Lisi Aerospace
The challenge: wasted energy from continuous extraction on 30+ CNC machines
Lisi Aerospace operates more than 30 Filtermist oil mist filter units across a range of CNC machines at its Rugby site, including equipment from Doosan, Takamatsu and Earlsdon Technology. Like many aerospace and precision manufacturing facilities, extraction systems were left running continuously to ensure they were always operational when needed.
Cell Production Engineer Ryan Pawley explains:
"As protecting our people from exposure to harmful airborne oil mist particles is important to us, we used to leave the Filtermist units running all the time, whether they were needed or not."
Average 55% reduction in energy usage; estimated annual savings of up to £7,000
Long-standing Filtermist customer Lisi Aerospace - trading as Blanc Aero Industries UK - aimed to cut its oil mist extraction energy costs by around 55% after installing twenty-six F Save energy-saving devices at its 16,000m² Rugby manufacturing facility.
For manufacturers running multiple CNC machines, oil mist extraction systems are often left to run continuously to ensure COSHH compliance and worker protection. F Save eliminates energy inefficiencies.
What is Filtermist F Save?
F Save is a plug-and-play energy-saving device developed specifically for Filtermist centrifugal oil mist filters. A sensor connects to the machine's coolant pump and ensures the oil mist extraction unit only runs when the CNC machine is actually in use - eliminating energy wasted when machines are idle.
The result: full COSHH compliance and worker protection, with significantly reduced electricity consumption.
How the initial F Save trial worked
Filtermist installed dataloggers on both the oil mist filter units and the coolant pumps across three Filtermist models - the S400, FX4002 and FX5002. Baseline energy data was gathered over one week across both high-volume and low-volume machining departments.
The data confirmed what many manufacturers suspect but rarely quantify: extraction units were running for significant periods when no machining was taking place.
"When our Filtermist Account Manager told us about the new F Save solution, we were really interested in finding out how it could improve our energy efficiency and operating costs,” continued Ryan. “The initial trial involved 13 units and we then ordered a further 13 F Saves once the results of the trials were clear."
The results: up to 91% energy reduction on individual machines
Actual energy savings varied by machine and production process:
The savings are achieved without any compromise to worker safety or COSHH compliance - extraction runs precisely when machining is active and pauses automatically when it isn't.
"The F Saves mean that we can be confident our extraction is running when it's needed and therefore doing the job it was installed to do, but it isn't wasting energy when the machine is not operational," says Ryan.
Beyond energy: wider sustainability and compliance benefits
For Lisi Aerospace, the F Save installation also supports the company's broader sustainability commitments. As Ryan outlines:
"Installing the F Saves touches on most of our key principles. By installing effective oil mist extraction and ensuring it operates when it's needed, we're helping to prevent exposure to airborne oil mist particles and comply with COSHH regulations.
“We are continuously looking at how we can improve - F Save contributes to this from a financial and environmental perspective, and the sustainability aspect is obvious; we are ensuring our workplace is a clean and safe environment for our colleagues, we're reducing wastage thanks to maintaining an ambient temperature in the machine tool's enclosure, we're reducing our heating bills in winter by recycling clean, warm air back into the factory, and most importantly we're only using energy that's needed - we're not wasting it."
About Lisi Aerospace
Lisi Aerospace specialises in the design and manufacture of high-tech metal components for the aerospace and defence sectors, including structural and equipment components for aircraft and helicopters, critical components for jet engines and turboshafts, fasteners, and parts used in defence and space applications. Its Rugby facility produces a wide variety of fasteners ranging from standard pin products to elaborate components including lockbolts and turbine cylinders.
Could F Save reduce your oil mist extraction energy costs?
If you operate Filtermist oil mist filters on CNC machines, F Save is a straightforward plug-and-play upgrade that pays for itself quickly - with no compromise on COSHH compliance or worker protection.
Contact our team to find out how much you could save
Filtermist provides oil mist collectors in over 60 countries worldwide