Aerospace facilities are among the most high-tech plants in manufacturing and require efficient, effective wastewater treatment systems.
However, even the top aerospace manufacturers and suppliers can find it difficult to make good wastewater treatment decisions due to the complicated nature of the many processes involved in their manufacturing processes. There’s also an opportunity to use treated city water and wastewater to produce higher quality products. As an approved supplier to 20 aerospace manufacturers at multiples facilities all over the U.S., MacDermid Envio says it is the ideal wastewater treatment partner.
A large Wichita-area aerospace manufacturer with metal finishing lines, including anodizing, pre-penetrant etches, chemical film, passivation, could not provide enough quality rinse water to meet their production demand. In industries involving metal plating and surface finishing, it is crucial to have high-quality water. Like other manufacturers, they even had to treat their city water before use in most cases. Their existing 20-year-old wastewater treatment system had been repaired many times and was incapable of increased capacity.
The aerospace manufacturer knew of MacDermid Envio’s excellent local reputation through other industry firms. They contacted us with three goals: increase the quality and quantity of their rinse water; meet their discharge limitations; and reduce production downtime during the upgrade.
MacDermid Envio performed a complete water survey of the facility. We sampled all process lines and observed daily operations. We analyzed many samples at no cost and drew on our experience to develop the design.
The project was delayed several times as facility ownership changed, but the problems did not disappear—a large increase in aircraft production (a good problem to have!) further increased the facility’s workload. MacDermid Envio proposed a staged installation schedule to minimize production delays. As planned, the project was installed successfully without loss of production.
Our main recommendation was to re-pipe a portion of the facility to separate low-Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and high-TDS rinses. Low-TDS rinses would be processed in an efficient water recycling system and high-TDS rinses would be combined with spent chemical baths, treated in a new conventional wastewater treatment system, and discharged. To reduce costs, a large portion of the existing equipment was included in the new MacDermid Envio design.
The results were impressive. With MacDermid Envio, the aerospace manufacturer:
- Saved in capital costs by using existing equipment and not doing a full replacement
- Reduced labor and operational costs with automated treatment processes
- Continuously meets their discharge limits
- Recycles a large portion of their water, cutting costs
MacDermid Envio can recommend and implement solutions in a cost-effective manner. Part of MacDermid Envio’s guarantee is to provide continual service as needed through remote monitoring and chemical delivery. As the facility’s new system was installed and implemented, MacDermid Envio was there every step of the way.
For operations that want optimized wastewater treatment as well as minimized operating costs, MacDermid Envio offers the premier solution. Visit MacDermid Envio’s wastewater solutions page to learn more about their methods to cut costs and increase operational efficiency. Visit www.macdermidenvio.com.
