What are metalworking fluids?

Metalworking fluids are specialized liquids used in various machining and manufacturing processes involving metal. These fluids are essential for ensuring efficient, precise, and high-quality metalworking operations.

Coolant is a fluid used to regulate temperature and remove heat from systems or processes. It is commonly used in various applications, such as automotive engines, industrial machinery, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems.

New Coolant Designed for Automotive Parts Production

Productivity, economic efficiency and machining quality are factors that critically depend on selecting the right metalworking fluid for your application. B-Cool Motec 501 from Blaser Swisslube is the first water-miscible coolant that has been developed specifically for the challenges of high-volume automotive parts production.

“Everyone understands the importance of having the right CNC machine, choosing the best cutting tools for the application, figuring out the workholding and assigning the right operator to the job,” says Carsten Witthuser, managing director of Blaser Swisslube Americas. “These are the big costs attributed to manufacturing any part, but with so many decisions, coolant can be an afterthought and many shops do not take time to consider the critical importance of choosing the right one for their application.”

The right metalworking fluid must ensure efficient lubrication to achieve precise concentricity and flawless part finishes. Source: Blaser Swisslube

B-Cool Motec 501 is a modern, semisynthetic metalworking fluid with a unique chemical platform that makes it highly suitable for series production in the automotive industry. The formula offers outstanding tool life, foam control, cleanliness and efficiency. It promises to deliver a productivity boost to manufacturers of engine components and housings, alloy wheels, turbochargers and other precision parts with a minimal investment.

The right metalworking fluid does a lot more than you think. It is an often overlooked strategic tool for manufacturers. Coolant should be considered an investment to optimize a manufacturing process. Source: Blaser Swisslube

Key Benefits of B-Cool Motec 501

In the laboratory and field trials, B-Cool Motec 501 scores high for material compatibility, including alloys frequently used in vehicle production such as aluminum-silicon-copper and aluminum-silicon-magnesium. The good rinsing behavior keeps parts and machines clean, and the high stability of the emulsion reduces maintenance time. Together with low top-off rates, users have experienced up to a 21% reduction in production costs.

In one case, B-Cool Motec 501 was tested in a particularly challenging machining process for an automotive OEM. The customer manufactures cylinder heads, among other things. Here, boring of the camshaft mounts is considered to be the most critical operation, with the highest demands in terms of runout tolerance and surface quality. Because boring tools are used with guide pads, the metalworking fluid must also ensure efficient lubrication of the pads to achieve the precise concentricity.

High-quality metalworking fluids are made from raw materials that will not harm people or the environment. Source: Blaser Swisslube

In the past, only metalworking fluids with a high oil content could meet these demands. B-Cool Motec 501 proved to be a game changer. Despite the low oil content of 15%, the performance tests were exceeded and the quality of the surface finish was better than ever before.

Equally as important as the actual performance of coolant in the machine, at the point where the tool meets the workpiece, is the wide-ranging impact on other major cost centers in the shop. It is no less important than a drill or an endmill in its usefulness, but perhaps more important considering the wide-reaching, but sometimes unnoticed, impact on the rest of the shop.

Wide-Ranging Impact on Manufacturing Costs

The versatility of Motec 501 makes it ideal for the automotive production environment which has a range of materials and part families. It can be used in the machining of aluminum, steel, stainless steel, cast iron and sintered metals, and works equally well across a wide range of machining processes — from milling, turning, drilling, reaming and fine boring all the way through to thread cutting and thread forming.

For any shop, there are specific steps to reliably estimate the potential cost improvements made possible with a new metalworking fluid such as Motec 501. At Blaser Swisslube, the first step is a situational analysis that includes a review of the local water quality, types of materials, cutting processes and specific machine capabilities such as high-pressure systems.

When a metalworking fluid is well matched on all parameters — from the material and cutting tool to the machine and its environment — it can significantly impact the entire production process. It will reliably produce more parts through faster cycle times, save money by extending tool life and reduce maintenance tasks.

To learn more about B-Cool Motec 501, visit Blaser Swisslube!