Machine tool with recirculating coolant filtration system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12179299-B2
Application number	US-201916502199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2019
Priority date	Aug 7, 2018
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and/or methods for filtering, recapture, and/or recirculation of coolant are disclosed. In some examples, coolant (e.g., coolant fluid) is used to cool and/or clean a machine, such as a material removal machine, for example. In some examples, a recirculation tank may be in fluid communication with an inlet and/or outlet of a cabinet (and/or housing) of the machine. The recirculation tank may include a recapture reservoir having a filtering surface configured to prevent particulates, debris, and/or swarf from being recirculated with the coolant. A vibration device (e.g., a vibration motor and/or vibrating actuator), may be in contact with and/or configured to vibrate (and/or shake, rattle, oscillate, etc.) the filtering surface, recapture reservoir, and/or recirculation tank so as to keep the filter free from obstruction and/or help settle and/or compact filtered particulates in a bottom of the recapture reservoir and/or recirculation tank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A material removal system, comprising:
a material removal cabinet housing a material removal machine, the material removal cabinet having a cabinet inlet and a cabinet outlet; and
a recirculation system in fluid communication with the cabinet inlet and cabinet outlet, the recirculation system, comprising:
a recirculation tank,
a recapture reservoir in fluid communication with the recirculation tank, the recapture reservoir comprising
a liquid container having a liquid impermeable bottom wall,
at least one liquid impermeable sidewall connected to the liquid impermeable bottom wall, and
a liquid permeable sidewall connected to the liquid impermeable bottom wall and the at least one liquid impermeable sidewall, and

a vibration device in contact with at least a portion of the recirculation system.

2. The material removal system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid permeable wall comprises a filtering surface having openings sized to filter fluid flowing between the recapture reservoir and the recirculation tank within the recirculation system.

3. The material removal system of claim 1 , wherein the recirculation tank is in fluid communication with the cabinet inlet, and the recapture reservoir is in fluid communication with the cabinet outlet and the recirculation tank.

4. The material removal system of claim 1 , wherein the material removal machine comprises a saw, a polisher, or a grinder.

5. The material removal system of claim 1 , wherein the recapture reservoir is positioned at least partly within the recirculation tank.

6. The material removal system of claim 1 , the recapture reservoir further including a removable cover having an opening aligned with a drain pipe connected to the cabinet outlet of the material removal cabinet.

7. The material removal system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid permeable sidewall is removably connected to the liquid impermeable bottom wall and the at least one liquid impermeable sidewall.

8. A recirculation apparatus, comprising:
a recirculation tank in fluid communication with a cabinet inlet and a cabinet outlet of a material removal cabinet that houses a material removal machine;
a recapture reservoir in fluid communication with the recirculation tank, the recapture reservoir comprising:
a liquid container having
a liquid impermeable bottom wall,
at least one liquid impermeable sidewall connected to the liquid impermeable bottom wall, and
a liquid permeable sidewall connected to the liquid impermeable bottom wall and the at least one liquid impermeable sidewall, the liquid permeable sidewall comprising a filtering surface having openings sized to filter fluid communicated between the recapture reservoir and the recirculation tank, and to prohibit passage of particulates between the recapture reservoir and the recirculation tank; and

a vibration device in contact with the recapture reservoir.

9. The recirculation apparatus of claim 8 , the recapture reservoir further including a removable cover having an opening aligned with a drain pipe connected to the cabinet outlet of the material removal cabinet.

10. The recirculation apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the recapture reservoir is positioned at least partly within the recirculation tank, and the recirculation tank has an open top such that the recapture reservoir can extend out of the recirculation tank through the open top.

11. The recirculation apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the liquid permeable sidewall is removably connected to the liquid impermeable bottom wall.

12. The recirculation apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the liquid permeable sidewall is removably connected to the at least one liquid impermeable sidewall.

13. The recirculation apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a support connecting the recapture reservoir to the recirculation tank, wherein the support separates the recapture reservoir from the recirculation tank, such that none of the liquid permeable sidewall, liquid impermeable bottom wall, or at least one liquid impermeable sidewall of the recapture reservoir contact the recirculation tank.

14. The recirculation apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a dampener positioned between the support and the recapture reservoir, the dampener being able to reduce noise created by vibrations communicated between the support and the recapture reservoir.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Strombach Tony Emil
• Schaefer Roland
• Kordus Bryan John
• Weber Timothy Patrick

Classifications

• B24B55/03

  designed as a complete equipment for feeding or clarifying coolant · CPC title

• B23Q11/1069 Primary

  Filtration systems specially adapted for cutting liquids (filtration in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00) · CPC title

• B01D35/20

  Vibrating the filters (regenerating filter material by vibrations in filters with stationary filtering elements B01D29/72; discharging the filter cake by vibrations in filters with moving filtering elements B01D33/54, B01D33/76) · CPC title

• B01D29/72

  involving vibrations · CPC title

• B01D29/03

  self-supporting · CPC title