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Writer's picturePrecision Finishing Inc.

Can you recycle vibratory finishing effluent?




If you are paying for your water and you are operating a large or multiple vibratory pieces of equipment, your water bill could be substantial. Recycling your wastewater could significantly reduce your cost of operation.   Also, if you are looking to add Green technology to your manufacturing operations, recycling your vibratory waste COULD be an easy way to GO GREEN!   Not only could you save water, proper filtering can enable you to reduce your usage of vibratory chemistry, However, you must understand that recycling isn’t as easy as it sounds and isn’t suitable for all vibratory processes.



If your vibratory process entails the use of two or more compounds and you recycle this water it is impossible to control the quality and final finish of your parts. If however, you are using a single chemistry in your process, your recycled water is more easily controlled resulting in a consistent finish.


The vibratory process is inherently dirty and if it isn’t filtered you will redeposit this soils onto your parts during processing.  If your recycled waste isn’t filtered properly or filtered at all before returning to the vibratory process, you may cause serious issues such as: Oxidation / Rusting, Smutty or dirty surfaces Problems for final coatings or finishes, and longer time cycles.


Proper recycling of vibratory waste water should entail the removal of the ultrafine particles from the waste stream and leave most of the chemistry behind.  Using one compound enables you to control your process by adding the proper amount of chemistry to your filtered water in order to maintain a consistent finish.   Close monitoring is also required for your recycled water because of salt build up in your water.  Uncontrolled levels of salt can also create serious issues with the final finish.

Recycling of your vibratory wastewater can be very advantageous and cost effective if done properly.  Precision Finishing will take the time to truly understand your process and has the experience to determine whether recycling is applicable for you.



Vibratory finishing recycling
Improper filtration of recycled vibratory effluent


Proper filtration and recycling of vibratory media
Proper filtration and recycling

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