer) in the UK to help reduce spindle failures in high frequency grinding machines.

FTA realised quickly that the bearings in the system were failing through overheating: clearly the cooling system was not working.

In fact the cooling jackets around the spindles were blocking due to contaminant (predominantly rust from the steel parts of the system).

As and when these jackets were blocking they needed to be soaked in chemicals for 3 to 4 days.

In the worst cases the jackets themselves had to be scrapped and replaced at GBP 700 each.

Clearly the failed bearing also needed to be replaced.

In the best case the repair per failure was therefore GBP 1000 and in the worst case it was GBP 1700.

Amazingly when the FTA team was called in the failure rate was two per month.

FTA specified Magnom 5in HT on the cooling water loops on all of the high frequency spindles to overcome this problem (64 machines).

Initially a single grinding machine was used to trial the technology - and amazingly the Magnom was full of contaminant within 3 hours.

The Magnom was cleaned by the engineers and reinstalled, and with time the Magnom's cleaning intervals extended dramatically.

FTA analysed this debris and found that it was predominantly rust particles, ranging in size from less than a micron up to 0.9mm.

Since FTA has installed Magnom 5in HT units on all machines on site and GKN has not experienced a single failure.

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