Let the Good Parts Roll

The hyper-competitive world of metal fabrication and machining demands a long-lasting, globally approved fluid with great lubricity that helps metalworkers reduce their operating costs and improve their productivity. To meet this need, Biosolutions, LLC (Grand Haven, MI) turned to ANGUS Chemical Company (Buffalo Grove, IL) for help in developing an improved metalworking fluid that would also be environmentally sustainable. The coolant formulation from Biosolutions worked well for two-three weeks, but its performance would rapidly decrease within two months. Adam Bringedahl and Joe Saviano, scientists at Biosolutions, hypothesized that microbial contamination was metabolizing important components, decreasing product performance and shortening product life.

Working together, Biosolutions and ANGUS began investigating whether CORRGUARD® EXT, a multifunctional primary amino alcohol, would extend the life of the fluid and improve its performance. For nine months, various formulations were tested using CORRGUARD EXT and several other amines, including dicyclohexylamine (DCHA). In simulated production conditions, bacterial and fungal counts, pH and cast-iron corrosion were monitored weekly. The results were conclusive: two fluids containing CORRGUARD EXT – the experimental Trial Product 1 and Biosolutions’ new commercial product, Bio 9001 – outlasted the others by 250 percent and yielded considerably less tooling wear (see Figure 1).

Key findings from the trials included:

• The average tooling wear over the parts run for various products shows Bio 9001 outperforming the competition.
• With CORRGUARD EXT, fluid lubricity was maintained over time.
• Other fluids lost lubricity as biostability decreased.
• Test data shows other fluids initially performed slightly better, but Bio 9001 outperformed competitors by maintaining biostability for much longer.

Biosolutions continued the reformulation process, replacing several other components before arriving at the final product, an oil-rejecting synthetic fluid. This final formulation contained CORRGUARD EXT as the main amine component, as well as a new biocide system. The new product, Bio 9001, provides many benefits to mill operators, including:

• A useful life exceeding six times that of the prior formula, generating savings in fluid, maintenance, tool replacement and labor costs.
• Improved overall equipment efficiency (OEE) of 30 percent:
• Increased mill capacity due to less down time replacing fluid.
• Smoother running mills, creating less wear and fewer tool replacements.
• More parts and higher revenue over the life of the mill.
• A cleaner mill and reduced cleaning costs due to excellent tramp oil rejection and regular removal, preventing further microbial growth and allowing fluid components, such as CORRGUARD EXT, to continue to do their jobs.

The new fluid is now running successfully on Biosolutions customers’ rolling mills that are primarily used to manufacture automotive parts in the United States and China. Biosolutions is working with regulatory agencies to expand the use of the new fluid globally including Europe, Mexico and Thailand. Also, based on the success of Bio 9001, CORRGUARD EXT is being tested in other formulations, including Emerald CNC, a longer-lasting fluid for computer numerical control (CNC) machining (see Figure 2).

As a breakthrough innovation, CORRGUARD EXT enables longer-lasting metalworking fluids with improved pH stability and multi-metal compatibility:

• Significantly lengthens fluid life in the presence of registered biocides
• Maintains good pH stability without excessive alkalinity
• Excellent for multi-metal formulations (reduces need for buffering amines and phosphorus-based staining inhibitors)
• Resists extraction into tramp oil
• Excellent maintenance of ferrous metal corrosion control
• Biodegradable in the environment

“CORRGUARD EXT provides a new approach to old problems in the metalworking fluid industry. Our research shows that preventing microbial contamination has become one of our highest priorities. This approach helped us create new metalworking fluids that bring biostable to the table,” noted Saviano.

Biosolutions, LLC, Grand Haven, MI 49417, 616-846-1210, [email protected], biosolutionsllc.com.

ANGUS Chemical Company, 1500 E Lake Cook Road, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, 847-808-3887, angus.com.