Turn old into new – KAMAT vintage pump unit from 1993 gets a new pump

When a filter press with an old type of a KAMAT pump from 1993 was suddenly back in the factory, at the assembly one was amazed of the pump unit. The old-timer pump inside, a pump of type K11000 as stated on the astonishingly legible type plate, should be exchanged for a modern pump of the current version of the K11000, according to the customer’s order. “The old is still alive,” enthuses employee Christoph Nowotka from the unit assembly department at KAMAT, visibly proud. “I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the old filter press again in the factory after 28 years and proudly thought, yes, that’s old craft that lasts,” says Nowotka.

KAMAT employee proud of the old piece – the very first pump unit that he installed at the time

Nowotka can definitely be proud of exactly this filter press, because he built it all by himself back then. The skilled locksmith has been working at KAMAT since 1991 and has built many systems during this time; in the almost 31 past years, there have been at least many 100, as he says. This filter press was the very first system that he built in the unit assembly on his own, which is why he remembers it particularly well. At that time, he was building everything from the base frame to the suction line, from the pump head to the gearbox. “You had to be a lot more creative by yourself in work preparation, there weren’t any PCs there, and not that much had been certified,” recalls Nowotka. “At that time, the pump head was still made of cast iron, not of stainless steel and made with special equipment, with complex packing plus plungers. Everything was, as you can see, very durable,” continues Nowotka and he even compares the situation, “with old machines it is just like it is with people, they got it in their bones and machines just rust.”

After the unit was converted, only the old engine remained – customer receives a new standard

The sales representative, Manfred Krampe, who at the time configured this pump unit for an incineration plant and commissioned it internally, is also still working at KAMAT, albeit no longer in sales, but as service manager. He, too, is visibly proud at the sight of the old pump: “It’s nice to hear after such a long time that everything has gone well with the high-pressure pump unit so far.” After the conversion, which Nowotka carried out, only the engine remained. In addition to the pump and the associated components, the base frame has also been completely renewed; the paint shines in fresh KAMAT green. Old plans and drawings had to be found. Everything used to be made of steel, now it is made of stainless steel. The development has of course progressed with the times and everything has become more customer-friendly. By using stainless steel and avoiding steel all parts in contact with water are better protected against corrosion, the valves can no longer jam and the base frame no longer rust through, as was the case with the old filter press. Old became new!

Technical data of the new high-pressure pump unit for filter cloth-cleaning system:
Pump unit type: K11000-K57-E55
Pressure: max. 100 bar
Flow: 285 l / min
Power Input: 55 kW
On a stationary base frame