Oil separator

A client brief required us to develop a new oil separator that separates oil from water when it is washed into drains.

The final production run was going to be relatively small which is ideally suited to rotational moulding as it far more cost effective than other methods thanks to cheaper tooling. However, we still needed to ensure that costs were minimised as much as possible.

This required close consideration of the product/tool design and the specific polymers used to ensure that it was as efficient as possible in terms of material and production costs.

The decision was made to rotationally mould modular sections so that the product could be adapted to three different capacities by simply interlocking the sections together. This 3 in 1 approach meant only one tool needed to be created for the process.

A combination of High Density Polyethylene was used for the separator which is known for its rigidity and creek resistance, in addition to 50% recycled Polyethylene for the production of the tank bypass and extension shaft.

Delighted with the product, the client exhibited it to great interest at the Civils Exhibition at Earl’s Court just ten weeks after the initial product development meeting.