MWF Industry Faces Change ..?? but Master Chemical has been recycling since 1971 !!!

I’ve been quite busy these days and unfortunately not had a lot of time to update my blog …… Until now !!! I’m back and will update often.

I read an interesting article in the recent edition of The Lube Report http://www.imakenews.com/lng/e_article002699658.cfm?x=bmmLrhk,bsBlpfK7

It states in the article that “One of the major changes coming in the future factory is the reuse and recycling of fluid”   ……. Hmmm?

Master Chemical Corporation (MCC) has been manufacturing and selling coolant recycling equipment since 1971 along with coolants designed to withstand the harsh environment that can be recycling. Think of a high-speed disk bowl centrifuge running at 10,000 rpm with a minimum of 6000 G-Forces, MCC coolants are made to handle this without concern, many competitors can not. Not all coolants are created equally and recycling separates the winners from the losers. Even if you are not considering recycling, Master Chemical should be looked at for your shop as you know that these products are made to be run in the heaviest duty application you can throw at it and it will run and run and run, daily, without concern.

Master Chemical knows coolant and coolant recycling. We can help you reduce costs.

The article goes onto say, “third-party fluid management will become the norm in the future. End users don’t want to dedicate the personnel or resources to manage their fluids; therefore, suppliers will manage the fluids for them.” I say, why have another expenditure in the equation, MCC can help you specify a trouble-free coolant for YOUR application and combine this with a recycling system suited to YOUR shop, we will train you completely and combined with your new experience, MCC’s experience and your distributor’s experience we will HELP YOU REDUCE COOLANT CONSUMPTION & COSTS.

If recycling is the way of the future. You should be discussing this with a company that has been doing this for decades with thousands of successes all over the world. Call me or email me at dfoster@masterchemical.com to see how we can “Maximize your Productivity & Minimize Waste”

http://www.masterchemical.com/na_en/xybex/index.php

MWF Industry Faces Changes

By Richard Beercheck

DETROIT – Myriad forces are buffeting the metalworking fluid industry, making it difficult to know how formulations will look in the future.

At the STLE conference earlier this month, John Burke of Houghton International, Valley Forge, Pa., reviewed the major drivers that will influence MWF formulation over the next 10 years and how fluids may look in the future.

 “One of the major changes coming in the future factory is the reuse and recycling of fluid. The customer wants payback and low cost, and we’re going to get that through recycling rather than waste treatment,” said Burke.

Organized labor restrictions will also have an impact on fluid formulation, Burke said. For example, in the past, organized labor pushed for mineral oil mist limits of 0.5 milligrams per cubic meter of air, for more detailed safety data sheets and for full disclosure of any potential health issues.

“These things should be common. We shouldn’t be trying to fight them,” he said. “Besides, under the Globally Harmonized System and REACH, the full disclosure issue is almost going to be a non-event. And pressure from organized labor will force fluid suppliers to move faster in these areas.”

The United Nations adopted the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) in 2003. REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) is the European Union’s chemical regulation law, which went into effect in June 2007.

Another issue is government targeted chemicals. “We hear about boron, formaldehyde, and chlorinated paraffins, but a few others are sneaking in, such as tungsten cobalt carbide, siloxanes and certain phenols,” Burke said. “Now, the government is looking at restricting the industrial use of castor oils because of the possible exposure of farm workers to ricin.”

Burke then turned to the debate between mineral oil and vegetable oil. “Mineral oil has been regulated by the EPA for 40 years. The biggest issues are visible sheen on water and that mineral oil is very slow to biodegrade. However,” he said, “while mineral oil is not considered a renewable resource, there is an infrastructure to recycle used oil.”

Vegetable oil is also regulated because it leaves a visible sheen and is not hydrocarbon neutral. “It interferes with the food chain,” Burke said, “and it cannot be made into biodiesel as easily as once thought, especially when it is mixed with mineral oil, water, metals and other contaminants.”

The big issue with vegetable is that there is no infrastructure to recycle it when it is mixed with mineral oil. In the sump and waste storage tank, these mixtures can turn into a thick, heavy grease-like sludge that is difficult to remove.

Burke explained that the esters in vegetable oils interfere with mineral oil rerefining, so rerefiners have set strict limits on the amount of vegetable oil they will accept in used oil. Therefore, in an industrial environment, the only ways to dispose of used vegetable oils are incineration or landfill.

