The global push to curb use of fossil fuels isn’t excluding industrial lubricants: Many environmentally friendlier varieties, some of them made from vegetable oil, have come on the market in recent years.
While it’s hard to beat the performance of older petroleum-based cutting fluids with sulfur, chlorine and other extreme-pressure (EP) compounds that have a lower price tag than the newer alternatives, the bio-based lubricants promise to be just as effective.
Many manufacturers facing pressure to make their operations more sustainable are insisting on them, in fact, aware that the higher upfront expense is easily made up for when it’s time to dispose of the products.
Cleaning Up Fluid Spills
“Large numbers of shops in the U.S. are developing a more environmentally friendly approach to doing business,” says Joe Snyder of Master Fluid Solutions in Perrysburg, Ohio. “I’d say most of these are located in the Western and Northern states, but others are coming along too. They’re concerned about cleaning up petroleum-based fluids after a spill, along with the possibility of them getting into the water supply.”
Snyder should know. As the principal scientist at Master Fluid Solutions, he helped lead the team responsible for development of the company’s TRIM HyperSol 888NXT machining fluid, a project that required many years to complete.
Water-soluble HyperSol—which the company says provides “exceptional performance” on metals such as titanium, stainless steels, Inconel and other nickel-based alloys—also promises the lubricity needed when machining soft, gummy materials like aluminum.
Bio-based fluids are “pretty much the same” as other varieties from a maintenance perspective but they are easier (and less expensive) to dispose of than those containing petroleum-based substances, Snyder says.
Plant-Based Ingredients
That’s good news for any shop that turns, mills and drills parts made from nickel-based alloys.
Tim Stiers, engineering manager for Castrol, a division of BP America, offers similarly welcome news, at least for those who prefer neat oil over water-based cutting fluids.
“We have a complete line of cutting oils under the Performance Bio brand,” he says. “For the most part, these vary by viscosity since different applications require lighter or heavier oils. We also have one with higher EP levels for increased cutting performance in difficult materials.”
Stiers is quick to point out that in this context, the term “extreme pressure” does not fit the conventional definition.
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We have been using a vegetable ester based cutting fluid and I can't find anybody that will recycle it at any price! It is so frustrating! I'm drowning in waste oil that I can't get rid of. If you know somebody that will recycle it, Please let me know.
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