Machine-Base Trench The top picture shows a “U” shaped trench protruding from the base of an Ex-Cello transfer machine base. The transfer machine is being used, by Ford Motor Company, to machine transmission cases. The coolant and aluminum chips from each operation fall into the base of the machine where they are collected in a trench designed and manufactured by Filtra-Systems. The trench has a patented pneumatic seal that seals between the trench and the machine base, eliminating any possibility of coolant from spilling onto the floor. The trench is custom designed by Filtra-Systems for each transfer machine and incorporates trench flushing to maintain critical fluid velocities.

The bottom picture shows the end of the machine trench protruding from the machine base. The trench in this machine was 110 ft. long and was designed for a coolant flow rate of 700 gpm. The end of the trench discharges directly into a model HL-36-18 Hydro-Llift, which lifts the coolant and chips 48', into the attached pumping station. The pumping station chops the chips and pumps the contaminated coolant across the plant to a Hydro-Vac central filtration system. The pumpstation is 48' tall and without the Hydro-Lift, the pumpstation would have to be located in the floor so that the trench could discharge directly into the top of the tank. This is an excellent example of how machine-base trench and a Hydro-Lift can be used to eliminate both in floor trench and sump tanks.