Case Studies

Location: Denver, Colorado Customer: Denver Museum of Nature & Science Key benefits: Tool reliability and longevity Case study Requirement Dinosaurs weren't the only "fossils" at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. An ancient compressor and air distribution system were causing tool damage and downtime in the fossil prep lab where specimens are cleaned and preserved. A single mainline air filter was not adequate to prevent oil and contaminants from the compressor from reaching the tools – imagine jack hammers and sand blasters on a tiny, millimeter scale. Contaminants made the tools' operation inconsistent, increasing risk of damage to fragile fossils. And the contaminated tools had to be taken offline, disassembled, cleaned and reassembled every few months. The lab needed an air preparation upgrade. Solution The timing was right when a like-new compressor and mainline filter were moved from another part of the Museum. A lab volunteer, a retired IMI Norgren application engineer, recommended point-of-use filter/regulators at each work station. Even though the air is filtered at the compressor, the IMI Norgren B07 miniature filter/regulators protect the expensive tools from contaminants picked up in the old pipe system – a mix of copper and black pipe. The filter/regulators enabled the lab volunteers to regulate the pressure according to the specific tool requirements, ranging from 130 psig down to 40 psig, something they were not previously able to do. Since the addition of point-of-use filtration, the lab has seen a significant decrease in the number of tools that need to be repaired or replaced. Point-of-use filtration protects fossil cleaning tools Engineering GREAT Solutions Lab image © Denver Museum of Nature & Science © Norgren, Inc. 2018

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