production management
With environmental awareness driving development,
innovative filtering, recycling and coolant management
systems are in high demand. By Steed Webzell
Firm plans
for fluid technology
IT can be difficult to justify
spending hard earned capital on
equipment that doesn’t add direct value
to the end product. However, as Mark
Lemkey, the managing director of Air
Cleaning Systems, a manufacturer of
coolant and emulsion mist control
equipment for machine shops, rightly
says: ‘What is the cost of a lawsuit from
a retired worker who develops a cough
only to discover he has lung
complications from years spent
working in a mist-laden machine
shop?’ It’s a salutary point and one that
is prompting many manufacturers to
ponder the benefits of working
environment filtration.
For the past 20 years ACS has been
manufacturing a range of air cleaners
designed for direct attachment to most
machine tools - removing respirable
particulate from the machining
enclosure, thereby protecting people,
computers, machinery, air
conditioning and heating plant. All
mist is filtered, with the moisture
draining back to the coolant system or
into disposal trays while clean air is
vented to the workshop. As proof of
increasing demand, ACS has witnessed
business growth of 17% in the past 12
months alone.
Filtermist International, another
company specialising in mist control
equipment, has recently launched its
FiltermistXcel2 extraction unit that
uses centrifugal impaction to collect
the oil mist as it's sucked through the
core of the unit, expelling clean air
into the atmosphere and returning oil
to the machine’s reservoir. One of the
first takers is Rickmansworth-based
Multigrind Services, which uses a 20-
Master
Chemical
provides regular
on-site support.
This includes a
weekly site visit
to take samples,
update records
and provide
feedback on fluid
performance
Jemtech has
developed strong
relationships with
suppliers such as
Blaser Swisslube
metalcutting fluid.
Ambitious plans
for the future
include its Total
Fluid
Management
system.
year-old Cincinnati 3EA centreless
grinder to process bar up to 150mm in
diameter and 4m in length.
Unfortunately, the open-sided design
of this type of machine allows oil mist
to go directly into the workshop
atmosphere. Managing director of
Multigrind, Steve Worsdall, says: ‘We
wanted to create a more pleasant
environment from a health and safety
perspective so we asked Filtermist to
help. The new FiltermistXcel2 FX7000
model offers airflow filtration at
2750m3/h, and has made a significant
difference.’
One of the most significant factors
to impact on the use of cutting fluids
over the past two years was the 2006
introduction of new HSE guidelines
for the management of metalworking
fluids. Responsible suppliers of
coolants should now be able to offer
their customers service packages that
enable them to meet the new
guidelines. A case in point is
Houghton, which has recently been
awarded a service agreement with
44 MWP march 2008
Contour Premium Aircraft Seating to
provide metalcutting fluids at its site in
Cwmbran, where there are
approximately 35 individual sump
machines. The products supplied by
Houghton include EADS approved
Hocut 870 high lubricity soluble oil,
plus a range of slideway and hydraulic
oils. Nicholas Goddard, production
engineer at Contour says: ‘Houghton
was chosen as they offered the level of
managed service required to meet our
needs, ensuring we comply with
legislation, as well as being
competitively priced.’ Also in response
to the latest HSE guidelines, Fuchs UK
has introduced its Mobile Coolant
Testing Kit, which the company says is
a suitable way for machining
companies to monitor bacteria levels in
used coolant.
There are financial benefits to best
practice coolant management, too.
High levels of bacteria can degrade the
technical performance properties of
water-soluble coolants as they create an
acid environment that causes the fluid
to separate and lose its lubrication
characteristics. Poor bacterial control
can therefore minimise coolant life,
raise tooling costs and increase the
need for machine maintenance and
expensive remedial action, such as
biocide treatment and fluid disposal.
For many years Master Chemical
Europe has been advising its customers
to rationalise metalworking fluids as
part of effective coolant management.
One of its first customers to embrace
this advice is HPC Engineering in West
Sussex. All of the used TRIM fluids
supplied by MCE to HPE are recycled.
Central to this is the Master Chemical
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