F.S. Repair Underscores Commitment to Quality Repair & Resale At A Good
Price With Abanaki
Distribution Leader Installs Model 8 Oil Skimmer On Coolant Tank To Ensure
Clean, Safe, and Cost-effective Operations for their Customers
 In
1987, experienced salesman Floyd Sitzmann incorporated F.S. Repair, Inc. His
goal then remains the same as the Iowa-based company's today: to provide
industrial repair and resale quickly and cost-effectively across applications
that range from complete machine shop operations to sheet metal and fabrication.
"We continually strive to be the number one customer satisfaction company out
there," Vice President and Head of Sales for F.S. Repair Jamie Sitzmann concurs.
Also now as then, delivering a quality product at a responsible and
affordable price throughout the Midwest necessarily involves efficient
operations. So in 1995 when F.S. Repair's customer began experiencing a common
challenge to the bottom-line in both cost and quality - coolant contaminated
with oil - Jamie took action.
Clean Coolant, Key to Quality
Like many machine shops, F.S. Repair's customers regularly experience tramp
oils in their coolant fluids. The company takes the responsibility of removing
it very seriously. Not only does clean coolant ensure the quality of machine
parts, but it also circumvents many health and safety-related challenges. Smoke
and a "rotten egg" odor are often consequences of letting oil remain in a tank
where anaerobic bacteria grows, breaking down coolant components, causing an
unpleasant smell, and even generating smoke when coming in contact with an
operating cutting tool.
F.S. Repair's customers had been replacing the coolant at regular intervals,
but found that practice cost-prohibitive. Jamie went to the Internet to research
effective ways to recycle coolant, maintain a high level of quality, and reduce
costs and the liability of properly disposed oil. He discovered one of the
easiest ways to accomplish all of these goals was to install an oil skimmer.
Upon further investigation, he located a leading supplier of oil skimmers,
Abanaki, and found a low maintenance, easy to use tool in their flagship product
designed specifically for machine-shop applications.
 Model
8's Machine-shop Design
"Prior to Abanaki, their customer was draining the tanks and disposing of the
coolant and oil combined. For price savings, they wanted to skim oil from the
coolant to allow the disposal to be less money," Jamie reveals.
With the help of the Abanaki technical staff that Jamie calls "second to
none," he chose the Abanaki Model 8 Oil Grabber. Its belt-driven design works on
the differences in specific gravity between oil and water. Water has a specific
gravity of one and most oils have a specific gravity of less than one. This
causes oil to float to the top of the water where it can be removed. The Model
8's belt action then breaks the surface tension of the water to attract and
collect the floating oil. The belt passes through a set of wiper blades via a
motorized head pulley where the oil is wiped off both belt sides and is allowed
to flow through into a proper disposal container. Because the Model 8's belt
materials do not attract water, very little coolant is picked up.
This type of skimmer can handle fluctuating coolant levels while maintaining
minimal operating space and maximum pick up capacity. Jamie reports that the
Abanaki unit, which has the ability to separate oil at a rate up to 40 gph, has
produced "significant" savings in both time and money.
Low Maintenance Benefits to Boot
The Model 8 also is designed for virtually maintenance-free operation.
Flanges on the tail pulley allow it to roll freely on the inside of the belt
without becoming dislodged. It requires no bearings and does not need to be
fastened to the tank. Its stainless steel belt material makes it well suited to
operating in high temperatures without added expense. If turbulent conditions
exist, an optional tether and cage assembly prevents the tail pulley from being
dislodged.
How's it working for F.S. Repair's customer? According to Jamie, the
experience has been good from start to finish: "The people at Abanaki were
extremely helpful in advising the right solution at the right price. Since the
Model 8 was put into service in 1995, their customer only had to replace the
belts. It's proven to be a very reliable machine with good benefits," he says.
Learn more about Abanaki Model 8 Oil
Grabber. See
other case studies.
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