On average, the cost of cutting fluid comprises less than 1% of a manufacturer’s budget, but it directly affects almost every aspect of a manufacturer’s operation. Many manufacturers seek to improve their production by recycling their cutting fluid to extend its useful life, lower waste disposal, and improve coolant performance. Let’s look at the numbers.
In most manufacturing operations, cutting fluid’s life cycle looks something like this:
Leading to high fluid usage and disposal, this approach has a number of disadvantages:
Master Fluid Solutions® pioneered cutting fluid recycling systems in the 1970s and completely changed the way manufacturers look at coolant. The specialized recycling equipment removes contaminants from the fluid so it performs like new, for longer periods of time, while significantly reducing waste and cutting fluid spend. Still, many manufacturers choose to weigh whether to invest in fluid recycling because it:
Cost, fluid consumption, and disposal savings can be significant — especially over time and easily justify the cost of a recycling system providing a quick ROI. Selecting a cutting fluid partner who is proficient in fluid recycling is a great first step. With proper fluid management and recycling, one manufacturer saved $2.65 million!
Another company, a Thailand-based hard-drive disk manufacturer, struggled with a poor sump life. Fluid contamination accumulated quickly, leading to frequent coolant replacement, increasing machine downtime and decreasing productivity. Even with frequent cleanouts, the customer struggled with bacteria growing in the sump and spreading odor throughout the workshop.
The manufacturer installed a XYBEX® coolant recycling system to purify the cutting fluid, without the need for a total sump cleanout and replacement. In a short time, the customer reduced overall fluid consumption by 50%. As consumption decreased, disposal costs also went down by more than 80%. Since the implementation of the XYBEX system and training from Master Fluid Solutions experts, the manufacturer has only had to do one sump cleanout in a three-year period.
Cutting fluid recycling systems dramatically reduce fluid consumption, saving money on coolant and reducing machine downtime in the process. Manufacturers also enjoy other benefits from the enhanced fluid performance. With better lubricity, cooling, and fluid cleanliness, cutting tools’ life is improved. As sustainability becomes an increasingly important KPI for manufacturers around the world, reducing coolant waste plays a crucial role in achieving those goals.
Ready to save more money on cutting fluid? Contact one of our distributors to learn more about how your shop can benefit from a XYBEX fluid recycling system.