Consequently, the future will see the continued use of mineral oil base stocks. “It can be used over and over through recycling,” Burke said. “And with the drought of 2012, there has been a spike in the cost of certain vegetable oils.”

The next issue is self-imposed end-user and formulator restrictions. Because of publicity, some users simply do not want to deal with certain chemicals. “When we start putting the various target pictograms on our MSDSs, end users will say they don’t want to take that risk,” Burke noted, adding that the general public will likely react in the same way.

“Formulators have a code of ethics interior to themselves,” he continued, “where they feel there’s too much risk with a certain chemical and won’t use it.” Dozens of chemicals have faded from the market, not because they are regulated, but because formulators weren’t comfortable using them. “This may be true for formaldehyde-donor biocides. They may disappear just because we don’t want to use them.”

In addition, chlorinated paraffins, fluids with high volatile organic compound emissions, solvent-cutback rust inhibitors, boron chemistries, biocides and vanishing oils could disappear, he said. And siloxanes are being targeted for their biopersistence.

Burke also expects a move to ultrahigh spindle speeds, high-pressure coolant and diamond tooling. “Where does that take us? It takes us to foam control. We need a lot of work in foam control and advances in fluid chemistry,” he said.

Burke said that in 10 years, congruent chemistries will become more common, where the coolant, cleaners and machine lubricants work together, not against one another. In addition, he sees the increased use of ultrastable fluids that are biostable, foam stable, oxidatively stable, hard water stable, residue stable and shear stable.

“The final fate of the fluid is critical,” Burke said. “We don’t want to have the fluid waste treated, we want to reuse it. Only ultra-stable fluids can do this.”

Burke concluded by saying that third party fluid management will become the norm in the future. End users don’t want to dedicate the personnel or resources to manage their fluids; therefore, suppliers will manage the fluids for them.

MWF Water Requirements

Water Requirements …

Some coolants will work in all types of water while others need a specific type such as deionized or mineral free. Deionized or RO (Reverse Osmosis) water does not contain the minerals that in time interferes with a coolant’s efficiency. Tap water has minerals, ions & bacteria. When water evaporates in the sump, it will leave behind the minerals that accumulate over time and continually rise. Concentrated minerals can form deposits & soaps, gumming up the metal working process.

A semi-synthetic coolant will take in oil and look like a soluble over time. 

Water Impurities:

Corrosion, residue, rancidity, foam and almost any metalworking fluid performance problem can be caused by the quality of the water used in the making the mix. Untreated water always contains impurities and the quality varies with the source. It may or may not contain dissolved minerals, dissolved gases, organic matter, microorganisms, or combinations of these that can cause deterioration of metalworking fluids.

The amount of dissolved minerals depends whether the source is near mineral deposits. Typically, lake water is of consistent quality, while river water varies with weather conditions. Well water (ground water), since it seeps through minerals in the earth, tends to contain more dissolved minerals than either lake or river water. Surface water, however, is likely to contain a higher number of microorganisms (bacteria & mold) and thus, may need treatment.

Some plants will use water supplied by a municipal water works, which maintains weekly and/or daily analysis of the water. To estimate the effect of water on a MWF mix the following should be measured:

• Total Hardness
• Alkalinity
• Calcium
• Chlorides – If too high, it can be hard to control rust.
• Phosphates
• Sulfate – can affect rust similar to chloride and promote bacteria (above 100ppm)
• pH

On water analysis results, Total Hardness has perhaps the greatest effect on the MWF. Hardness comes from dissolved minerals, usually calcium and magnesium ions (shown in ppm)

Soft Water, (Below 3.5gpg), may cause MWF to foam. Soluble oils and semi-synthetics tend to foam more easily in soft water.

Hard Water, (Above 7gpg) when combined with some water soluble MWF’s promote the formation of insoluble soaps. The dissolved minerals in the water combine with anionic demulsifiers to form “scum” in the mixture. This can coat machines, clog reservoirs, pipes & filters & cover the machine with a sticky residue.

Soluble oils typically have the least hard water stability; therefore hard water has a more detrimental effect on them. Separation of the mix can happen.

Semis & full synthetics may not be visibly affected by hard water and they may be formulated with good hard water tolerance. Dissolved minerals can, however, react with ingredients other than emulsifiers thus resulting in a change of the performance of the MWF and the product never reaches its full potential.

