Magnetic Conveyor Attracts Better Cast Iron Chip Control

June 3, 2026 12:38 pm

By Chris Woelky, End User Sales Manager at Jorgensen Conveyor and Filtration Solutions. Featured in Fabricating & Metalworking

Managing fine chips and abrasive sludge is a constant challenge for manufacturers machining cast iron parts. Excess powder and mud produced during machining significantly clog up coolant systems, damage pumps, shorten coolant life, and force frequent maintenance shutdowns that reduce spindle uptime. This was the challenge Lou-Rich faced.

Lou-Rich, located in Albert Lea, Minnesota, is a full-service contract manufacturer specializing in complex machining, fabrication, assembly, and engineering services. The company supports customers across industries that include agriculture, construction, food, highway safety, and medical. Lou-Rich operates more than 55 pieces of CNC equipment, 43 of them in the machining department, across a wide range of materials, from cold-rolled steel and cast iron to stainless steel and aluminum.

While standard chip conveyor systems performed adequately for many materials, cast iron parts consistently created challenges because of the fine powder and abrasive dust generated during machining. Unlike larger chips that are easily evacuated, the fine cast iron particulate circulated through the machine tool coolant systems, settled into tanks and gradually formed sludge-like buildup.

Over time, this sludge accumulation reduced usable coolant capacity, accelerated coolant degradation, and increased wear on pumps and coolant delivery components. All that, in turn, created recurring maintenance that involved frequent coolant tank cleanouts and extended machine downtime.

Cleaning the coolant tank required removing the tank from the machine, shutting down spindle production for 8 to 12 hours, and assigning two employees to the labor-intensive process. Because the sludge accumulated so quickly, the machine required approximately 12 tank cleanouts and coolant replacements per year. Beyond the maintenance labor itself, the repeated shutdowns stopped production and interrupted job schedules.

Lou-Rich needed a way to remove fine cast-iron particulate before it could settle in the coolant system and further cause downstream issues. This is when the company decided to partner with sister company Jorgensen Conveyor & Filtration Solutions to implement a custom conveyor system designed specifically for its application.

A Customized Magnetic Conveyor Solution

After reviewing the machining process and existing equipment layout, Jorgensen recommended a customized version of its Mag-Drag EcoFilter magnetic conveyor.

Designed specifically for handling ferrous fines and powder, the Mag-Drag system uses high-strength magnetic assemblies positioned beneath the conveyor bed to capture fine cast-iron particles directly from the coolant stream. A drag chain belt continuously moves the collected material out of the coolant tank and into the chip hopper before the particles can settle and form sludge. The EcoFilter cell further cleans coolant ensuring clarity under 200 micron.

The conveyor is particularly effective for cast-iron applications where traditional hinged-belt or scraper conveyors often struggle to remove fine particulate material.

Because Lou-Rich’s machine did not have a standard conveyor configuration compatible with the Mag-Drag system, Jorgensen engineered a custom retrofit solution tailored to the machine’s existing coolant tank and footprint. The system was also designed to integrate with the machine’s original motor and power box, which simplified installation, minimized retrofit costs, and made the transition straightforward and efficient.

Significant Maintenance and Coolant savings

After the installation of the Mag-Drag EcoFilter conveyor, Lou-Rich quickly realized improvements in coolant cleanliness and chip evacuation. The fine cast-iron powder was successfully removed from the coolant stream and discharged into the chip hopper rather than accumulating in the tank.

The most impactful result was extended coolant life. “Prior to the Mag-Drag conveyor, we would replace coolant and perform full tank cleanouts about once a month because of the rapid buildup of cast-iron sludge,” said Karl Eggum, Manufacturing and Engineering Manager at Lou-Rich. “With the conveyor, coolant maintenance intervals dropped to only once every four to six months. The system also improved our coolant performance and reduced contamination-related issues, helping maximize machine uptime.”

The operational savings extended beyond labor reduction. Cleaner coolant also helped reduce wear on pumps and coolant delivery components while improving overall machine reliability and coolant system performance.

Effective Chip Management For Cast-Iron Machining

For manufacturers machining cast-iron and other ferrous materials that generate fine particulate chips, effective coolant filtration and chip evacuation are critical to maintaining uptime and protecting equipment.

By implementing a customized Mag-Drag EcoFilter conveyor from Jorgensen, Lou-Rich enhanced chip control, extended coolant life, reduced maintenance frequency, and minimized costly production interruptions.

This partnership demonstrates how application-specific conveyor and filtration solutions can help manufacturers increase productivity while lowering long-term operating costs in demanding machining environments.

Categorised in: Case Stories