The Clean Manufacturing Game Part 5 of 10

Are You Playing the Clean Manufacturing Game?
A 10 part blog series discussing important aspects of clean manufacturing technology and implementation strategy.

Clean Machining – Part 5 of 10

The literature suggests that operational costs related to the use of flooded cooling lubricants can range between 7% and 17% of the total costs of the manufactured workpiece. Intangible costs to a business must also be considered. For example, cutting fluids, especially those containing petroleum oils, have become a huge liability. No matter how safe and environmentally friendly a cutting fluid may be, governmental regulations demand special handling the moment it is poured into a sump.

A new cooling-lubrication technology called CO2 machining has been recently introduced. CO2 machining provides superior penetration, cooling, cleaning and lubricating capability for very demanding machining applications. CO2 machining resolves many of the waste characteristics of conventional machining fluid processes and can be implemented along side many older and newer metalworking machinery, tools and fluids for cleaner and leaner machining operations.

The CO2 machining system combines a source of propellant gas (i.e., compressed air), minute amounts of bio-based lubricants (i.e., soybean oil), and CO2 in various concentrations to form an infinitely adjustable cooling lubricant spray. CO2 machining systems employs a novel Coanda-coaxial injector and spray applicator and controls machining heat by using both a physical and chemical effect. Frictional heat generated at the cutting edge is eliminated through the delivery of reactive lubricants (chemical effect), including carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, which produce beneficial tribochemical reactions. The majority of the machining heat produced by the deformation of the material itself is removed using adjustable spray compositions containing microscopic particles of solid carbon dioxide, which impact hot surfaces at high velocity and remove heat through a phase change (physical effect) phenomenon.

David Jackson is President/CEO of Cleanlogix LLC and serves as the Chief Technology Officer for Cool Clean Technologies, Inc, based in Eagan, MN. He may be reached via e-mail at david.jackson@coolclean.com.

Part 6 of this series discusses bio-based lubricant technology.