Case Studies

The customer conducts milling, turning and thread rolling operations on stainless steel, cast iron and various grades of steel. With the previous coolant and the demanding environment, the customer struggled to sustain fluid life for longer than three months, despite following recommended maintenance guidelines. Even after a full sump cleanout, the fluid would begin to show signs of bacteria within two months. Every cleanout required at least two days of machine downtime, significantly reducing productivity.

To extend sump life and achieve better resistance to bacterial contamination, the customer began a trial of TRIM™ MicroSol™ 515, a high lubricity semi-synthetic fluid that provides machine- friendly cooling ability and mechanical lubricity. The versatile formula is best suited for demanding, mixed metal operations and excels on materials such as aluminium, titanium alloys, and steel alloys. With a tight emulsion, MicroSol 515 is more resistant to carryoff than traditional cutting fluids, formulated to be clean running and trouble free.

After filling one of their machine tool sumps with MicroSol 515, the customer was able to operate a full 12 months without the need to change the fluid and without making any modifications to their coolant maintenance guidelines. The new coolant prevented any bacteria formation in the sump, preventing the need for regular cleanouts and reducing the overall coolant usage. Overall machine downtime and maintenance declined sharply, enabling greater productivity and higher revenue.

Since the trial, the customer has converted more than 80% of the machines on their shop floor to MicroSol 515. In those 12 months, the customer has only had to clean out the sump once due to a buildup of swarf unrelated to the cutting fluid. Full conversion of the machine shop to MicroSol 515 was completed at the end of January 2023.