W
orldwide demand for environ- mentally responsible metalworking fluids is on the rise. The reasons are varied and include regulatory requirements, industry trends, cost, and the fact that they are made from renewable resources, perform better, and provide workers with more healthy and safe environments. Let’s examine these various reasons.
Regulatory Requirements In the European Union, lubricants- metalworking fluids are lubricants are included in the voluntary Eco-label initiative, which is dedicated to stimulating the supply and demand of products with reduced environmental impact. The number of country-specific standards for environmental labelling of metalworking fluids and other chemicals is ever-increasing, including Blue Angel certification in Germany, the SS 155434 standard in Sweden, and VAMIL regulation in the Netherlands. In the U.K., the Health and Safety Executive is developing more stringent mandatory workplace exposure limits to airborne mist from metalworking fluids.
Industry Trends In the private sector, a growing interest in renewable resource-based metalworking fluids is evidenced by the fact that ISO 15380 includes environ- mentally friendly fluids, and that a major automotive manufacturer has endorsed biobased metalworking fluids. In addition, the Canadian Auto Workers Union has recommended vegetable- based alternatives.
Better Performance In years past, users were concerned about how long vegetable-based fluids would continue to perform and how they would impact tool life compared to first-generation vegetable-based fluids. But today, many of these concerns have been reduced thanks to improvements in the available technology. Providing extended sump life with water- extendable fluids containing vegetable oil technology is still a challenge; however, using the latest renewable resource additive developments in combination with effective microbial control chemistry can overcome many of the problems experienced with the earliest generations of vegetable-based metalworking fluids.
The performance of environmentally friendly products is getting better and better. In fact, the new generation of additives for metalworking fluid delivers performance in vegetable-based fluids
6 LUBE MAGAZINE JUNE 2007
that is comparable or superior to petroleum-based fluids.
The polarity of ester and vegetable synthetic fluids means that they are naturally attracted to metal surfaces. The result is more effective lubrication compared to non-polar, petroleum-based fluids. This polarity also can provide a few extras: an extra measure of corrosion protection with its protective film on metal parts, and lubricity performance that can compare to or surpass petroleum-based formulations. This enhanced lubrication is particularly important in heavy-duty metalworking applications, which require a high level of lubricity.
Environmentally Responsible Metalworking Fluids Gain Momentum
Next-generation technologies also offer the ability to provide performance on softer metals, such as magnesium and aluminum alloy metalworking applications, with clean-operating, fully synthetic formulations. This ability is particularly important because of the trend among manufacturers, particularly of vehicles, to use “light” metals to reduce weight. There is a positive environmental impact as well, resulting from improved fuel economy in those lighter-weight vehicles.
Health, Safety and the Environment Worker concerns about their health, safety and environment have increasingly driven the metalworking industry to look at two ways to make improvements:
1. Chemical additive interventions – Fluids used to remove metal and to cool and lubricate cutting tools during the high-speed, high-pressure metalworking process enter the air as a fine mist. In addition to the fact that mist enters the environment, it can create workplace hazards in the form of slippery floors and work surfaces as well as respiratory health hazards for workers. New additive components are designed to make metalworking fluids, whether synthetic
or petroleum-based, more benign when used with traditional filtration and ventilation systems to reduce mist. These additive components stabilize metalworking fluids during production, thereby suppressing mist formation and reducing significant contaminants from the air. Mist reduction has the added benefit of significantly reducing strain on required filtration or ventilation equipment, increasing the return on capital invested in those systems.
2. Synthetic-based metalworking fluids – These include renewable resource fluids, such as vegetable based, and fluids using a combination of chemicals. The ecological benefits of using synthetic metalworking technologies are universally recognized. But there are significant performance advantages that transcend that. Renewable product- based fluids also have the advantage to being easier to handle and may face less stringent occupational exposure limits than petroleum-containing fluids.
Cost
One of the primary obstacles limiting the use of synthetics for aqueous metalworking fluids has been their cost compared to petroleum. Today, that cost gap is rapidly closing. In fact, vegetable oils may even have seasonal cost advantages. Furthermore, as the cost of petroleum base stocks rises, vegetable- based fluids are becoming more attractive. In Italy, excise taxes imposed on imported mineral oil-based fluids result in a definite cost advantage for vegetable-based fluids.
Use of environmentally responsible metalworking fluids is definitely gaining momentum globally. While regulatory requirements, trends in the industry and concerns about worker health and safety are significant drivers in the rise of their use, we cannot discount the lessening of several significant concerns, performance and cost. Improvements in technology have significantly enhanced the performance vegetable-based fluids, while the cost differential compared to petroleum-based fluids has become less of an issue, opening the door to greater use of environmentally responsible fluids.
Daniela Gabriel,
Metalworking Additives European Technical Services Manager The Lubrizol Corporation
Link
www.lubrizol.com
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