Coolant differs from cutting oils in that all coolants are added to water. Some coolants contain water as a carrier for certain ingredients and some coolants have no added water meaning that they are supplied in a highly concentrated form. Often, water is mixed to the coolant in the machine shop to bring it to the required concentration. But what if your shop water is impure enough to be called a coolant killer?
Solving the problem of coolant-killing water may cost some money - but it can be worth it in coolant savings.
De-ionized (DI) water and Reverse Osmosis (RO) water remove the impurities from your water and allows you to mix your coolant with, in most cases, extremely well-purified water.
In every case I have come across in the past 25+ years, when the quality of the water is improved, the amount of coolant being used is reduced by a minimum of 20-25 percent. From there, the calculation becomes pretty simple. If you spend $30,000 per year on coolant for your machine shop, you can expect to save at least $6,000 to $7,000 once you’ve installed a water treatment system.
The people at Coolant Equipment and Filters helped one machine shop 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.
When you improve the quality of your water supply, your coolant will not only last longer but you will also realize another money-saving benefit—you will greatly reduce your coolant disposal costs.
Need more answers? Not sure who to turn to? Give S.C. Chemical a call toll-free 888-729-0176. Ask to speak with Ed Thaves.
