Paint Sludge Removal

• Newly patented Mass Flow™ Sludge Removal System
• Mass Flow™ Installation Success Story

KMI’s proprietary paint & enamel sludge removal systems can be custom engineered and integrated into your finishing system to remove solid waste and minimize environmental impact.

Click to see a demonstration movie [6,516 KB]

Newly patented Mass Flow™ Sludge Removal System

Next generation technology for sludge removal click for Q&A's [344 KB]

Mass Flow™ Paint Sludge Removal System
(Pat No. US 6,682,654 B1)

KMI has developed this patented system, which incorporates centrifugal removal or dewatering type systems, to successfully correct traditional inadequacies. The sludge system can be designed to remove the detackified paint whether it floats or sinks as well as other water based sludge producing environments that can be detackified with chemicals.

This next generation, the Mass Flow™ Sludge Removal System, is superior for use in higher volume water washed paint spray booth applications. The maintenance-free system and method remove spent paint, recycle 60 to 80% of the water and the detackifying chemical back into the system for reuse, and keep the system entirely clean for prolonged periods without sludge buildup even during downtime. The system produces a residual cake for disposal having very little moisture with much less weight.

This Sludge Removal system and method provide close, constant monitoring and excellent control of the water level in the recovery tank. With an optimum water level and proper chemicals for coagulation, the spent residue or paint flotation is maintained and the water flow in the tank is continuous. The tank cannot be blocked with sunken sludge. This fact has proven to be a key factor in the success of the system.

The main components of this patented system include the sludge removal tank, centrifuge, agitation equipment and controls. An optional scavenger pump can be added to remove large chunks of residue or paint sludge prior to entering the chemical tank. Tank agitation through proper pumping action helps increase centrifugal efficiency, the next phase of the system.

Mass Flow™ Installation Success Story

Like many manufacturers, Mack Trucks Inc. (Macungie, PA) faced a problem when production volumes increased. Their paint booth system was originally designed for painting approximately 50 chassis per day, but increased demand required output to be 76 chassis per day. The equipment used to recover paint sludge from their paint booths no longer kept up with production volume. Mack chose KMI's patented 'Mass Flow' System. It has proven to dramatically reduce costs in labor, water consumption and chemical use. Design and installation for Mack was completed in less than 3 months. Once installed, it only took a few hours to get the system up and running. After more than 12 months on-line, the 'Mass Flow' system has eliminated all traces of sediment in the water pits. This has exceeded Mack's ambitious goals of reducing the pit cleaning task to once every 6 months. With this 'Mass Flow' system, Mack expects to clean annually, and only if needed.

In addition to labor savings because of reduced cleanup, Mack has also saved money on chemicals. "The centrifuge is so efficient, we don't need a lot of extra chemicals to coagulate the residue or paint. And, this system virtually eliminates clogging."

An initial cost analysis at Mack has shown savings of nearly $100,000 per year.