Water Blast Filtration Systems for Aftercast Shell Removal

摘要

In 2008 A W Bell Machinery developed a semi automatedwater blast unit for use in A W Bell Pty Ltd Investmentcasting foundry for the removal of ceramic shell fromboth ferrous and non ferrous castings. The primaryobjective was to achieve one process for all parts,improving efficiency and reducing secondary processrequirements.A W Bell is located in a region that at the time was in asevere 10-year drought, with the cost of water and sewagedisposal rising significantly. From day one, the decisionwas made to recycle the blast medium to reduce waterconsumption and waste effluent entering the drains.Elimination of previous cleaning methods had theadditional benefits of reduced airborne dust emissionsreduced chemical storage and disposal and a saferworking environment for operators.A W Bell Machinery, together with A W Bell Foundry,have since developed this system, now operating a closedloop filtration system that recycles 90% of process waterwhile maintaining longevity of high pressure pumpcomponents.This paper will present the common issues associatedwith filtration systems and how these were overcomethrough effective management of the operatingparameters, and to demonstrate that filtration systems canbe successfully implemented for shell removal water blastsystems.