Concentrate on the Concentration

Dear friends,

I have seen many coolant related problems over the years that I’ve been dealing with metalworking fluids. Smell/odor, rust, poor tool life, excessive foaming along with others, but they mostly all have one thing in common - low coolant concentration. Whoever would have thought that such a simple thing as low coolant concentration could lead to so many fluid problems? I am here to tell you that in many of these instances; this turns out to be just the case. So many coolant issues could easily be avoided by just doing a simple concentration measurement check once a week. This is done by using a refractometer. If you’re not familiar with the proper use of a refractometer or you’re saying to yourself, “what the heck is a refractometer?” then ask your current fluid supplier to show you what one is and most importantly, how to use it.

Don’t be alarmed if you haven’t heard about a refractometer, as most people don’t know what one is either. The most important thing to remember however is to use it once you have it. Whether it is an optical or digital refractometer doesn’t matter, as they all do the same thing, measure coolant concentration. There is an old saying in the industry; you might have heard of it, it goes like this, “You can’t control what you don’t measure”. How true this statement is, especially regarding metalworking fluids. Proper coolant concentration plays into so many factors regarding metalworking fluid performance. Tool life, corrosion protection, surface finish and coolant bio-stability are all controlled by coolant concentration. Now it stands to reason that if low coolant concentration can be such an issue, then high coolant concentration shouldn’t be any problem at all - right? Wrong.

When coolant concentration exceeds the manufacturer’s maximum recommendations, a whole host of other issues can develop. Higher foam potential, excessive drag out on chips (higher usage), potential staining issues on various Aluminum alloys due to a higher pH, and unjustifiable coolant costs. The goal is to keep the concentration within the recommended operating range; your metalworking fluid manufacturer can provide you with this information.

Just remember, concentrate on the concentration!

Stay tuned for more useful coolant tips, from The Coolant Guy!

Best regards,

Brett Reynolds, CMFS

Brett Reynolds, “The Coolant Guy” works for Blaser Swisslube Inc.

If you would like more useful information regarding metalworking fluids, or would like to find out more information about Blaser metalworking fluid products,

Please contact Brett at 801-722-4095 or via

E-mail at b.reynolds@blaser.com

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