Key Reasons for Implementation

• 50% reduction in rolling oil consumption using compact, ultra-low-flow pneumatic spray nozzles.
• Spray headers sized to match the rolling-line width, allowing each header to be installed and serviced as a unit.

Challenges Faced by the Customer

At a metal foil manufacturing plant, the issue arose in the rolling process, where metal slabs are pressed between rollers and progressively reduced in thickness until they become foil.

The process depended on a steady supply of rolling oil to the rollers. The oil lubricated the interface between the rollers and the workpiece, cooled the workpiece, flushed away wear debris, and stabilized the surface finish. Rolling oil was essential to the process, but the high level of consumption was a major concern.

Oil consumption reached 124 L per hour—nearly 3 metric tons per day under 24-hour operation. Beyond the substantial cost burden, oil splashing from the line soiled nearby equipment and floors, creating safety and hygiene risks and significantly increasing the cleanup workload.

Solutions Proposed by IKEUCHI

To reduce oil use without compromising application quality, IKEUCHI proposed the compact CBIMV pneumatic spray nozzle series. The nozzle atomizes rolling oil with compressed air to produce a thin, fan-shaped spray pattern for uniform application to the mill rolls.

The lowest-flow model was chosen, and the CBIMV nozzles were mounted on spray headers of different lengths to match the rolling-line width. This allowed each header to be installed and serviced as a unit.

Because each nozzle is compact and lightweight, even a multi-nozzle setup places little mechanical load on the header, eliminating the need for a heavy-duty header structure.

Benefits Achieved

The plant replaced its conventional rolling-oil supply method with three spray headers carrying a total of 62 CBIMV nozzles. Under the new setup, each nozzle applied 1 L of oil per hour. With all 62 nozzles operating 24 hours a day, total consumption was 1,488 L per day—50% below the previous method.

Along with cutting material costs by 50%, the system eliminated oil-related soiling on equipment and floors. Minimizing cleanup work also helped reduce operating costs. The cleaner work environment contributed to greater employee satisfaction as well.

IKEUCHI spray nozzles continue to support efficient and stable operations at this metal foil manufacturing plant.

SDG Contributions

Relevant SDG goals for this case.