KĀV Inline Vacuum Filter — 400 GPM, 27" Hg, Near-Dry Solids
The KĀV (K Factor Advanced Vacuum) is the most powerful inline vacuum filter in its class. Rated to 400 GPM with a vacuum pump delivering up to 27 inches of mercury — approximately three times the vacuum force of comparable Filtra-Systems Hydro-Vac and PRAB Mon-A-Vac units — the KĀV handles the highest-sludge coolant applications that conventional vacuum systems struggle to manage without excessive media consumption.
The KĀV's defining feature is what it does with the solids it captures: the integrated vacuum drying shelf uses exhaust air from the vacuum pump to draw residual moisture from spent media before discharge. The result is a near-dry solid cake — significantly lighter than the wet sludge conventional vacuum systems discharge — that reduces disposal weight, disposal cost, and handling labour.
What the KĀV solves that gravity filters cannot
In grinding, heavy stock removal, and high-production CNC operations, coolant sludge generation rates exceed what gravity media filtration can manage without constant media advancement. A gravity filter advancing every 10–15 minutes is running through media rolls in hours rather than days — consuming media, requiring frequent operator attention, and never maintaining a stable filter cake that achieves fine filtration.
The KĀV's 27" Hg vacuum force maintains effective filtration through a thicker, more established filter cake than gravity can sustain. The deeper vacuum pulls liquid through the cake consistently as it builds — enabling the cake to serve as its own progressively finer filter medium. Media advances only when the cake is fully effective and fully loaded, maximising media utilisation and minimising media cost.
KĀV — detailed specifications
| Maximum flow rate | 400 GPM (90.8 m³/h) |
| Vacuum level | Up to 27" Hg (liquid ring vacuum pump) |
| Filtration performance | Depends on media grade — 5 to 50 micron in standard applications; finer with appropriate media |
| Solids moisture content | Near-dry via integrated drying shelf — typically 40–60% lower moisture than wet sludge from comparable systems |
| Media types | Non-woven polypropylene, cellulose, and specialty grades — multiple porosities available |
| Vacuum tank | Oversized — maintains consistent process flow during media advance cycles |
| Media rewinder | Integrated — automatic spent media collection and cake scraping into separate bin |
| Control system | Advanced PLC with vacuum level monitoring, inlet valve control, float shower, media-out sensor, stack light |
| Fluid compatibility | Water-soluble coolants, straight oils, aqueous cleaning solutions, light chemical streams |
| Materials | Carbon steel standard; stainless steel available for corrosive applications |
| Installation | Inline with process — single unit, no external vacuum infrastructure required |
KĀV installation reference
KĀV applications by industry
Grinding — centerless, cylindrical, surface
Grinding operations generate the highest coolant contamination loads in metalworking — fine metallic swarf, grinding wheel abrasive particles, and bonding material that creates a high-density sludge with particle sizes predominantly below 10 micron. Gravity filtration cannot maintain consistent fine filtration in these conditions. The KĀV's high vacuum force maintains consistent filtration through a fully developed filter cake, delivering coolant clarity that extends grinding wheel life, improves surface finish consistency, and reduces the frequency of coolant replacement.
- Particle types: Metallic swarf, abrasive particles (aluminium oxide, silicon carbide), bond material
- Required filtration: 5–15 micron for precision grinding; 15–25 micron for heavy stock removal
- KĀV advantage: 27" Hg vacuum maintains filter cake integrity through heavy sludge loads that collapse gravity systems
Heavy CNC machining — cast iron, high-alloy steel, titanium
Cast iron machining generates graphite carbon fines and metallic particles that mix with coolant to create a dense, ink-like sludge that clogs conventional media filters rapidly. High-alloy steel and titanium machining generate fine swarf with high heat — causing coolant to carry elevated concentrations of metallic particles that must be removed to prevent coolant degradation.
The KĀV handles cast iron and difficult-alloy coolant streams that would overwhelm gravity systems — maintaining filtration rate through heavy sludge loading while delivering near-dry solids that dramatically simplify cast iron swarf disposal (cast iron fines mixed with wet coolant are regulated as industrial waste; dry cast iron swarf has significant scrap metal recycling value).
Honing and superfinishing
Honing operations require the finest coolant filtration achievable — abrasive particles from the honing stone, metallic fines from the bore, and honing oil must be removed to maintain the stone cutting rate and bore geometry. In superfinishing where Ra surface finish values below 0.05 µm are the target, coolant cleanliness is as critical as machine accuracy.
The KĀV equipped with fine-grade media delivers the consistent sub-10 micron filtration that honing and superfinishing operations require — maintaining coolant clarity that extends honing stone life, prevents bore geometry variation, and supports the surface finish targets that these operations demand.
Service locations — KĀV applications
- United States: Michigan (automotive grinding and honing — Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren), Ohio (heavy CNC — Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton), Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama
- Canada: Ontario (Oshawa, Windsor, Cambridge automotive corridor; Hamilton heavy manufacturing)
- Europe: Germany (Bavaria automotive, Stuttgart machining), Italy (Emilia-Romagna manufacturing corridor), Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland
- Asia-Pacific: Japan (precision manufacturing — Nagoya, Toyota City), South Korea (Ulsan, Changwon), China (Guangzhou, Chongqing automotive hubs)
- Gulf: Saudi Arabia (industrial cities — Jubail, Yanbu; Aramco manufacturing supply chain), UAE (Abu Dhabi Industrial City, Dubai industrial zone)
Running gravity filters that can't keep up with your sludge load?
K Factor's 30-day free trial is available for KĀV and Q-Filter vacuum filtration systems. We assess your coolant volume, sludge loading rate, micron requirement, and floor space. We commission the system in your facility. You run it for 30 days and measure filtration quality, media consumption, and solids disposal volume. If it doesn't deliver, return it. No invoice. No commitment.
Available to qualifying manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other markets.