Five Star Fab & Fixture, Salem, VA
Treatment System: Hy-Pack Filter Press with Programmable Logic Controller from Beckart Environmental, Inc.
Description: Five Star Fab & Fixture is an example of a company that is successfully blending environmental consciousness with fiscal soundness with the recent decision to go 100 percent closed loop for its process water needs. The company, founded in 1986 by Roger Lilly and headquartered in Salem, VA - with stone fabrication in nearby Fishersville - has been steadily moving towards wet fabrication as its business has grown. Upcoming investments in a CNC machine and backsplash polisher will make wise water management even more crucial in its operation.
Earlier in 2010, Five Star selected Beckart Environmental, Inc., of Kenosha, WI, to install a water recycling system to meet both present and future needs. Stone division manager Joe Vetrano explained that the critical factors affecting their decision were Beckart’s ability to deliver a turnkey system (including all the filtering equipment, dump cart and expandability options to anticipate future plant and process changes) to provide strong customer support, and to offer an automation package that essentially runs the system and minimizes labor and operator time requirements.
Beckart components are featured throughout, and include a 5-cubic-foot Hy-Pack Filter Press (expandable to 15 cubic feet), as well as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) with custom software and operator interface on the outside of the electrical control panel. The PLC will step up the air supply according to the sludge pump in order to give the customer the amount of gallons per minute of clean water they want until the press fills up with sludge, rather than having to watch the water level of the tank and manually turn the air supply up periodically. The system provides 30 gpm of clean water and is expandable to 90 gpm of clean water (less than 2 micron). No discharge to the sewer and no additional city water to run the machinery are necessary.
Vetrano estimates that savings in fresh water costs alone are about $300 to $600 per month under current conditions.
www.beckart.com
S & H Granite, Wichita Falls, TX
Treatment System: Water reclamation system, Centrifugal Separation Technology and Hurricane point-of-use filtration from Ebbco Inc. of New Baltimore, MI
Description: S & H Granite of Wichita Falls, TX, chose to be as eco-friendly and as fiscally responsible as possible when constructing its new fabrication facility. The utilization of state-of-the-art fabrication equipment was incorporated with a water reclamation system and compressed-air hand tool operation.
Water usage requirements demanded a recycling system, as well as OSHA dust elimination requirements. Ebbco Inc. of New Baltimore, MI, and Granite City Tool of Waite Park, MN, had a solution.
Ebbco’s Water Reclamation System was selected as the best solution for their application, allowing S & H Granite the possibility to re-use approximately 3,500 gallons of water and to properly dispose of waste. Ebbco’s Centrifugal Separation Technology and Hurricane point-of-use filtration allow for optimal performance. A custom Centrifugal Separation System was designed to flush the trenches and the collection pit, removing debris and eliminating the need for costly sludge removal. Gray water from the separation system is delivered to all machinery. Hurricane filters are placed at the CNC router and hand polishing stations to provide “crystal clear water” at a 0.75 micron. Once used, these filters are cleaned, and the waste is properly handled and disposed of - free of dust.
Air-tool usage allows for both prolonged machine life as well as the ability to use water in all hand processes.
www.ebbcoinc.com
www.granitecitytool.com
