Steel chip briquetting, logistics optimization, cost increase

The efficiency of industrial enterprises involved in the processing of steels, including stainless steels, depends not only on the use of high-performance machining centers. Proper handling of the steel chips generated in the plant also has great potential. This potential can be successfully realized through the introduction of high-quality briquetting systems manufactured by RUF Maschinenbau (Zaisertshofen, Germany) with various sizes and capacities.

Modern hydraulic presses RUF for briquetting chips from different grades of steel operate with a specific pressure of up to 5,000 kg/cm 2 and a capacity of 30 to 3,000 kg/h. Thanks to briquetting, the volume of chips is significantly reduced. The compact shape of the chips - briquettes - makes it possible to obtain a higher income during the sale and greatly simplifies the processing processes. The cost of moving a forklift within the enterprise, as well as transportation outside the enterprise, is reduced, which leads to significant cost savings.

In addition, the risk of contamination of the soil with cutting fluids (coolants) is eliminated. At the same time, it is very important that the coolant contained in the chips is squeezed out to the minimum values ​​during briquetting and, after appropriate filtration, can be re-involved in the production process. Thus, steel processing companies have an additional opportunity to reduce production costs.

The fact that more than 5,000 RUF briquetting systems operate in different countries of the world proves the feasibility of their use in practice.

For example, the company Lauble GmbH (Dunningen, Germany) processes chips of stainless and hardened steels on a press model RUF 15/4000/70. By using this machine, a company specializing in precision turning of complex parts has freed up production space and reduced the coolant content in chips from 10-15 percent to 3 percent. The oil pressed and collected during the briquetting process, after filtration and centrifugation, is returned to the processing centers.

Another example: EZ Zerspanung GmbH (Kahlbach, Germany) recovers most of the cooling oil contained in stainless steel chips in the RUF 4/3700/60x40 chip briquetting process. It was by extracting the oil from the chips that the manufacturing company's briquetting press paid for itself in less than three years. Another additional advantage is that the volume of chips, depending on the material and type of chips, is reduced in proportions from 1:4 to 1:10, significantly reducing transport costs.

At the enterprises of the parts manufacturer - Grieshaber GmbH & Co. KG (Schiltach, Germany) in a 3-shift continuous work process, chips of various stainless steel alloys are formed, which are collected separately - according to steel grades - directly at the machining centers, crushed and briquetted on RUF presses. The coolant extracted from the chips is returned to production, and briquettes pressed from chips of certain grades of steel can bring maximum profit when sold. The fact that the company operates 18 RUF presses speaks for itself in terms of customer satisfaction.