CASE STUDY COOLANT RECYCLING AT THE FORD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION NEW PRODUCT CENTRE Nowadays, environmental protection is of prominent importance, so a smart approach to increase efficiency, reduce costs and contamination risks are necessary requirements. Coolant recycling systems provide lots of benefits to metalworking shops: when you have a lot of machines running, coolant costs can be high. Specialised coolant recycling systems can separate residue from coolant and filter it so as to make it last significantly longer. This reduces new fluid purchase costs by up to 75%. Description of the facility The Ford Automatic Transmission New Product Centre (ATNPC) is a 460,000 sq.m facility in Livonia, Michigan and employs 880 workers. It has been operating since 1990 and manufactures, assembles, and tests prototype automatic transmissions and transmission components; it also carries out various machining operations. Coolant survey: analysis of the problem Coolants are used within machining operations to flush oil and chips away from the tooling and parts being machined. During machining, coolants become contaminated with dirt, oils and metal chips. This contamination results in the need for frequent coolant changes in the machining operation, and coolant must be disposed of through appropriate permitted waste treatment facilities. Description of the improvement The ATNPC now uses a portable coolant reconditioning unit on six machines. These machines have an aggregate coolant capacity of 7,000 L: a hose draws the coolant out of the equipment and into the reconditioning unit. A reusable screen filter removes debris and then dissolved ozone kills bacteria. The coolant is returned to the machining operation after final filtration: so far, the company has saved 3,500L per year of coolant. Moreover, environmentally speaking, this recycling process reduces the use of toxic chemicals and the generation of toxic manufacturing by-products. 7. Match the words to their definition. Coolant Debris Filtration Machining Recycling Residue 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ☐ A fluid used to cool a system or to transfer heat from one part of it to another. ☐ Broken or torn pieces of something larger. ☐ The act of passing a liquid through a piece of equipment to remove solid pieces or other substances. ☐ The activity of cutting or shaping metal on a machine. ☐ The action or process of converting waste into material. ☐ Something that remains after a part is taken or after the completion of a process. a. b. c. d. e. f. 8. Go online and find out why metalworking coolants can represent an environmental threat if they are not recycled correctly. Write the result of your research in about 100 words.