Why Magnetic Filters for CNC Machines Are Saving Businesses £1,000s a Year

Industrial manufacturers are under increasing pressure to reduce costs, improve sustainability, and maximise productivity, yet many still overlook one of the simplest and most effective ways to achieve all three: upgrading their filtration systems. Magnetic filtration technology is transforming CNC and EDM machine operations by extending fluid life, significantly reducing consumable waste, and capturing the fine ferrous particles that traditional filters miss. As real‑world case studies show, businesses adopting magnetic filters aren’t just making small efficiency gains, they’re saving thousands of pounds each year, cutting downtime, and improving product quality in the process. This blog explores how magnetic filtration delivers measurable financial savings, environmental benefits, and performance improvements across a wide range of manufacturing applications. 

Sustainability 

Magnetic filters are proven to improve the environmental impact of businesses because they enable our customers to cut down on disposable filters and extend the life of the coolant fluid (sometimes up by up to 10 times). Industries such as machine tooling have a high carbon footprint as they consume around 2 billion litres of fluid a year, so cutting down on fluid usage and disposal will not only save money but reduce a company's environmental impact.  

The raw materials captured inside the magnetic filter forms into a semi-dry cake that can easily be cleaned off, which means the ferrous contamination can be easily recycled, further reducing the business’ environmental footprint. 

Cost Savings 

Eclipse Magnetics has helped a number of clients save money on consumables by installing a magnetic filter, including saving Ionbond UK Ltd £2,500 with a Filtramag+ magnetic filter. They were also able to cut machine downtime by 25% by reducing the amount of fluid changes required during production. 

Furthermore, Bowers Group was able to save £142,500 a year after installing a Micromag MM20 to their EDM machine. Machining times have improved by 17%, part surface quality has increased, and wire breakages have dropped dramatically, resulting in a much more stable and efficient process. The company has also experienced a substantial reduction in machine downtime thanks to fewer cleaning requirements and less frequent replacement of lubricant and pumps, recovering more than 100 hours of productivity each month. Financially, this equates to over £11,500 in monthly savings that would previously have been lost. 

By pairing the MicroMag with existing cartridge filters, Bowers Group has also reduced its cartridge consumption by 50%, delivering an additional annual saving of more than £2,500 on replacement costs. 

Altogether, these improvements represent an impressive £142,500 in yearly savings, with the initial investment in magnetic filtration technology paid back within just days of installation. 

Improved Quality 

As well as the cost savings and sustainability benefits of installing an industrial magnetic filter to CNC and EDM machines, businesses are also able to see an improvement in the finish quality of the product and fewer rejects. This is due to the magnetic coolant filter’s ability to capture sub-micron ferrous particles that traditional filters miss, leading to damaged machining parts and dirty coolant impacting on the quality of the products.  

Production capacity will also increase due to a reduction in machine downtime for tool fixing and fluid and filter replacement. 

Q8Oils saw an improvement in their client Twiflex’s product quality and grinding stone lifespan after installing a magnetic filter. After just one month of intermittent use, the Micromag MM20 had already captured more than 2kg of ferrous material. Q8Oils, reported a significant increase in Twiflex’s grinding stone life, supported by reduced dressing times for the grinding wheel. Improvements in fluid cleanliness were also observed, helping to eliminate the ‘flecking’ effect typically caused when fine debris becomes trapped between the wheel and the workpiece during grinding. 

Permoid Industries Ltd benefitted from adding two Filtramag FM2.5 units to their fuel tank wash system. One was positioned in the flow circuit before the recirculating pump and another on the return line to the holding tank. Since their installation, ferrous contamination has been reduced so significantly that finished product reject rates have fallen to virtually zero. They now only need to replace the barrier filters every ten months. 

Conclusion 

Magnetic filtration has proven itself as a powerful tool for cost reduction, environmental improvement, and enhanced manufacturing performance. From major savings in consumables and coolant usage to dramatic reductions in downtime and reject rates, businesses using CNC and EDM machines and wider precision engineering sectors are seeing rapid and measurable returns on investment. Case studies show annual savings ranging from a few thousand pounds to over £140,000, with some systems paying for themselves within days of installation.  As manufacturers continue to pursue leaner, more sustainable operations, magnetic filtration stands out as a smart, future‑proof solution that strengthens efficiency, quality, and environmental responsibility.