Filtration system offers a racing edge

A Filtermist International product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 12, 2005

A new fine-swarf filtration system has helped Swindon Racing Engines maintain extremely high standards of surface finish on high performance cylinder heads.

Filtermist has introduced a fine-swarf filtration system that has helped Swindon Racing Engines (SRE) to maintain extremely high standards of surface finish on high performance cylinder heads - while minimising the need for expensive and time consuming coolant and filter changes.

SRE, the specialist engine development manufacturer, has stayed at the forefront of modern motor sport for over 30 years and has developed engines for an impressive collection of world famous automotive manufacturers for both sport and road vehicles.

Founder John Dunn started the business to service, and subsequently develop, the Ford DFV Formula 1 engine.

The company has diversified over the years and become extremely successful in many different motor sport disciplines, including: Formula 1, Formula 3000, Formula 3, World Sportscars, World and British rally, International and British touring and hill climbing.

The company employs a team of 25 people and boasts in-house CNC machine capability, assembly and specialist test equipment areas.

They can develop standard engines and produce replacement parts.

Typical processes include: replacing drop-forged crankshafts with stronger "billet" crankshafts (turned from a single piece of steel); manufacture of high-lift camshafts, fuel rails, high performance gas-flowed cylinder heads with polished and widened inlet and exhaust ports; and various other parts.

It was while producing high performance cylinder heads for BMW's new Mini Cooper, that SRE encountered a coolant contamination problem with one of its five-axis machine centres.

The swarf was extremely fine and would manage to get through the normal filtering process and ultimately be recycled back to the machining point.

To avoid any risk of impaired finish it was necessary to continually change the coolant and filters.

Filtermist offered a solution in the form of a Hayward Bag Filter Vessel, which is a special inline coolant filtering system, designed to catch metal particles as fine as 25um or lower, dependant on the application.

SRE was concerned that the filter would affect the flow-rate as it only had 1bar of pumping pressure available; however the Hayward Bag system is designed to operate at very low, clean differential pressures.

Sean O'Rafferty, Production Engineer, comments: "We can't believe how good the Hayward Filter is and how easy it was to install; Filtermist have a reputation for high-quality products and good service, so we were happy to go with their recommendations, and are delighted with the results".

"Our objectives were to reduce labour involvement and get a filter that eradicated any potential finishing problems".

"The Hayward Filter is superb, and has paid for itself within 3 months; and changing the bag could not be any easier to perform".

Filtermist provides a world-leading range of filters and coolant control products together with the most advanced and effective solutions available for removal of oil mist and other airborne contaminants.