Product category:
Bearings, lubrication, oil and filters
News Release from: Castrol UK | Subject: Prematec fluid management
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 04 December 2003
Castrol training helps Prematec fluid
management
We wanted a professionally managed coolant system in the factory so that we could forget about it, said Prematec, a manufacturer of large airframe components in Mid Glamorgan: but they saved money too
Prematec Corporation is a manufacturer of large airframe components for the world's commercial and military aircraft - including the Airbus A320, A330, and A340 and the Boeing 777 and C17 The main aerospace components produced at the company plant at Llantrisant in Mid Glamorgan are wing spars and wing ribs
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 8 Apr 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
High performance zinc-free hydraulic oils
The high performance, environmentally friendly option: Steve Travell, of Castrol Industrial, examines the compelling reasons why hydraulic engineers should specify zinc-free hydraulic oils
Castrol offers audit for oil storage compliance
Castrol Specialised Industrial is offering an Oil Storage Audit for companies concerned by the implications of the new UK Oil Storage Regulations introduced on 1st March this year
Larger parts are manufactured from aluminium and some smaller parts from titanium.
The machine shop employs fifty staff and is equipped with ten high-speed, 5-axis CNC machines, the largest with a sump capacity of 36,000 litres.
Prematec manages its own coolant, and whilst the company had no machining problems, operators were experiencing "misting" with the fluid being used, which affected the atmosphere in the workshop.
Further reading
No more barrels of oil at Ford Dagenham
After Castrol was awarded the sole supply contract for lubricants at Ford Dagenham three years ago, they surveyed the demand, designed a tank farm and oil use strategy to rationalise usage
Cold rolling specialist saves UK PDS 30k pa
By changing to Castrol, cold rolling specialist JB and S Lees is saving UK PDS 30,000 a year, and improving the working environment for its mill operators
Castrol Total Fluid Management works at Land Rover
Six years ago, following many years as one of a number of suppliers to the Land Rover Solihull plant, Castrol was awarded the Total Fluid Management (TFM) contract for their Powertrain operation
They were also experiencing bacterial problems and, although a lot of biocide was being added to the fluid, it was still creating bad odours.
Neither problem was very pleasant for the operators.
It was at this point that Prematec decided to review the coolant management function.
As Director of Engineering Gerry Broadbear explains: "We wanted a professionally managed coolant system in the factory so that we could forget about it".
The relationship with Castrol began early in 2003 when Gerry Broadbear looked at four companies, which were evaluated on their product, price and professionalism: "Castrol stood out because they were very proactive and suggested things we could do to improve our manufacturing performance" he says.
Following the award of the contract, a team from Castrol began a series of training courses for Prematec operators, in order to explain the important contribution that coolants make in areas such as component quality, machine productivity and health and safety.
The team also assisted with the cleaning and coolant change for the three largest machines and recommended a number of procedures for monitoring and handling coolants.
Prematec now carries out weekly fluid checks, taking samples from the three key machines and sending them to Castrol for analysis.
Castrol responds with reports on the condition of the coolants and recommendations to keep it in optimum condition.
Castrol recommended Hysol Excel cutting fluid for machining both aluminium and titanium and it is now used throughout the factory.
The switch to Hysol Excel also cleared up the health and safety issues that Prematec had with its previous fluid.
Says Gerry Broadbear: "Both problems have disappeared since we started using Hysol Excel and we have not needed to add biocide since we changed coolants eight months ago".
He adds that Prematec is very pleased with the professional service provided by Castrol and that the relationship has developed well.
Prematec operators still manage the coolant themselves - monitoring, topping up levels and adjusting concentrations - and a Castrol engineer visits every month to run coolant checks and ensure that the schedules are being properly maintained.
Commenting for Castrol, Midlands area sales manager Carl Sault says: "Prematec generates huge amounts of swarf, so we also installed equipment to filter reclaimed coolant from their own swarf compactor.
The coolant is now fed back into the sumps and we estimate that recycling has reduced consumption by 60 percent.
This, together with the saving on biocides, has cut Prematec annual costs by half, from GBP 72,000 to GBP 36,000".
Summing up the benefits for Prematec, Gerry Broadbear concludes: "Castrol services and training have allowed us to operate a Total Fluid Management programme without outsourcing.".
• Castrol UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Processingtalk email newsletter
• Processingtalk Home Page
