After thirty years in the metalworking industry I am constantly amazed at all the new things that people come up with. Improving upon every aspect of any industry is what we Americans seem to do best. Conversations regarding new ideas and statements like, “if only we had…” have become commonplace. I found myself in just one of those situations several years ago when a customer said to me, “It would be great if we could find one coolant that would do everything!” This got me thinking and experimenting in the lab with a few ideas I’d been kicking around for some time.
My customer provided me with the challenge and my chemical suppliers provided me with the raw materials. Experiments and testing produced what has become an amazingly efficient all-in-one metalworking coolant. Our 8126 Semi-synthetic Coolant was designed to provide enough lubricity to machine even the toughest metals while being clean enough to satisfy anyone who is machining cast iron. The coolant was made to provide exceptional rust protection along with a bio package that resists bacteria and prevents odors from occurring.
Yes, one product can perform all your machining operations! To put 8126 to use, start by cleaning out the existing coolant with one gallon of “Special Cleaner” added to your 100-gallon sump. This cleaner will not only clean the dirt from the machine, it will loosen the crusted on “gunk” as well as kill off any residual bacteria that the old coolant missed. Dispose of the old coolant and cleaner solution and you are ready to charge your machine with fresh water and a new coolant, Semi-synthetic 8126 from S. C. Chemical Company. A good starting concentration is around five percent to six percent, but of course this can vary slightly depending on the type of metal you will be machining.
The beauty of the 8126 Semi-synthetic Coolant is that it addresses all the common machining issues. This coolant provides excellent rust protection, operates very clean, odor is never a concern, bacteria and mold are virtually non-existent and operators love how mild it is on their hands. Couple this with the fact that the S. C. Chemical sales staff is always prepared to help with any questions you might have and the result is a metalworking coolant you don’t have to worry about.
S. C. Chemical makes all their products available for test at no cost to the customer. All products are manufactured and warehoused in Muskego, Wisconsin. Orders are shipped without delay the same day they are received.
So now that you know where to find the best coolant on the market, what about all the other “stuff” you need to keep the coolants flowing? I recently became involved in a rather unique business idea. “Coolant Equipment and Filters” of New Berlin, Wisconsin, is a new company established to provide anyone who does machining with all the mechanical tools needed to handle coolant. They will come to your location and evaluate your operation. When complete, they will provide you with all the information you need to streamline your operation, improve product performance, and most importantly, save you money.
Save you money! That’s something worth talking a little more about. Recently, the people at Coolant Equipment and Filters helped one customer install a water treatment system in an area where they were using well water. The improvement to the water being used with the coolant was so significant that the customer’s coolant usage was reduced by 25 percent. Think about that! Take your total coolant costs over the past year and divide by four, that’s how much you may save simply by improving the quality of your water supply.
Mixing valves for mixing coolant will minimize the time to get the proper coolant concentration in the sump. Refractometers to measure the coolant concentration will help reduce costs and eliminate rust concerns by using the coolant at the recommended concentration. Pumps for pumping coolant, filters for filtering coolant and oil skimmers for removing tramp oil from your coolant are all pieces of equipment that Coolant Equipment and Filters handles to help make your job easier. Their thinking is basically, “You concern yourself with cutting metal; we’ll take care of everything else.”
When a proactive partnership exists between a customer and supplier, it definitely benefits both parties. As a coolant supplier to many companies in the Midwest and throughout the United States, we support our customers in any way we can. There are often chemical questions asked of the machine shop owner from government agencies where the non-chemist may have difficulty understanding what is required. We ask these customers to call S. C. Chemical so we can help. There is even the occasional question about measuring the chlorine level in a swimming pool.
Not long ago a customer in northern Wisconsin starting machining a powdered metal product. They were looking for a coolant that would provide exceptional tool life and finish. The recommended coolant was Semi-synthetic 8126. Once charged into the machine sump, the coolant was able to provide finished parts that surpassed all criteria for finish and tool life. Over a period of the next few months, the coolant continued to work as it had in the beginning. Then, about three months into the program, the finish started to drop off. Evaluation of the coolant revealed that nothing was unusual. Then it was discovered by Coolant Equipment and Filters working with S. C. Chemical Company that the three-month-old coolant was not wearing out but becoming contaminated with small particles of powdered metal that actually interfered with the machining process. A filter was attached to the coolant system and the process was allowed to continue without any further difficulty. This is a prime example of companies working together for everyone’s benefit.
This article originally appeared in Shop Talk magazine in May of 2007. Shop Talk is published
by Magellan Publishing.
