The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the cleaning and compacting of metal and/or ceramic material, such as lathe cuttings and/or grinding grits.
In the machining or grinding of workpieces large amounts of cuttings or grits are produced which are wet with emulsions or with oils from the machining process. The oil or the emulsion is necessary to the working process. These liquids serve to cool the workpiece and to carry away the cuttings. The cuttings are separated from the liquids in the filters of the machines in question. The liquid itself remains in the machines, while the grits and/or cuttings have to be removed from the filters.
Due to the great surface area of the cuttings, large amounts of lubricant and coolant come out with them. To reduce this loss of liquid the cuttings are centrifuged or pressed. The liquid is returned into the circuit, while the remaining residue must be disposed of. Disposing of these cuttings and/or grits presents considerable difficulty for environmental reasons.
Since the cuttings and/or grits are contaminated with mineral oils, esters, glycerol, emulsifiers, additives containing phosphorus or heavy metals etc., these useful substances should not be recycled directly into the melting process. Another problem is the low bulk density of the cuttings. For proper disposal the cuttings and/or grits would have to be decontaminated and thoroughly compacted.
In the known cleaning processes the degreasing is performed by washing, pressing or centrifugation. In thermal processes the heat is applied by indirect inductance, resistance heating or even flame heat sources.