Winter Tip # 2

Anyone who has machined with water-based cutting fluid for a number of years will tell you that skin irritation can be a major concern, especially during the winter months when the air is dryer and skin is more prone to dehydration. A machinist might go all summer without experiencing any problems then suddenly, with the [...]

Diluting Your Coolant

One of the easiest ways to save money on your cutting fluids is to make sure that you are running at the correct concentration. Not all operations require a rich coolant; in fact most jobs can be run between 20:1 (5%) and 30:1 (3%). Consult your coolant manufacture’s Technical Service Department for more information on [...]

Tell Us What to Blog About

We want to hear from you… The purpose of this blog is to address topics, concerns, and problems that are important to you as manufacturers, operators, supervisors, engineers, and the industry in general. So we want you to tell us what to write about; whether you are an old hand or new to the industry [...]

MQL for Beginners

Minimum Quantity Lubrication is a concept that has been around for decades but it only in the past five years that it has really begun to gain popularity with mainstream operations. This is due in part to advances in the technology and increasing awareness of environmentally-safe practices. However there are many people in the industry [...]

Winter Tip # 1

Chances are that the cutting fluid in your sump is 90-95% water, which means that it will freeze around 32°F (0°C), the same temperature as water, and because water-mix cutting fluid contains so much water it expands when it freezes.
If you use water-mix cutting fluids make sure that you keep your facilities ABOVE 50°F (10°C) [...]

Foam is Bad

What to do when foam happens to you
Air does not lubricate. Foam in a metalworking fluid is a mess and a nuisance, but more importantly it makes the coolant useless by interfering with the lubricity and cooling features of the fluid. Unfortunately the high-pressure/high-volume coolant systems used in today’s manufacturing create ideal conditions for foaming. [...]