With rising operational costs and increasing pressure to improve sustainability, UK manufacturers are being urged to take a closer look at coolant management, metalworking fluids, and overall fluid maintenance practices.
What is the Impact of Poor Fluid Management?
Extending coolant life is one of the most effective ways to reduce manufacturing waste, lower operational costs and improve efficiency within machining environments. Without proper fluid management, build-up of bacteria and tramp oil can contaminate machine fluid, which can quickly lead to reduced performance, unpleasant odours, increased tool wear and the need for frequent fluid replacement, driving up both costs and downtime. Routine fluid management helps manufacturers achieve HSE MW05 compliance with confidence. Without proper fluid management, bacteria and tramp oil can build up in machine fluid and cause a wide range of issues. We’ve produced a helpful article, which looks at the different ways you can remove tramp oil from your sump.
What are the Common Problems Caused by Contamination?
Contamination in coolant can cause a wide range of issues, not only to production, but to operators too. These include:
- Reduced machine performance
- Unpleasant odours
- Increased tool wear
- More frequent fluid replacement, incurring higher costs
- Increased downtime
- Risk of skin irritation and lung disease in operators
What are the Benefits of Effective Fluid Management?
Effective and routine fluid management can help prevent contamination issues, support better operational efficiency and keep operators safe whilst machining. By implementing a few key coolant maintenance practices, manufacturers can significantly extend the life of their coolant. Regular monitoring of coolant concentration is essential to ensure optimal performance. Maintaining the correct balance helps prevent issues such as corrosion, tool wear, and bacterial growth. In addition, routine tramp oil removal can dramatically improve fluid quality and longevity. This can be easily maintained through Pennine’s PROCARE Fluid Management service. This service involves an experienced Technical Service Engineers making routine visits to your site to conduct all essential fluid checks are completed. This includes checking dilution, pH and conducting dipslide testing. Remedial actions can also be carried out by our Engineers, and all results and visual inspections are recorded in our webapp, PROCARE Fluid Cloud, which means spotting potential issues before they cause problems, easy, and will flag any results out of spec.
What is the Role of Machine Cleaning & Routine Maintenance?
Machine cleaning also plays a crucial role in effective metalworking fluid management. Removing swarf and particulates helps keep systems clean and reduces wear on both machines and tooling. Combined with scheduled system cleaning and routine preventative maintenance, this approach supports longer-lasting, more stable fluids. Our PROCARE Team can conduct full machine clean outs, with minimum disruption to production. With the average machine clean taking around 2 hours, production can resume quickly. There are many ways Pennine Lubricants can help YOU reduce costs and improve product quality, so if you’d like to learn more about our machine cleaning and PROCARE Fluid Management service, get in touch with our technical team today.
“The feedback we receive confirms that more customers are choosing Pennine to support their metalworking fluids because we provide the perfect balance of high-performance chemistry and hands-on technical support. We understand that a “one size fits all” approach is not suitable for modern day manufacturing, we listen to each customers individual needs and provide them with the levels of support, advice, and assistance that they need.” – John Grierson, Sales Director
Helping you Improve Efficiency & Reduce Costs:
As sustainability continues to be a key focus across the manufacturing sector, improving coolant efficiency and reducing fluid waste will play an increasingly important role in helping businesses meet both environmental targets and reduce costs. Pennine Lubricants can support your machine shop and maximise metalworking productivity, reduce costs and achieve consistent, high-quality results. Contact a member of our Technical Team by calling 0114 285 2987 or email us at [email protected].
