Electrophoretic Deposition

Company Name: ISUZU Motors Co. Ltd

Location: Samutprakarn, Thailand

Eclipse Product Installed: AutoMag Skid AM12S1-8

Industry: Automotive

Process Type: Electrophoretic deposition

Our Client

Isuzu Motors Co., (Thailand) Ltd specialize in the manufacture of commercial vehicles and pickup trucks. Founded in 1966, the company is based in Samutprakarn, Thailand, with the frame production section of the process taking place at the Phrapradaeng Plant. The electrophoretic deposition process is key in the manufacture of pick-up truck frame production. The process consists of several dip tanks, starting at the pre-treatment tank and ending with the electrophoretic deposition tank. The fabricated pickup truck frames from the fabrication line are then sent to an area to be thoroughly cleaned and receive a final coating using the electrophoretic deposition process.

The Challenge

The first two dip tanks that the pick-up truck frames are introduced to are pre-treatment tanks, each with a volume of 66 cu.m and both positioned on the ground. They are filled with de-greasing liquid, which is a water-like strong alkali solution with a pH of approximately 9. Both tanks are fitted with a barrier filter and a centrifuge filter to remove contamination that has been washed off the pick-up truck frames.

However, the barrier filters and centrifuge filters were ineffective, and very quickly became overwhelmed by the build-up of contamination, causing them to clog up and block. Consequently, the filters could not satisfactorily remove the fine steel contamination from the pre-treatment liquid, resulting in the particles being carried over into the electrophoretic deposition tank. As a result, the pre-treatment tanks had to be emptied and cleaned on a regular basis, causing machine down-time and delays to the production process.

The Solution

Eclipse Magnetics provided ISUZU Motors Co. Ltd with an AutoMag Skid AM12S1-8, including a pump, sump tank, and secondary return pump. This self-contained magnetic filtration and fluid recovery system is fully automated and maximises collection capacity to produce a rapid return on investment. The automatic nature of the AutoMag skid ensures that there is no production down-time, ensuring a very efficient production process.

In addition, a single FiltraMag 2.5 was installed before the centrifugal filter to ensure that almost 100% of the contamination is removed. The FiltraMag is inspected and cleaned as required; a simple process which takes only a few minutes. It can also be removed and cleaned while the machine is in operation, therefore eliminating downtime.

Currently, one 5 gallon pale of steel contaminant is being removed from the AutoMag Skid AM12S1-8 approximately every 3 weeks. Although steel contamination is present in the pre-treatment tank, the overall quality is much improved; so much so that steel contamination is no longer found in the electrophoretic deposition tank. The level of contamination concentration has significantly improved since the installation of the AutoMag and FiltraMag. Cost savings have been made with regard to extending fluid life, reduction in production down-time, filter costs, and extending the life of machinery.

Find out more about Magnetic Filtration or contact us for more details.