Our family-owned Idaho machine shop is known for tackling challenges other shops won’t even consider. In 2011, when Illinois-based Elastec contacted us for help with a new environmental product, we jumped at the chance!

What we couldn’t know then was that Elastec’s patented grooved disc skimming technology, with parts prototyped and produced by Accurate CNC Services, would go on to win multiple international awards and contribute to critical oil spill cleanups worldwide.

Here’s a look at the project, our process, and the ingenious technology that is helping to keep our waterways oil-free.

Elastec’s Grooved Disc Skimmers: From Prototype to Production

Elastec was founded in 1990 by entrepreneurs Donnie Wilson and Jeff Cantrell, inventors of the world’s first efficient drum oil skimmer. Repeatedly named one of the fastest-growing private companies in America by Inc 5000, Elastec’s products are currently used throughout 155 countries for surface pollution clean-up. 

Challenge: Transform technology into a proven product

Though they’d licensed groove skimming technology from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management in 2007, Elastec’s increasing project load had relegated the technology to the back burner—that is until the XPRIZE Foundation issued an audacious challenge: 

Create a solution for cleaning spilled oil from water at an oil recovery rate (ORR) of 2,500 gallons per minute.

With the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup XCHALLENGE’s million-dollar prize on the line, Elastec revived its still-unknown groove skimming technology and focused its resources on developing a solution.

Collaboration: Elastec trusts key components to Accurate CNC Services

Elastec’s engineers presented our precision machine shop with their designs for a 30” double-sided grooved disc and an accompanying groove-cleaning comb. In practice, multiple grooved discs would be installed to spin rapidly, collecting high volumes of oil from the surrounding surface water. The combs would continuously clean oil from the grooves, allowing the device to operate at maximum efficiency.

Prototype machining services: The first steps

In close collaboration with Elastec’s engineers, we tested multiple iterations to determine the best materials, processes, and design decisions for optimum manufacturability, cost efficiency, and, most importantly, performance. After acquiring the necessary custom tooling, we manufactured the first grooved disc samples from UHMW so Elastec could prove their process with a less costly material. 

Production: Accurate CNC makes grooved skimming technology a reality

For final manufacturing, Elastec selected HDPE, a high-density thermoplastic polymer that’s strong, lightweight, and recyclable.

Machining the two-sided discs was a time-intensive process, requiring a custom-built fixture to secure each disc on our router as we machined the staggered pattern of grooves first on one side and then the other. During these processes, our Idaho machine shop removed significant amounts of material, resulting in a wonderfully lightweight yet durable part.

Award-Winning Results

The XCHALLENGE requirements called for an oil-removal solution that could extract 2,500 gallons of oil per minute. Of 27 registered teams, 10 finalists—including Elastec—demonstrated their solutions at Ohmsett, the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility.

The $1 million first-place winner was Elastec, whose revolutionary oil skimming technology achieved an ORR of 4,670 gallons per minute with 89.5% efficiency—more than 3x the industry’s previous best ORR!

Since its XCHALLENGE win, Elastec’s grooved disc skimming technology has been honored with these prestigious awards:

• 2012 Breakthrough Technology award from Popular Mechanics 

• Excellence in Environmental Technology award from the Offshore Arabia conference in Dubai, UAE

• Nafta Gaz Grand Prix award from the Oil and Gas Conference in Warsaw, Poland

• Most Hopeful Energy Developments of 2011 2nd-place ranking from National Geographic 

• Moment in Innovation 13th-place ranking from The Washington Post

Lightweight parts with heavy-duty impact

Since winning the XCHALLENGE competition, Elastec has brought multiple scaled-down models of its internationally patented Grooved Disc Skimmer to market.

The company’s X30 Cassette operates with side-channel-equipped oil recovery vessels and is effective in calm water or waves. The towable X150 Skimmer employs 10 grooved discs to recover high volumes of oil in open water or river conditions.

Accurate CNC Embraces Opportunities to Innovate

To date, our Idaho machine shop has manufactured hundreds upon hundreds of grooved discs for Elastec. The project we welcomed back in 2011 continues to benefit our business, and even better, it’s helping the planet!

When you’re seeking a collaborative manufacturing partner for prototype machining services, full-scale production, or both, you’ll find an innovative, fearless team at Accurate CNC Services.

Get a quote to kickstart your next project right away!