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How to choose the best cutting fluid

Category Metalworking Cutting Fluids min

Built-for-purpose lubricants, cutting fluids play a key role in machining – making them the workhorse of the metalworking industry.

Fluids lubricate and cool the cutting tool during machine processes, but also the metal workpiece. They minimise friction and heat in the work area, preventing workpiece damage and unwarranted tool wear. As a result, it’s vital to choose the best cutting fluid for each application, and here we supply information on how to select the optimal product.

Understand operations involved

The cutting fluid you choose depends on the operation being executed onsite. Cutting fluid has four main jobs to perform: it cools, lubricates, removes metal chips and controls corrosion.

Consider the types of machining involved in the process and the intensity of cutting required, as well as the work-piece material and how hard or brittle it is. Also find out what metals the cutting tool is made of and their properties.

Assess the workpiece material

Cutting fluids are necessary in a full spectrum of metal-working processes. Understanding the material composition of the workpiece and inherent properties of its metal helps determine the cutting fluid to choose. Typically, harder to cut metals require cutting fluids that provide enhanced lubrication.

Work out machining parameters

How complex is the machining process is?

The critical parameter when choosing a fluid is to consider the machining process in use. As a rule, the more complicated the processing, the more cutting fluid necessary.

Workpiece type is the second parameter. In steel machining operations, cutting fluids with EP (extreme pressure) additives are beneficial to prevent potential wear and tear on cutting tools. For heat resistance in machining, water-based cutting fluids and robust steel alloys are chosen as they hold up under high heat.

The third and final parameter is working out the cutting oil in relation to cutting tool composition. All cutting fluid types suit high-speed steel tools – if cutting tools are manufactured from tungsten carbide, fluids with powerful cooling qualities are preferable because of their extreme susceptibility to heat.

Understanding cutting fluid types

The final factor in choosing a cutting fluid is to understand the variants available.

Straight or neat cutting oils are undiluted options made with a petroleum base oil and no water. Soluble oils mix cutting oils with additives and water. They create an emulsion where the water acts as a coolant.

Synthetic cutting fluids don’t contain oil, but polymers, and they are designed to cope with intense metalworking processes.

Semi-synthetic cutting fluid combines synthetic fluids with soluble oils for a more affordable option than full-synthetic, but the flipside is that it operates at a reduced performance.

Armed with this understanding, operators can select a cutting fluid to meet their needs from trusted brands like Mobil, Morris and others.

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