Water Treatment:

Water Softening

Water passes through a zeolite softener. The softener exchanges calcium and magnesium ions (positively charged ions responsible for water hardness) for sodium ions. Basically, water that was rich in calcium and magnesium ions becomes rich in sodium ions.

The total amount of dissolved minerals has not decreased, but sodium ions do not promote the formation of hard water soaps. Corrosive, aggressive negative ions are not removed by the zeolite and can continue to build up in the MWF mix and lead to corrosion problems or salty deposits.

Therefore the use of “softened” water is not recommended for water soluble MWF’s.

Demineralization

1. Deionizer is used to de-mineralize water, it will remove dissolved minerals. This can be done selectively or completely depending on the type and number of resin beds through which the water passes. A 2 bed resin deionizer process produces water of a sufficient quality for MWF’s as opposed to a more expensive mixed bed deionizer. 100% of dissolved solids are removed by ion exchange.
2. Reverse Osmosis removes dissolved minerals by forcing water through a semi permeable membrane under high pressure. Typically this process removes 90-95% of dissolved metals.

CONDUCTIVITY:

Is the measure of the conductance of a metalworking fluid. As the amount of dissolved materials, i.e.: calcium, magnesium, sodium, chlorides, etc. increases, the conductivity increases. Conductivity is expected to increase slowly over time. The rate of the increase depends on the quality of the water used, and the amounts and types of other contaminants. High levels of conductivity can promote various metalworking fluid problems.

Advantage to using pure water to mix coolants …?

• Easier mixing
• Small particle size
• Improved wetting & penetration
• Improved lubricity
• No gummy residue
• Improved filtration
• Less carry-off
• Greater bacterial & fungal resistance
• Reduced corrosion
• Less concentrate used
• Better tool & wheel life

Mixing Coolant Practices:

1. Always add premixed coolant to the machine
2. Always add coolant/oil to the water.   Remember O.I.L.
3. Agitate and pour into machine

TRIM® SC520 General-purpose Semisynthetic

   It’s been almost three years since Master Chemical brought out TRIM^® SC520 with the thought that, “Budget-minded job shops will be particularly pleased with this new, customer-driven, value-priced, versatile, semi-synthetic metalworking fluid upgrade from Master Chemical Corporation. By listening to their customers and developing new technologies, Master Chemical has been able to produce a significant upgrade to its popular TRIM^® SC200. TRIM^® SC520 provides lower odor, lower cost, and improved sump life compared to other value-priced, general-purpose semi-synthetics”

The last three years have been a tremendous success for TRIM^® SC520 and it has become one of Master Chemical’s top sellers. If you have a “job shop” working with multi metals in multi-operations, don’t hesitate to look at Master Chemicals TRIM^® SC520.

TRIM^® SC520 is a value-priced, low-odor, improved sump life, semi-synthetic metalworking fluid. TRIM SC520 uses a proven EP-additive package to control built-up edge and improve tool life. It performs well in multi-metal, multi-operational job shops and has the wetting and cooling characteristics necessary for superior machining results on high-speed milling and turning operations. It provides sufficient lubricity to do down-the-hole operations in aluminum, cast iron, and most steels, including many stainless steels. SC520 controls chip welding on soft, gummy materials like aluminum and will reject tramp oils rapidly which will help provide good sump life in “stand-alone” machine tools. Part of its value proposition is that it is compatible with a very wide range of materials including cast iron, steels, copper, and aluminum alloys as well as most plastics and composites. SC520 has low-to-moderate foam with normal low-pressure “flood” type coolant operations and will be easily recycled or disposed of using conventional techniques and equipment.

For more information email me at dfoster@masterchemical.com or check out our website at www.masterchemical.com

Mixing Coolants Correctly ..

The typical water-miscible, metal-working fluid should be considered as a material that is added at typically less than 10% by volume to convert water into something that can be used for machining purposes. This means that not only is the quality of the MWF (metal-working fluid) concentrate critical but the quality of the water and how it is added and mixed is critical.

From a mixing point of view there are two types of MWF’s: those that form an emulsion, and those that go into solution. Emulsions, also known as soluble oils or micro-emulsions should always be mixed by adding the concentrate to the water. Remember the term, O.I.L, meaning “Oil In Last”. Coolants that go into solution, typically semi-synthetics and synthetics can be mixed either way, by adding water to concentrate or vice-versa.

