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, even with the use of tank-side additives. Bacterial growth was so overpowering that the odor 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, aluminums, 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 odor, 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 sump life and high make-up, the customer used 117,000 liters of concentrate per year. With MicroSol 590XT’s longer useful life, they only consumed 85,000 liters in a year — a 36% reduction. Overall, fluid spend dropped $12,015 annually by switching to the higher quality TRIM fluid. The customer realized additional savings by adopting a fluid recycling program, which allowed them to reuse as many as 5,000 liters of cutting fluid per week, netting an additional $9,371.70 savings from reduced disposal costs. Higher part surface quality, less cleaning time, and reduced machine maintenance garnered even more savings throughout the operation.