Researchers Study the Details of Every Chip

Have you ever wondered precisely what is happening at the point where a cutting tool contacts a workpiece? Of course, tool designers consider this interaction all the time. And so do cutting-fluid developers. Metalworking fluid experts at Blaser Swisslube’s in-house technology center analyze machining processes down to the finite details, to arrive better formulations faster, using their own expertise and the data they collect.

The idea of capturing the machining process, chip formation, and the behavior of the metalworking fluid more precisely than before through photos and videos came about as part of a joint project with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology – ETH Zurich.

Using a high-speed camera with a macro lens, which is placed behind a sight glass to keep the metalworking fluid at a distance, they posited, should make uniquely sharp, precise recordings possible. A ring light was used to provide the necessary light intensity, and a carbide cutter with a helix angle of 0° was specially ground for this particular test.

The results are fascinating: The high-speed recordings showed for the first time that the mechanism of action of oil-free, water-soluble metalworking fluid, Synergy 735 – namely its improved lubricating effect at higher temperatures – also occurs during machining and is fast enough to optimize milling processes.

The macro high-speed recordings, viewed in slow motion, show that a carbide milling tool removes a perfectly shaped brass chip. The Blaser Synergy 735 metalworking fluid becomes cloudy around the curling chip, exactly where the heat is greatest. It leaves an oil-like phase and thus forms an even more effective lubricating emulsion.

Synergy 735 thus changes its properties and adapts to the machining process “like a chameleon,” according to the developer.

“Our technology center allows us to take a closer look than our competitors. This focus on all the details and the cooperation between our chemists and the machining experts enables us to develop metalworking fluids that improve processes sustainably, reduce production costs, and prolong tool life,” according to CEO Marc Blaser.

As the Synergy 735 metalworking fluid used in the test described cools down, it becomes clear again, keeping the machine clean and allowing a good view of the machining process.

Other advantages include the neutral odor and excellent skin compatibility. The fluid helps to achieve excellent finishes on a variety of materials, from aluminum and titanium alloys to CrNi steels, and minimal foaming means the coolant is also ideally suited to high-pressure systems.

Blaser Swisslube’s Technology Center has been growing steadily for more than 10 years, and presently researchers have available four CNC milling machines and a state-of-the-art grinding machine, in a facility covering more than 1,500 m² (16,146 sq ft.) New developments are tested and customers’ production situations are simulated under realistic conditions, including high-precision measuring devices and sensors to collect the data for interpretation.

For example, a microscope camera for measuring wear automatically takes microscopic images of the turning plate every two minutes. “Tool wear often limits the economic viability of a process. The new measuring options give us meaningful information, directly from the machine,” explained Dr. Linus Meier, a tribology specialist at Blaser Swisslube.

The optimized data flow means that changes to the metalworking fluid can be implemented more quickly and easily. “This is good news for our customers. That’s because high-performance metalworking fluids offer enormous savings potential in production, whether through increased productivity or reduced tool wear,” according to Meier.

An ideal metalworking fluid often requires more than a dozen ingredients, including oils, emulsifiers, and additives: producing a metalworking fluid to serve as a liquid tool that optimizes the efficiency of the entire production process, requires both sophisticated formulations from our researchers and manufacturing expertise from our machining technologists. Blaser Swisslube has relied on the collaboration between both disciplines for some time now.

“Only if our specialist chemists are able to get to know the coolant on site as part of a performance test, and then interpret the data acquired by the manufacturing technologists, are we able to make great progress in metalworking fluid development,” according to CEO Marc Blaser.