MODULAR FILTER ASSEMBLY
A filtration assembly for removing machined contamination from fluid flowing through machine circulation system is disclosed. The chamber receives fluid contaminated with machine contamination from the machine circulation system having. The chamber includes a continuous track disposed adjacent a bottom surface of the chamber for dragging the machined contamination from the tank and depositing the machined contamination into a primary collector. A modular fluid filter is interchangeably disposed inside the tank and includes filtration media for filtering machined contamination suspended in the fluid flowing through the machine circulation system. The chamber includes interchangeable components used in cooperation with the modular fluid filter for treating fluid flowing through the machine circulation system.
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The present invention is directed toward a filtration assembly used for removing machine contamination from fluid flowing through a machine circulation system. More specifically, the present invention is directed toward a modular filtration assembly system that is configured for interchanging various filtration components.
Due to the increasing competition in manufacturing, it has become necessary to modify manufacturing assemblies to produce different components on an ever-increasing frequency. Therefore, old style manufacturing facilities that are engineered to produce high volumes of a single product are no longer economically practical. A drive has ensued to engineer facilities capable of manufacturing multiple variations of different components without having to close a manufacturing facility for an extended period of time to modify the facility to produce a different product. While advancements have been made to achieve rapid tooling changes for producing different products, underlying technology necessary for that production has not been previously adapted for rapid transformation.
For example, machining operations used to machine cast or other formed metal parts are typically adapted to machine different metallic substrates, such as, for example aluminum or steel. Coolant and lubrication fluids are introduced to a machining operation to clean the drills and cores used to machine various substrates, remove the resultant machine contamination and cool the machinery, which is known to generate significant amounts of heat. It is necessary to remove the machine contamination from the circulating fluid and, therefore, a filtration assembly is introduced into a machine fluid circulation system that continuously pumps the fluid over the machine equipment. A typical machine circulation system includes filtration and cleaning apparatus used to remove the machine contamination from the machine circulation system. These assemblies typically include a chamber continuously filled with circulating fluid that includes a continuous track and filter used to drag contamination from the circulation system and a filter to filter smaller metallic shavings and dust prior to returning the fluid to the machine operation. Known filtration assemblies have not been designed to facilitate different future machine operations, such as, for example a filter initially designed and supplied for an Aluminum machining operation being re-used for a Cast Iron grinding operation. Typically this example would result in the customer requiring a complete new filter system designed for the Cast Iron grinding application. Furthermore, increasing a volumetric flow when additional machine operations are adapted to the machine circulation system, either a redundant or a larger capacity filtration assembly has been required. This has required scrapping existing filtration assemblies and replacing the existing filtration assembly with a new filtration assembly designed to meet the new filtration requirements.
The filtration assemblies of the prior art has made it difficult to rapidly modify manufacturing of processes using machine operations because the prior art filtration assembly cannot be modified for flexible machine operations.
Therefore, there is a need for a new filtration assembly that is easily adapted for flexible machine operations to prevent the necessity of replacing existing filtration assemblies in their entirety to service flexible machine operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA filtration assembly for moving machine contamination from fluid flowing through a machine circulation system is disclosed. The filtration assembly includes a chamber that receives fluid from a machine circulation system used to remove machine contamination from a machine operation. The chamber includes a continuous track disposed adjacent to a floor of the chamber for dragging the machine contamination from the tank and depositing the machine contamination into a collector. A modular fluid filter is interchangeably disposed inside the tank having a filtration media used for filtering the machine contamination that is suspended in the fluid flowing through the machine circulation system. The chamber is adapted for interchanging components used to treat the fluid flowing through the machine circulation system.
The present inventive filtration assembly overcomes the deficiencies of prior art filtration assemblies by being flexible and easily adapted for various machining and/or grinding or honing operations and the changing volumes of machine operations. For example, the modular fluid filter is interchangeable with either a gravity system or vacuum system for filtration of the cooling fluid flowing through the machine circulation system. Prior art filtration assemblies made use of fluid filters that are sealed to either the walls or the base of the chamber that receives the fluid and are not removable from the chamber without significant mechanical revisions being made to the chamber which are known to result in destruction of the chamber. Due to the modular nature of the present fluid filter, the assembly is easily interchanged between a gravity filtration process and a vacuum filtration process when a machine operation is changed. Additional components that are easily interchanged with the inventive filtration assembly includes heat exchangers, drying modules, clean tanks, additional pumping capacity, oil separators, coolant make up systems, and additional filtration independent of the modular fluid filter set forth above.
