Machine tool cleaning

 Manufacturing’s ‘Life Blood’

Machine tools are the heart of the manufacturing process, and coolant is its life blood.  If coolant is not kept clean and free from debris, investment is lost through downtime, poor product quality and operator Health and Safety problems.

Swarf

Output of swarf presents a problem.  Removal of swarf should be carried out as often as operational requirements permit.  Accumulation of fine swarf on the machine bed and on drain trays provides a good filtering medium which weakens the emulsion. The same applies to grinding wheel debris. Swarf should be removed and separated from coolant as often as possible.

Tramp Oil

Because tramp oil has a lower specific gravity than water, it floats on a water based emulsion.  A layer of oil prevents air from contact with the emulsion surface and, causing de-oxygenation.  Under these conditions, anaerobic (not requiring oxygen) strains of bacteria multiply rapidly.

Bacterial Decomposition

Certain bacteria cause the breakdown of sulphate in the emulsion into sulphide, characterised by its offensive smell and responsible for the ‘Monday morning odour’.

Frequent and effective aeration, filtration and swarf removal are essential and extend coolant life.  This leads to savings in both coolant and disposal costs as well as fewer cases of skin irritation and dermatitis.

Skin Welfare

One problem is that of foreign matter entering the coolant supply.  This can include:

Ø      Fine metallic swarf, grinding wheel debris, oxide scale and rust particles, all of which cause irritation if allowed to remain on the skin. Good housekeeping in the form of proper machine servicing and cleaning in the machine shop pays dividends.  The use of industrial vacuums to remove this foreign matter will prevent the problem of skin damage.

Swarf Retrieval

Separation of swarf and coolant is, in many cases an end in itself, especially where expensive non ferrous swarf is concerned.  The separation can give a high return when clean swarf is sold to raw material suppliers.

THE SOLUTION

Freddy coolant recycling vacuums enable coolant cleaning to take place, with maximum efficiency and minimum interruption. Good machine tool/coolant cleaning comprises two elements:

1.      Regular and frequent cleaning on daily or weekly intervals, depending on the type and quality of the work being undertaken.

2.      Intensive cleaning at less frequent intervals.

Regular Cleaning

Regular cleaning ensures that sludge and fines are dealt with in small, manageable quantities.  Sucked up from the sump, they are automatically filtered out and clean coolant pumped back in one continuous operation.

Intensive Cleaning

The more frequently cleaning is carried out, the less frequently intensive cleaning becomes necessary and usually occurs only at the end of the greatly extended useful life of the coolant.

SUMMARY 

Cutting fluids give much better service if they circulate in clean conditions.  The retention of dirt, foreign bodies, grinding dust and abrasive metal particles is detrimental to the highly accurate standards and finishes modern machine tools are capable of. Swarf and coolant vacs play an essential part in good housekeeping methods in a simple way, so that modern machine tools and accessories can be used to their full potential.