Oil Skimmer Blog

Choosing a high-quality belt oil skimmer for removing tramp oil from machine tool coolant is challenging.

Belt oil skimmers use an endless belt of corrosion resistant steel or synthetic medium, which is lowered into the tank or vessel to be skimmed. The belt passes through resilient wiper blades where the oil is removed from both sides of the medium.

Despite many belt oil skimmers looking similar, quality and versatility can vary. This video shows what to look for. 

How Do Belt Oil Skimmers Work?

Belt oil skimmers utilize the differing specific gravities between oil and coolant/water to remove tramp oils. A motor driven belt that is typically constructed of an oleophilic, or oil attractant material, is placed into a coolant sump or reservoir. As the belt moves through the coolant, it attracts tramp oils. The oil is scraped off by a wiper and deposited into a container.

Belt oil skimmers provide a simple, dependable and cost-effective method for removing oil, grease and other hydrocarbons from water.

Mighty-Mini Belt Oil Skimmer

Belt oil skimmers can really help in extending the life of your costly coolant. Belt oil skimmers help remove oils that leak from machines or parts to keep your coolant clean. By removing the oil with coolant skimmer, you can significantly increase the life of your coolant.

The stainless-steel Mighty Mini is a compact belt oil skimmer designed for parts washers and machine tool coolant sumps. With its large discharge trough and small operating space, the Mighty Mini fits almost anywhere.

The stainless-steel construction resists rust and corrosion in harsh environments. It is lightweight and requires minimal assembly. With its durable stainless-steel construction, it is built to give long lasting performance. The removable trough makes cleanup fast and easy.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

You are just one step away from downloading Abanaki's most detailed resource on our oil skimming equipment. Simply click at the button to get your ultimate guide now.

Tube oil skimmers offer an inexpensive, efficient solution for removing tramp oil from coolant especially if limited overhead space is an issue. Tube oil skimmers can be used on machining centers with little or no access to the coolant sump from above. Plus, tube oil skimmers can remove oil from chip conveyors or enclosed machining centers.

However, finding the best tube oil skimmer for an application can be difficult. This video shows how to use this type-skimmer correctly along with seven features of a high-quality tube skimmer for coolant maintenance.

Why Tube Oil Skimmer?

Tube oil skimmers are great for some specific applications where oil needs to be removed from water or coolant. The basic principle is that the tube will reach into the water and break the oil’s surface tension. This is the same way that the belt skimmers work.

The tube oil skimmer can be easily mounted on the side of virtually any machining center coolant sump. By use of an existing opening or by making a small access cutout, the collector tube runs through the surface of the coolant and collects the unwanted oils. The oil then flows out the discharge tube into any waste oil container for easy disposal.

Many people prefer the belt skimmers when there is direct access overhead, but this is often not the case. Some applications will not have vertical access to the liquid. Tube oil skimmers allow the unit to reach in a side access point and go down to the surface. The tube oil skimmer can be an easy solution to a troubling problem.

Oil Concentrator (Oil Water Separator)

Under most operating conditions, tube oil skimmer picks up oil with only small traces of water or coolant. However, as surface oil is reduced to a thin layer (1/16 inch thick or less), more water (or coolant) may be picked up along with the oil. When used in tandem with the tube oil skimmer, the oil concentrator solves this problem by providing final phase separation. The result is water (or coolant) available for recycling, and virtually water-free oil for disposal.

This oil concentrator is non-electrical and contains no moving parts — it simply receives liquid directly from the tube oil skimmer. Water discharge is through a tube that has an open end near the bottom of it, while oil flow is through a separate drain port near the top. As additional liquid enters it, water and oil are forced out through their respective disposal tubes.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

You are just one step away from downloading Abanaki's most detailed resource on our oil skimming equipment. Simply click at the button to get your ultimate guide now.

Disk oil skimmers offer an efficient option for removing tramp oil from coolant yet finding a high-quality unit offering durability can be tough. When properly selected and applied, disk oil skimmers are highly economical solutions for separating oil from water to allow its reuse or safe disposal.

How Do Disk Oil Skimmers Work?

Disk oil skimmers rotate a disk-shaped medium through the liquid. Oil is wiped off and discharged into a collection container in a manner similar to belt oil skimmers.

When specifying disk diameter, it is important to consider reach, the portion of the disk that actually gets immersed. Less disk area in the fluid means less oil removed. Obviously, fluctuating fluid levels can be a real problem.

Also, it is important to look at how much of the disk the wipers are actually wiping. If they wipe only 2 inches from the edge, then any reach into the fluid beyond 2 inches is wasted. As a result, removal capacities for disks can be relatively low.

Are You Buying High-Quality Disk Oil Skimmer?

Abanaki, the recognized leader in oil skimming, offers a low-cost disk skimmer for removing tramp oil from CNC machine coolant maintaining a high-quality product standard. The Abanaki Mighty Disk™ Oil Skimmer offers versatility while extending coolant life in machine tools.

This video demonstrates the important features on how to differentiate the high-quality disk oil skimmer from the regular disk oil skimmer. Watch the details on this small but mighty solution to extending coolant life.

The Abanaki Mighty Disk oil skimmer:

• Effectively removes 1-1/2 gallons of medium weight oil per hour
• Compact size allows for installation on almost any flat surface
• Portable design weighs less than 10 pounds, so one skimmer can be used for multiple locations
• Comes complete out of the box and ready to work

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

You are just one step away from downloading Abanaki's most detailed resource on our oil skimming equipment. Simply click at the button to get your ultimate guide now.