We have all heard the saying, “oil and water don’t mix” but in the MWF industry, we do it all the time. When we formulate MWF’s we add special surfactants called emulsifiers which aid in mixing the oil and water. These emulsifiers are a special surfactant where one end of the molecule is soluble in the oil and the other end in the water which allows very small oil droplets to be suspended in an immiscible liquid (the water). The amount of emulsifier, the type of the oil, and how it is mixed will dictate the size of the emulsion droplet. With MWF’s it is typically desirable to generate the smallest possible oil droplet, as these small droplets will penetrate to the point of cut better and reduce carry off of the fluid system.

To be safe, it is always best to add the MWF concentrate to the water, and because the make-up water is nearly always better than the water in the machine sump, it is always best to pre-mix the fluid outside the sump and then add the pre-mixed concentrate and the water to the sump. To optimize fluid performance, it is always good practise not to allow MWF concentration to fluctuate dramatically up or down but rather to add the proper amount of concentrate each time water is added to the system.

In situations where manual mixing is being done, it is best to fill a container part way full and then generate a vortex in the centre of the container by vigorous stirring while the concentrate is being added.

Keeping tight control of the fluid concentration ensures the MWF will never get to lean nor too rich. When the concentration is too lean, the result is often rust, bacterial infection and poor tool life. when the fluid is too rich, the mixture often causes eye, nose and skin irritation and is simply a waste of product.

Master Chemical Corporation has developed a complete line of mechanical concentrate mixers which eliminates the traditional manual fluid mixing methods that often result in imprecise concentration control.

The Master Mix is a compact, venturi type mixer. Water, jetting through the unit, creates a vacuum that siphons concentrate from the drum. A needle valve allows for adjustments across a mixture range. These come in 3, 10 and 25 GPM versions, with mixing range adjustable from 2% to 10%.

When more accurate and automatic mixing is needed, consider using Master Chemical’s Unimix. This is a water driven positive displacement proportioner which can dispense coolant on demand at the desired concentration. Average flow rate through all units is 5 GPM. Mixing ranges from 1% to 15%.

 

Adapted from Master Chemical technical Bulletins.  Find more information out at www.masterchemical.com or email me at dfoster@masterchemical.com

Understanding Grinding Fluid.

Proper fluid use is more than simply flooding the work area.

October 25, 2011

Ensuring proper grinding fluid usage.

Fluid use is very important in the grinding process because it reduces the effects of friction, removes heat from the work zone, and increases material removal. Most important, grinding fluid increases the material removal rate without increasing the damage to the surface of the workpiece.

Many cutting fluids are available today, so it is wise to choose the best option on the basis of application and material. With the goals being productivity improvement and cost reduction, shops must reduce scrap and create good, final parts. Properly selecting and applying grinding fluids can help manufacturers reach these goals.

“The fluid reduces friction by lubrication, either by chemical lubricity or by the use of an oil,” explained Master Chemical Corp. District Sales Manager for Canada David Foster. “The lubricity can be in the form of a lubricant that decreases the friction between the surfaces or it can act as a contaminant and reduce the shear stress in cutting.”

Grinding fluid also acts as a coolant, and even oil has some heat-transfer capability, but not as much as water-based coolants.

“Material removal is increased by the reduction in specific energy, which allows the stock removal rate to go up without increasing the surface damage to the workpiece,” said Foster.

Because the grinding process creates a lot of heat, flood coolant is most appropriate. However, it is equally important that the fluid be delivered where it is needed the most: at the point of cut.

“The application [method] of the fluid is very important; it should apply the fluid to the interface where it is needed the most,” said Foster. “Fluid application is not just a matter of bathing the area in fluid and assuming that it will be in the right place. The application method has to be engineered properly to ensure that the fluid is applied properly.”

Good final part quality relies on the fluid getting to the point of cut, in the correct volume, and at the proper velocity. Proper delivery allows the fluid to wet the wheel and the workpiece rapidly while providing the correct lubricity.

Examining the contact point is also important. The arc of contact in grinding is the portion of the circumference of the grinding wheel that is in contact with the workpiece. According to Foster, the longer the arc of contact, the more critical wetting becomes.

“The correct velocity also is very important. A lot of people will flood the grinding area, but this is actually not beneficial. The coolant should be moving at least as fast as the tool is moving at the point of cut for maximum benefit,” said Foster.

