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Attention to cooling lubricant prevents problems with CNC machines

In the machining industry, many companies have large numbers of CNC machines. In some cases, these machines run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Production goes on, and the machines have to keep running. Often these machines are highly automated and make use of the latest technologies. But there are some aspects that are often neglected. One of these is correct maintenance of cooling lubricant. After a while, leak-off oil or slideway oil forms an airtight layer on the cooling lubricant. As a result, bacteria and mould have the opportunity to grow, which can cause various problems. Some of these problems are reduced production quality, health problems for workers and higher costs due to the need to replace the cooling lubricant sooner. Preventing these problems is the main reason it is so important to maintain the cooling lubricant properly.

Maintaining the quality of cooling lubricant

At Hebemann we naturally recommend that you skim the cooling lubricant regularly. This prevents the formation of an airtight layer of leak-off oil on the cooling water, so bacteria and mould do not grow and the cooling lubricant lasts much longer.
During production hours, some of a CNC machine’s cooling lubricant will always evaporate. This results in the cooling water level being too low, which in turn has all kinds of negative consequences for your production. A system such as the Fluid Fill Matic can help. This automatic topping-up system monitors the cooling water level and automatically replenishes it at the correct concentration. This results in considerable savings in the production work with cooling lubricant.

Stagnant cooling water

Bacterial growth occurs sooner in stagnant water. This also applies to stagnant cooling lubricant. It is therefore a good idea to keep the content of the cooling water tank circulating. Liquids in the lines connected to the CNC machine can also be a hotbed for bacterial growth. It pays to keep an eye on this—by regularly checking and cleaning the lines, for example—and to make sure that bacteria do not get a foothold here.

Don’t wait, maintain straight away

Once the cooling lubricant has been replaced, it is easy to become complacent and pay less attention to its quality and maintenance for a while. Since it is new, we think it is in excellent condition and put it out of our minds. But it is precisely during this initial period that is important to keep the emulsion good for as long as possible. At Hebemann we therefore advise you to skim the cooling water right from the start, as this will prevent the leak-off oil from forming an airtight layer. Users of the Oil Grazer M3 have found that this will easily double the service life of the cooling lubricant.

New: Oil Grazer M3 – no more excuses, perfectly maintained cooling lubricant

Good news for the machining industry: there is a revolutionary new skimmer for cooling lubricant on the market! The Hebemann company from Haaksbergen has worked with companies from the metalworking industry to completely redesign the oil skimmer. The key design principle, apart from efficient skimming of the cooling lubricant, was ease of use in the normal daily working environment. The result is an innovative design with a new method of skimming. Flexible, to service numerous cooling lubricant tanks. Thanks to the Oil Grazer M3 there is no more excuse for not having perfectly maintained your cooling lubricant.

 

The importance of properly maintaining the cooling lubricant is known to practically every company in the machining industry. Over time, tramp oil forms a layer on the cooling lubricant, resulting in the growth of bacteria and moulds.
The problems this leads to should not be underestimated: deterioration of the quality of the emulsion, health complaints for employees, reduced process quality, rejection of products, higher costs due to more frequent replacement of cooling lubricants and reduced machine life, just to mention a few. The use of a skimmer is often seen as the best solution for this.

Nevertheless, despite the use of different types of skimmers, these problems continue to occur at many companies. Among other things, the supposedly beneficial skimmers often turn out to be a source of irritation in practice. Lots of cooling lubricant is lost, the equipment is too inflexible, it requires regular maintenance or, in some cases, it simply stops working. Portable skimmers are often not user-friendly, both when it comes to moving them and in daily use. Moreover, the many parts often make cleaning complicated and time-consuming. While these difficulties are certainly not a valid excuse for allowing problems to develop with the cooling lubricant, that they do lead to problems is understandable.

The Oil Grazer M3 was developed specifically to eliminate all these problems. It’s a completely new, progressive concept that is based on flexibility, speed, effectiveness, ease of use and quality.
The result is a highly mobile skimmer with quick couplings that can be quickly moved from one cooling lubricant tank to another. In addition, thanks to the powerful suction, each tank is completely cleaned in no time and the skimmer can be used with several machines daily. In addition, the unique separation method in combination with an intelligent skim program ensures a very effective skimming process. This also makes the use of the skimmer very easy, because the Oil Grazer M3 has exactly one control button. All other control functions are handled by the advanced skimmer itself.
In addition to the functional design, all components have also been carefully tested and are of high quality. A proven Siemens PLC monitors all processes, and the powerful diaphragm pump ensures constant operation. The Oil Grazer M3 is a reliable solution, now and in the future.

