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BARGAIN HUNTING IN A DOWN ECONOMY |
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Few people realized back in the summer of 2008 just how damaged the economy was. This is true not just in America but virtually around the world as companies struggle with problems and issues that seemed to be vague historical references from nearly 100 years ago. While most companies in the carbide cutting field have been challenged with drops in sales of 1/3 or more, others, particularly in the medical field, have continued to be busy and have taken steps to expand. Other companies, in an effort to be more competitive, have looked at their processes and have made adjustments to replace older equipment or possible tweak their methods to produce a higher quality product quicker. The bottom line is, possibly there is business out there, but what defines a wise investment?
In the filtration field, most discussions revolve around three types of filter options: centrifuge, cartridge and edge filtration. All have their place in the market, but performance and value should always be considered. Price alone is not the only factor.
Hoffmann Filter has offered centrifuge systems for many years. In fact, centrifuge systems were used by most manufactures until the late 1990’s. Centrifuge systems seem to work better with water rather than oil and have a much easier time filtering larger, heavier particles rather than the smaller, lighter particles associated with carbide. Centrifuge systems normally filter to 10 to 25 microns and the design can pose issues associated with heating up the oil and increasing the noise level in the factory. Due to the high micron level of the centrifuge, they are often times used in conjunction with a filter cartridge to improve the filter level. This option requires frequent maintenance and machine downtime.
Ebbco offers a multi cartridge system than provides “down to one micron” filtration. Unless a cartridge is designed to filter to One Micron continuously, down to One Micron usually means that when the filter is new, it may filter at 5 to 10 microns and eventually will achieve a lower micron level when the filter has captured a sufficient amount of debris. In addition, having several cartridges rather than just one increases the time between filter cartridge changes but still requires downtime to change the cartridges. Once removed, the cartridge must be disassembled to remove the carbide. There are some companies that the cartridges can be sent to where they will perform this task, but there is a cost, thus the maximum value of the carbide is not realized.
Transor Filter introduced edge filtration to the grinding marketplace in 1999 and quickly became the preferred choice. Filtering to One Micron, Transor’s elements are cleaned automatically every 8 hours requiring no machine downtime or operator involvement. Due to this design, many leading manufacturers have not had to replace elements even after 50,000+ hours of operation. As the Transor uses no foreign filter media, when the carbide is removed from the elements during an automated cleaning process, the value of the reclaimed carbide is at its highest level. Many companies that have not reclaimed their carbide in the past have realized a quick payoff on their investment just through the reclaimed carbide alone. In addition, as a chiller is offered as standard equipment on the filter, temperatures can be held to +_0.2 degrees C. The chiller provides thermal stability and reduces the affect of heat on the oil resulting in cases where the oil continues to be in use even after 8 years.
When comparing the above options there certainly is a difference in performance, but also a difference in price. Price, however, is only a part of the equation - value is truly the most important part. As most filtration systems are still in use for better than 10 years after the purchase, it is important to look at performance, service/support and life expectancy along with price before an investment is made.
As with most products nowadays, the knowledgeable consumer can obtain a long term solution and can negotiate a rather attractive price. |
Until next month,
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