The Client:
Automotive Manufacturing Facility
The Problem:
The client was having difficulties with the collection of sludge from the paint booths. Sludge was settling in the bottom of the booth, requiring shut down of production and frequent cleaning by an independent cleaning company.
Inspection of the paint booth determined the water treatment program was effectively detacking the paint and the biocide program was controlling bacteria with no smells noted. Although the cleaning company was doing a proper and thorough job of cleaning the top of the booth, distribution of the sludge in the drained pit clearly suggested water flows were not sufficient to get the paint solids to collection. Where there is heavy sludge, it dropped to the bottom of the booth and when cleaned during shut down, simply dropped out of the booth to in front of the Palin.
The Solution:
It was determined the best solution was to keep the water and chemistry pumps in operation for 30 – 60 minutes after painting was completed and to run the water and chemistry pumps during cleaning. A weekend trial of the procedure resulted in 3000 – 4000 additional pounds of sludge collected – properly moving sludge from the paint booth to the Palin and to the collection hoppers.
The Results:
Implementing the recommended engineering solutions resulted in long term results of reducing the cleaning procedure, as it was no longer required on a weekly basis, eliminating shut down of the paint booths and operations for cleaning, increased sludge collection on a consistent basis, and a reduction in shut down costs to the client. Overall, the process improved facility operations, reduced cleaning costs and resulted in significant cost savings to the client.
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