The present invention will be further understood from the following description with reference to the drawings that are not intended to be limiting, but exemplary in nature:
Referring to
The chamber 16 is continuously filled with contaminated fluid 15 during production. Referring now to
A modular gravity filter 30 is disposed inside the chamber 16. The modular gravity filter 30 includes filtration media 32 that is disposed in a continuous loop and is driven by filtration motor 34 as will be explained further below. Machining dust and low mass contamination known to float in the fluid disposed inside the chamber 16 is filtered through the filtration media 32 so that clean, or substantially clean, filtered fluid only exits from the chamber 16 through a filter outlet 28 for either further processing or direct return to the machine operation. The modular design of the subject invention provides the ability for the end-user to select between the direct return of the fluid 15 to the machine operation or the further processing and filtration of the fluid 15.
A modular vacuum filter is generally shown at 52 of
As shown in
Referring again to
One method of fabricating the assembly 10 is to prepare the platform 66 and fully assemble the chamber 16 by installing the desired modular components. Once the chamber 16 and components are assembled, the chamber 16 is fixedly attached to the platform 66. For example, the pump 57 is mounted to the chamber wall 46 via a platform 66 and prior to fixedly attaching the chamber 16 to the platform 66.
A still further enhancement to the assembly 10 is represented in
The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, wherein reference numerals are merely for convenience and are not to be in any way limiting, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Claims
1. A filtration assembly for removing machined contamination from fluid flowing through machine circulation system, comprising:
- a chamber receiving fluid from the machine circulation system having machined contamination disposed therein, said chamber including a continuous track disposed adjacent a bottom surface of said chamber for dragging the machined contamination from said tank thereby depositing the machined contamination into a primary collector;
- a modular fluid filter interchangeably disposed inside said tank having a filtration media for filtering machining contamination suspended in the fluid flowing through the machine circulation system; and
- said chamber having interchangeable components used in cooperation with said modular fluid filter for treating fluid flowing through the machine circulation system.
2. The assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said modular fluid filter comprises one of a gravity filter or a vacuum filter.
3. The assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said modular fluid filter comprises a continuous filter media through which filtered fluid flows for return to the machine circulation system.
4. The assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said modular fluid filter comprises a plurality of filter units, each being interchangeable with different of said modular fluid filters.
5. The assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said modular fluid filter is sealable independently from said chamber thereby limiting fluid disposed inside said chamber to pass through a continuous filter media.
6. The assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said chamber includes chamber walls having fittings thereby adapting said chamber for connecting interchangeable components used for filtering fluid flowing through the machine circulation system.
7. The assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said components used for filtering fluid flowing through the machined circulation system includes a clean tank module, an oil separator, a fluid make up system, a control panel, a heat exchanger, secondary filters, and a gravity media filtration system.
8. The assembly set forth in claim 1, including a platform supporting said assembly and being adapted for modular installation of components used for filtering fluid flowing through the machine circulation system.
9. The assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said chamber includes a floor spaced from said platform thereby providing a receptacle between said floor and said receptacle for receiving magnets along said floor of said chamber.
10. The assembly set forth in claim 9, wherein said chamber includes an interchangeable baffle for diverting fluid having machine contamination disposed therein toward said magnets retained in said receptacle.
11. The assembly set forth in claim 1, including a secondary filter disposed outside said chamber having a secondary collector disposed adjacent said primary collector.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 8, 2011
Publication Date: Oct 11, 2012
Applicant: DURR ECOCLEAN, INC. (Bowling Green, OH)
Inventor: Dave Hanney (Waterville, OH)
Application Number: 13/083,146
International Classification: F01M 11/03 (20060101);