Aircraft Tooling Company Extends Life of Cutting Fluid, Prevents Downtime, and Saves Over $45k By Installing Custom Oil Filtration System

The customer is a prominent machine tool manufacturer located in Millersburg, Pennsylvania. The company specializes in producing high-quality cutting tools for metal removal applications in the aircraft manufacturing industry, where precision and quality standards are non-negotiable.

The Challenge: Particulate Contamination in Centralized Coolant System 

They operate a 1,400-gallon centralized cutting fluid reservoir that distributes coolant to multiple machining stations throughout their facility via a manifold system. Over time, the continuous machining operations led to severe contamination issues. Grinding stone, pumice, and metal shavings accumulated in the fluid, causing problems with the quality of tool production. Initial ISO numbers: 24/22/15  

The contamination threatened both product quality and operational costs, as the company faced the prospect of frequent coolant replacement and potential quality control issues on critical aerospace components. 

The Solution: 30 GPM 3-Stage Bag Filter System for Coolant Recirculation 

OFS implemented a custom filtration solution designed specifically for the facility's centralized coolant system: 

Equipment Deployed: 

• 30 GPM Bag Filter Housing with 50-micron filter bags 

• Permanent mounting system installed directly over the reservoir 

• Hard-plumbed integration into the existing system 

  
  

Implementation Support: 

• On-site technical assistance during installation 

• Complete reservoir cleanout to remove accumulated contamination 

• System optimization for continuous recirculation 

  
  

The bag filtration system allowed continuous recirculation of cutting fluid, progressively reducing particulate count while machining operations continued. 

Results: Extended Coolant Life and Improved Manufacturing Quality 

The filtration solution delivered measurable improvements to their operations: 

Restored Fluid Quality: The cutting fluid was considerably cleaner after filtration, meeting the quality standards required for precision aircraft tool manufacturing. Filtering the oil took it from ISO 24/22/15 to ISO 17/15/10 in just a few days. 

Cost of replacing fluid (1400-gallons @ $40.00 per gallon):  $56,000.00 

Cost of purchasing 30 GPM 3-Stage Bag Filter System:       $  9,125.00 

                                                          Cost savings (Year 1):  $46,875.00 

Industrial Filtration Solutions for Metalworking Fluid Management 

By providing a properly sized bag filtration system with expert installation support, OFS helped the manufacturer transform their coolant management from a recurring problem into a sustainable operation. The permanent filtration infrastructure now protects both product quality and operational costs, demonstrating how industrial filtration technology can deliver long-term value for precision manufacturing facilities. Contact OFS today to discuss custom filtration solutions for your metalworking fluid management needs.