Product category:
Cutting lubricants, coolants, systems and treatment
News Release from: Oel-Held (UK) | Subject: Coolant systems - tool and cutter grinding
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 03 January 2007
Coolant is the 'key' to efficient tool
grinding
In tool and cutter grinding, the coolant system is critical to the maintenance of feed and speed rates and to keeping the grinding wheels in good order.
Running a small engineering shop in competition with larger, more established businesses requires conviction, intelligence, and perception because the only way to succeed is simply to be better than the larger companies A fine example of this in practice is Essex, UK-based Techgrind
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 6 Sep 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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After investing over GBP 1/2 million in CNC tool and cutter grinders, reliability was poor because the user's coolant was aggressive to the machines - soon cured by using a new tool grinding fluid.
Specialist grinding fluid ensures high quality
To advance its grinding capability and improve the working environment, carbide tooling manufacturer switched to a specialist grinding fluid to ensure reliable high quality and ready availability.
Established by Byron Crowley to provide a tool and cutter manufacturing, remanufacturing and regrinding service to local companies, it now numbers automotive and aerospace companies among its customers.
Crowley said: "I knew before I established the business that I had to provide top quality tools, ensure a fast turn around, and be competitively priced.
I have to be able to guarantee tolerance and surface finish and produce tools quickly in batches ranging from one offs to medium run.
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The only way I could achieve that was to invest in the best quality machine tools and equipment so as to obtain high productivity, accurate machining and eliminate scrap or rework." Although he had spent the previous decade working in the tool and cutter grinding industry, Byron was cautious in his selection of machine tools, eventually selecting the 5-axis Walter Helitronic tool and cutter grinders, equipped with automatic loading, the Cybergrinding 3D modelling package, CBN and diamond wheels, Oel-Held coolant and Ebbco filters, as the best and most versatile.
Crowley has found the Walters give the necessary level of versatility, whether manufacturing specials for a customer or regrinding complex profiles back to manufacturer's specification.
"Finance is absolutely critical in a small business - buying cheap is not an option.
Each constituent has to be costed and evaluated to gain the best and most cost-effective long term performance.
The Walters represent a significant investment so must perform to their optimum at all times," Crowley said.
"To ensure I could achieve that, I was very selective in the machine coolant and filter system.
Past experience has taught me that the coolant system is critical to the maintenance of feed and speed rates and to keeping the grinding wheels in good order as well as obtaining their full life-time use." Crowley selected Toolgrind HM II from Oel-Held because he has found grinding times to be far better than could be achieved with any other coolant, giving him a substantially greater output per hour.
It ensures an excellent surface finish on the tools, provides good lubrication for all the wheels, doesn't foam or froth, is odourless, keeps the machine in good order and: "Very importantly, gives the best price:performance ratio." Toolgrind is a thin bodied, low viscosity, high flash point Hydro-Crack based neat grinding fluid which contains special additives which prevent cobalt and other hard metal dissolution.
It has high flushing and cooling abilities, and provides good wetting and lubricating of the wheel.
It does not contain chlorine, silicone or heavy metals so the grinding wheel remains clean and free from debris.
It has good ageing stability and is also non-toxic.
Flash point of Toolgrind HM II is 154 deg C, viscosity at 40 deg C is 6.8mm2/s, pour point is +/-5 deg C, and density at 15 deg C is 0.82g/cm2.
As the machine tool is dependent upon the coolant to reach its optimum performance, so is the coolant dependent upon the filter system.
Crowley chose the Ebbco filtration system, with a filtration down to 2 micron.
Developed to provide a cost effective filtration system designed to handle both high flow levels and fine particle removal, productivity is increased, costs decreased and paper media eliminated by the Ebbco filter system.
The process of circulation, filtration, and evacuation is combined in a continuous coolant management system that has few moving parts and is virtually maintenance free.
This approach to coolant management extends coolant life by preventing contaminants from accumulating anywhere in the system.
Solids are collected automatically for easy disposal.
"We are a small business offering an 'emergency service' to customers, providing either special tools or re-ground tools quickly to an exceptional quality standard and at a competitive price.
To maintain that position, I had to have the reassurance of machines and equipment which perform reliably and to their optimum at all times.
The Walter Helitronic combined with the Oel-Held coolant and Ebbco filter system gives me that.".
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