Midwest Manufacturing News • August 2015 • Water Recycler For Metal Finishing In Water-Restricted Areas

“Metal finishers in California now face a 25% water usage reduction law, and other parts of the country facing severe drought conditions could be next,” said a Birch wood Technologies spokesperson. “That makes our Near- Zero Water Recycler for the TRU TEMP black oxide process suitable for metal finishers. The Near-Zero Water Recycler reuses the rinse water in the TRU TEMP process line, reducing water consumption by 99%. For black oxide users who face severe water shortages, metal finishers can continue critical metal finishing operations while observing tight water usage guidelines.

“Like California, water restrictions are now under serious consideration for much of the Western and Southern United States due to severe drought. Governor Jerry Brown has stated that California will invest in new water conserving technologies. With the Near-Zero Water Recycler, coupled with the TRU TEMP black oxide process, the water-saving technology is available now. Conscientious manufacturers are already using this proven process technology. It can make the difference between successful in-house blackening or no blackening at all.”

A normal 100-gallon TRU TEMP black oxide process line utilizes three flowing rinse tanks, each utilizing about two gallons of water per minute when flowed to the drain. When operated for one shift per day for a month, the total water consumption is about 63,000 gallons, which all go to the city sewer as non-hazardous discharge. “Though most users find that the cost of water/sewer is normally low, a flowing rinse system may not be a viable option in water-restricted areas like California or other drought stricken areas,” said the spokesperson.

The Near-Zero Water Recycler allows the user to recycle and reuse the rinse water in the process tanks for about a month. Then the-Near-Zero filter media is changed, and all three rinse tanks are purged and refilled with fresh water. “A 100-gallon size tank line would require about 600 gallons of water each time the system is purged—a 99% reduction in water usage,” said the spokesperson.

The-Near-Zero-Water Recycler is designed specifically for TRU TEMP process lines up to 200 gallons in tank size. “It is completely pre-engineered for fast set-up,” said the spokesperson. “The system can be integrated in to most TRU TEMP tank lines in less than a day.

“The TRU TEMP in-house process produces Mil Spec/RoHS compliant black oxide finishes with a 30-minute process time. The TRU TEMP bath operates at 200 °F and forms a non-dimensional high-quality black magnetite finish on all types of cast iron or carbon steel tooling and machine components. Because the process uses a short cycle time, it streamlines part movement, provides better control of finished part inventory and enhances ISO accountability, giving the user a same-day turnaround capability to satisfy key customers.”