FLUID CHOICE

In any grinding operation the type of wheel and wheel dressing also determine the type of fluid that should be used. If the wheel is dressed in a coarse manner for stock removal, then the important factor in the process is cooling. This makes a water-based fluid essential.

In the finishing process, a highly lubricious fluid is needed, or in some cases a straight oil, which is a highly sulfurized fluid. If cubic boron nitride (CBN) is being used, then there is no substitute for a straight oil, Foster advised.

“Some water-based fluids can work well, but this should be evaluated with respect to the overall economics of the process,” said Foster. “Many companies do not allow oil in the plant because the side effects can be increased mist in the shop atmosphere and the risk of fire.”

The basic functions of grinding fluids are very similar to those of other cutting fluids despite large differences between the dynamics of the process.

“In machining we tend to think that softer materials will benefit from higher lubricity and harder materials will require higher cooling capabilities. The same is true for grinding,” said Foster. “For example, grinding oil with active sulfur or chlorine will be effective in reducing heat generation and providing a good finish, but the cooling ability will be relatively poor.”

MANAGEMENT & MAINTENANCE

Coolant management is important no matter what type of machining operation is being performed, but is especially important in grinding because of the small size of the chips, or swarf, coming off the workpiece, which can contaminate coolant very quickly. Proper coolant management will improve quality, increase productivity, decrease costs, and prevent excessive disposal.

“At the very basic level, proper mixing is important as are concentration checks using a refractometer and checking pH with paper strips,” said Foster. “Based on the size of a plant and the importance of its work, you can get into mixing units such as Master Chemicals’ UNIMIX™ to ensure proper concentration day in and day out.”

Maintaining coolant correctly after mixing also means understanding that evaporation will affect concentration levels. Ensuring the proper concentration levels are achieved and keeping the fluid clean will extend the life of the fluid. This is important in grinding applications because swarf can create bacteria growth in the fluid that will contribute to poor surface finishes. By using a refractometer, shops can quickly and easily check coolant dilution.

Other options include skimmers, coalescers, and complete fluid-recycling systems with centrifuges. Studies have shown that proper coolant management using a recycling system can reduce coolant costs by 40 to 60 percent, said Foster.

At its heart, good fluid management maximizes the fluid’s performance potential while actively maintaining it so it lasts as long as possible. Introducing proper fluid management techniques will help create a stable, consistent metalworking fluid.

Disposal methods for grinding fluids depend on the composition of the fluid being used. Shops should check their local or provincial authorities for best practice procedures.

www.masterchemical.com                                      dfoster@masterchemical.com

Taken from the article of the same name at http://www.cimindustry.com/article/grinding/understanding-grinding-fluid from the October 2011 edition of CIM (Canadian Industrial Machinery Magazine). Please click above to read many more great articles.

Save Money with Coolant Management

Today, more than ever before, customers want to preserve and protect their investment in metalworking fluid technologies. In fact, a well cared for coolant can last indefinitely. XYBEX, from Master Chemical represents the most comprehensive coolant management technology in existence. Based on decades of master Chemical’s experience in coolant recycling and coolant management, we have more systems in operation than all others combined. After all, Master Chemical Corporation invented coolant recycling.

If you are an end-user and want to find out and understand how you can cut 40%-80% of coolant costs by effective coolant management or are a distributor looking to achieve and sustain a growing and profitable business while helping YOUR customers to TRIM costs and TRIM metal, email me at dfoster@masterchemical.com you can also look over our products at http://www.masterchemical.com/na_en/equipment_products/index.php

 

 

TRIM® MicroSol® 585XT

 I am very excited to introduce a new product from Master Chemical that is starting to break sales records. This is an extended life, low foaming, non-chlorinated semi-synthetic, micro-emulsion technology. This product can provide excellent cooling and mechanical lubricity, along with the machine friendly characteristics you would expect from a premium TRIM coolant. While this is suited for machining and grinding gray iron, it will do extremely well in mixed metal situations and has been proven to be an exceptional fluid for titanium alloys.

 
• Dramatically extends useful life without the need for tank side biocides or fungicides.

