Case Studies

The customer’s previous cutting fluid left a sticky residue in machinery and on cutting tools, as well as on finished parts. The heavy residue required additional cleaning steps, adding a significant amount of cycle time to each operation. The coolant sumps also needed frequent changeouts due to bacterial and fungal growth, in spite of tank-side additives. Bacterial growth was so overpowering that the odour created breathing problems for employees as well as other health and safety issues, like contact dermatitis. In addition to these poor working conditions, the fungal growth distorted readings from measuring probes, resulting in off-spec parts and inaccurate tooling measurements.

The customer decided to try Master Fluid Solutions™ TRIM™ MicroSol™ 590XT, an eco-friendly semisynthetic that boasts many aerospace approvals. The microemulsion is compatible with a wide array of titaniums, steels, aluminiums, Inconel^® and sensitive alloys. A robust formula that is bacteria- and fungus-resistant, MicroSol 590XT offers an exceptionally long sump life.

After charging their sumps with MicroSol 590XT, the customer completely eliminated odour, bacteria and fungal growth that caused inaccurate measurement readings. Over time, they also achieved significant reductions in fluid waste and costs.

Due to their previous coolant’s short life cycle, the customer used 117,000 litres of concentrate per year. With MicroSol 590XT’s longer sump life, they only consumed 85,000 litres in a year — a 36% reduction. Overall, fluid spend dropped £10,000/€11.231 annually by switching to the higher quality TRIM fluid. The customer realised additional savings by adopting a fluid recycling programme, which allowed them to reuse as many as 5,000 litres of cutting fluid per week, netting an additional £7,800/€8.760 savings from reduced disposal costs. Higher part surface quality, less cleaning time and reduced machine maintenance garnered even more savings throughout the operation.