Innovation in Metalworking fluids (MWF)
Compositions of lubricating fluids are changing rapidly. What about when it comes to industrial applications? Some areas are certainly ripe for innovation: step up, metalworking fluids (MWF).
MWFs cover a range of oils and other liquids that are used to cool and/or lubricate metal workpieces when they are being machined, ground, and milled.
MWFs reduce the heat and friction between the cutting tool and the workpiece, which helps to prevent burning and smoking. It’s essential that all MWFs are both safe to use and meet a specified ecological standard. For manufacturers to meet that standard, they need to pay attention to three key pillars:
1. Raw materials: using renewable resources where possible, maintaining a low toxicity profile, ensuring efficient performance.
2. Metalworking processes: saving production costs, ensuring health and safety, enabling a fluid lifecycle, reducing after-treatment costs.
3. Carbon footprint: considering emissions throughout the entire product journey, from cradle to grave.
Over time, many previous solutions have been phased out due to safety and environmental concerns. These include short chain chlorinated paraffins, boric acid and derivatives, nitrates and formaldehyde releasers. This is a trend that looks set to continue, as more products come under regulatory scrutiny each year. In order to stay ahead, it’s essential for formulators to seek out new chemistries with an improved environmental and safety profile.
Meanwhile, e-mobility continues to drive innovation, resulting in much less metalworking required per car produced. Nevertheless, metalworking fluids will still have an important volume worldwide. Driven by changes to industry needs, leading formulators are developing new materials and alloys, for example for weight reduction. It’s now also possible to
develop MWFs for harder or new alloys and higher process temperatures.
Regulatory road
Regulatory developments are putting more power into the hands of manufacturers, enabling them to rely on standardised, certified raw material solutions to power their innovations. These vary from region to region, impacting on product design and usability. Take Germany, for example — Europe’s biggest metalworking market is regulated by several agencies, including BAUA (Bundesanstalt fuer Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin), DGUV (Deutsche gesetzliche Unfallversicherung), and more. In Europe there is also ECHA (European Chemical Agency). Outside of Europe, in the USA the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is a key regulatory agency, and in Canada there is Environment Canada and Health Canada, amongst others.
The Global metalworking fluids market size was valued at $11.6 billion in 2019 and is projected to surpass $16 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 4.8% from 2020 to 2026 1
The bigger picture
Customers expect a complete fluid management system that considers environmental impact on the whole supply chain. To fulfil these expectations in today’s metalworking industry, lubricant producers need to consider the role of the fluid during the whole operation, including in-process control and tank side treatment.
It’s a complex consideration that relies on expertise.
Excellent fluid management goes even further by considering what happens even after the manufacturing process is complete, for example by collecting used fluids, which can be a mixture of water, oil, metal chips and contaminants. These are separated out into clean fluid on the one hand and chips plus cleaner on the other. As a result, fluid can be recirculated back into the process, and only a small amount of material must be disposed of. The benefits are significant, not only in terms of lowering costs but particularly when it comes to the environment. Finally, oil at the end of the life cycle is not simply disposed of, but instead is sent to re-refineries for the fluids to be recycled into new base oils with a whole new life.
That’s why modern MWF manufacturers are much more than merely formulators. In fact, they should consider themselves fluid management experts. It’s their job to think ahead, managing the entire product lifecycle, and it’s that level of service that becomes a real game
changer for the customer.
Solutions to watch out for
- Anti-wear and extreme pressure additives with limited labelling to reduce the risk of contact hazard
- Sustainable additives – from renewable sources or sources that put less pressure on the environment
- Ester base oils – from natural (oleochemical) or synthetic sources
- Modern Biocides – with a less hazardous profile and the ability to be handled safely