To ensure efficient operation, Hebemann developed a new method of skimming in close consultation with companies in the machining industry. This method is based on the smart use of gravity to separate oil from cooling water. The use of three steps with multiple compartments guarantees virtually complete separation. The purified cooling lubricant is pumped back to the cooling lubricant tank, and only the contaminated oil is discharged. After all, cooling lubricant is costly.

The Oil Grazer M3 draws in the liquid through a new modular mechanism: the pick-up system. This system provides constant suction and automatically adjusts to the liquid level of the cooling lubricant tank. This results in very efficient removal of the oil layer from the liquid. The diaphragm pump in the Oil Grazer M3 provides high surface flow and thus better conditions to prevent bacterial growth. The skimmer works very quickly and therefore does not have to be continuously connected to a single cooling lubricant tank. Since each cooling lubricant tank can be fitted with its own pick-up system with quick couplings, connecting and disconnecting the Oil Grazer M3 takes just seconds.

The Oil Grazer M3 is also an intelligent machine. For example, the skim program not only ensures quick and complete cleaning of the cooling lubricant tank but also adapts the operation and energy consumption to the situation. The whole skimming process is constantly monitored, and an advanced microcontroller recognizes and resolves any problems that may develop. For example, when the oil container is full, the machine stops automatically, so no more overflows.

The design of the Oil Grazer M3 is not only unique but also very functional. Due to the use of a rotationally moulded housing with rounded corners and smooth surfaces, the skimmer is quick and easy to clean. And the chosen design means that the skimmer is easily movable. In fact, the Oil Grazer M3 has an ergonomically designed handle especially for this purpose.

Following a period of intensive development and testing, Hebemann is now proud to present the Oil Grazer M3. The advanced skimmer has been developed and designed together with various companies from the machining industry to meet all the real-world requirements. Partly for this reason, the Oil Grazer M3 is a skimmer that really convinces. A skimmer that separates the oil better, works faster, is easy to maintain and is highly mobile. No more excuses… from now on your coolant is always perfectly maintained!

About sherry and your coolant

I once visited some wine cellars in Jerez in Spain, where I had a glimpse inside the oak wine barrels that they use. Over the surface of the wine, covering it entirely, was a thick greyish white layer which the sherry makers lovingly referred to as ‘flor’. This fermenting layer seems to be what gives the sherry its flavour, but since seeing it, I’ve decided to drink other drinks.

I found myself thinking about this smelly ‘flor’ when I visited a machining company recently. Like at many companies in the industry, the cooling lubricant bath had a thick layer of leaked oil over the top – oil from the machine’s hydraulic system, forming an air-tight layer over the surface of the lubricant. While the sherry makers’ layer was primarily yeast, the oil layer was a hotbed for bacteria and mould.

The machining industry sets great store by favourable working conditions, but the very same industry does not seem to recognise the serious threat to health that cooling lubricant baths can pose. The leaked oil is the ultimate breeding ground for bacteria,

the most common of which are the ‘pseudomonas aeruginosa’, which are infamous for their failure to respond to antibiotics. Pseudomonas aeruginosa are responsible for serious wound infections if they manage to penetrate the skin. Small metal shards in the layer of oil can quickly damage the skin in the event of contact, and the effects of the bacteria in the leaked oil are then serious.

Perhaps you had no idea. Your colleague at the company I was visiting wasn’t either, and was shocked by this ‘secret’. We discussed the possibility of ‘skimming’ the company’s various cooling lubricant baths at regular intervals. Skimmers are able to remove the hazardous layer of oil from the bath very effectively and one mobile skimmer was enough for the company.

If you’d like to know more about skimming and skimmers and how they can help to improve the quality of your end product, extend the service life of your machines and enhance hygiene on the shop floor, check out the page for the Oil Grazer. For pragmatic employers who’d like to advance their quality assurance and working conditions, Hebemann offers an effective solution. Skimming is an investment that will pay for itself very quickly.

Niels Bloemen