• Compatible with a very wide range of material including cast iron, steels, copper, titanium and aluminum alloys, and many plastics and composites

• Optimized combination of cooling and lubricity for titanium machining applications

• Provides superior corrosion inhibition on cast iron and eliminates “hot chip” and clinkering problems

• Excellent alternative to chlorinated soluble oils on high-silica aluminum alloys

• Contains no nitrites, triazines, phenols, chlorinated, or sulfurized EP additives

• Provides superior corrosion inhibition on all ferrous and nonferrous metals

• Keeps machines very clean while leaving a soft fluid film for ease of cleaning and reduced maintenance

• Requires no special disposal or recycling techniques

For more information, contact me at dfoster@masterchemical.com

Extreme Pressure Additives

To avoid metal to metal bonding during an extreme pressure operation the use of sulphur, chlorine and phosphorus will stop build up on the tool. These three products when used in this situation are known as EP additives and should be considered when choosing a metal working fluid for your application. When used as EP additives chlorine & sulfur become active at higher temperatures to maintain a fluid’s lubricity where the tool meets the work piece. Chlorine is active from about 200°C to more than 500°C and sulfur from about 650°C to over 950°C.

When working in a job-shop type of environment, EP additives can aid machining in day-to-day activities, things change however, when we talk about aerospace machining and every manufacturer of metal working fluids offers a number of chlorine & sulfur-free coolants. The lack of these additives would traditionally mean a loss of lubricity and consequently, an increase in friction and heat at higher temperatures and pressures.

Using the correct coolant is especially important in the aerospace parts industry where they machine aerospace alloys such as titanium. This industry tends to stay away from coolants with chlorine as it can cause hydrogen embrittlement in titanium. This can cause the part to form microscopic fissures, weakening the material and causing it to crack. Metal working fluid manufacturers however, can replace these additives with partial boundary lubricants such as esters and fatty oils.

So, while EP additives can do many good things for general machine shops, please make sure you look at the application and material before picking a coolant to ensure maximum performance and no damage is being caused to your parts.

Refractometers

The hand-held refractometer is commonly used to check coolant concentration, based upon the refractive index of the coolant solution. There are many people out there that do not fully understand how to use a refractometer and why it is important in relation to the care and maintenance of water based metal working fluids. What seems to be the most difficult thing for most people to grasp, including machine shop owners and operators is the “Refractive Index Multiplier”

The most important thing to remember when using a refractometer is that they read on a Brix scale not actual percentages. To get actual percent of the coolant concentration you must multiply the refractometer reading by the coolants refractive index multiplier which can typically be found on the tech data sheets. Every coolant, no matter who manufacturers it has a guideline for refractive index multipliers.

For example, TRIM Microsol 585XT has a refractive index of 1.22, and if you want to run this at a 7% solution mix, you should be looking for 5.7 on your refractometer.

Operation:

• Calibrate your refractometer each time you use it  by placing a drop of shop water onto the prism and lower the cover plate. It should read zero. If not, adjust the set screw.
• After wiping the prism clean, place a few drops of coolant onto the prism. Try to take the coolant from the coolant nozzle and not from the coolant sump. Close the cover and read.
• Refer to coolant specifications for correct reading.
• Keep in mind that tramp oil will blur the line on the refractometer.
• Remember that this is an optical instrument and should not be dropped or handled roughly

For additional info on Refarctometer sales contact me at d.foster@bellnet.ca

The Mystery of Coalescers

co·a·lesce  (v)

1. To grow together; fuse.

2. To come together so as to form one whole; unite:

Many people have recently asked me about coolant coalescers and should they consider using them. There still seems to be some mystery surrounding coalescers and I want to start off by saying that there is no magic spell to help a sump stay clean and free of bacteria except for proper coolant maintenance and coalescers are only one part of the solution.

Basically, a coalescer is a large tank that helps the formation of tramp oil globules in coolant therefore assisting in separating the tramp oil from the base coolant. They are designed to run continuously on an individual sump to help prevent the growth of bacteria through the removal of the tramp oil and the aeration of the coolant.

The coalescer will bring dirty coolant in through the intake attachment.  A filter cartridge will remove chips. The coolant will travel through the coalescing media which aides to fuse the oil droplets. The coolant will then travel through the coalescing cartridge where the oil droplets cling to the coalescing media. Once these oil droplets are large enough they will rise through the coolant to the top of the unit where they can be manually decanted and discarded virtually coolant-free. The cleaner coolant is returned to the sump from the bottom of the unit.

The advantage of this will be:

• Extend coolant life.
• Reduce coolant usage
• Reduce rancidity and related coolant issues

If you would like to learn more about coolant maintenance and understand why you should do this and how it can save you money, please reference this article and email me at d.foster@bellnet.ca