Fluidly flexible

The link between choice of cutting fluid and productivity is something that has come to the fore in recent years and pioneering companies such as Manchester-based Houghton are taking cutting oils and coolants to the next level.

Houghton is one of the world’s largest suppliers of specialist industrial metalworking fluids and fluid management services. Founded in 1865 and with its headquarters located in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, USA, the company operates in 35 countries with 15 manufacturing plants and over 2,000 employees. In Europe, Houghton is well represented with production plants and research facilities in the UK, Germany and Spain. With global sales revenues of $850 million and ambitious targets of $1.5 billion through organic growth and acquisition by 2012, the organisation has no intention of resting on its laurels.

The plant at Trafford Park, Manchester is a totally self-sufficient manufacturing facility occupying in excess of 20,000m² of real estate and employing around 100 members of staff. Here, a wide range of metalworking and metalforming fluids, rolling oils, diecasting lubricants, fire resistant hydraulic fluids, cleaners, heat treatment products and rust preventatives are manufactured, ably supported by extensive R&D, laboratory, quality control and storage functions.

One of Houghton’s principal product lines is metalcutting fluids. Accounting for 25% of its total business, this is an important arena for Houghton. “The drive to develop new products and improve existing ones is relentless” explains metalworking marketing manager, Roy Ferrington. “As machine tools become faster, bigger and more powerful, the operating pressures that coolants have to work under are also becoming more demanding. But as well as performance, our products need to be simple to dispose of and kind to the operator and the environment. Conformance to directives such as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals), is mandatory and as legislation is constantly changing, we have to be on top of our game at all times.”

Clean bill of health

Failure to maintain controls of metalworking fluids has long been associated with work related health problems such as dermatitis and asthma in the manufacturing sector. For this reason, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued new guidance for users and is actively targeting respiratory diseases caused by the inhalation of metalworking fluid mists and has made the topic one of its main priorities for improvement.

“The HSE is demanding that metalworking fluid users take all reasonably practicable steps to maintain fluids in good condition and to reduce workers’ exposure to mist, especially in respect to bacterial contamination,” Mr Ferrington reveals. “To this end, we are using our expertise to offer a packages of services aimed at helping customers identify the risks and plan effective measures of prevention and control. The packages also include bacteria testing services controlled by our Trafford Park, microbiology department – one of the few professionally staffed and equipped industrial microbiology facilities in the UK.”

On a broad level, Houghton’s product and service portfolio falls into two camps. At its operational core are a number of high tech products designed for use either in single sump machine tools or from a centralised system (Phase Control). The Hocut range of water-based soluble oil metalcutting fluids, described by Mr Ferrington as the cornerstone of Houghton’s metalcutting products, for example features over 30 variations for a number of different manufacturing conditions, filtration systems, materials and applications. “The level of detail even extends to water quality,” Mr Ferrington states. “A customer based in the south of England for example would need a totally different product to one based in the north due to the differing levels of calcium content.”

Houghton’s range of standard products is available either directly from its Trafford Park manufacturing centre or through a network of local distributors. Aside from its metalworking products, the company also has a distribution agreement with Sweden-based Scandfilter for its range of ScandMist industrial air cleaners – particularly effective for the separation of oil fumes, oil mists and emulsion mists and an important factor towards conformance to the new HSE guidance on using metalworking fluids.

New dimensions

With a solid foundation of core products at its heart, Houghton’s Fluidcare service takes matters to a different dimension. With Fluidcare, Houghton has developed total fluid management into a system for the application and control of all fluids, chemicals and related services at a customer site. Houghton’s list of happy Fluidcare customers reads like a ‘who’s who’ of market leading organisations and includes household names such as Audi, Ford, Bombardier, Rolls-Royce, Boeing, Eaton, Aerospace and BAE Systems.

But maintaining and developing partnerships with such a prestigious customer base is no mean feat and often involves the development of bespoke products - tailored for specific customers and specific applications. As one would expect, this can be a demanding task – particularly in the aerospace sector. “Metalworking fluids are essential to the manufacturing of many aerospace components but probably the least understood element of the process,” Mr Ferrington confides. “Most aerospace companies have their own stringent specifications for cutting fluids and we have to prove that our products will meet – and often exceed – the required standard. This often results in an arduous, lengthy, expensive and arduous approval process, but the rewards are certainly worth it.

“In reality the latest technology metalworking fluids are highly complex materials,” he continues. “Specialist companies such as Houghton formulate against a range of criteria such as compatibility with materials, filters, hard water salts and elastomers and fluids must have the ability to deal with tramp oil contamination, high pressure application systems and at the same time ensure long sump life without being harmful to users and the environment. Consequently, a typical modern water-based coolant can contain as many as twenty additives – all critical in some way to the performance, stability or safety of the product, and all interacting with each other.

“In aerospace applications, such as turbine blade production, even more R&D resource is required in order to gain product approval and Houghton employs teams of chemists building advanced technology products able to meet these exacting specifications. There is no margin for error with formulations – chemical attack on sensitive aerospace materials can lead to stress corrosion and component failure.”

With such an inherent involvement in the aerospace sector, it’s perhaps no surprise that Houghton maintains close links with a number of academic development bodies. One such organisation is the AMRC based in Sheffield. “We’re very proud to be associated with the AMRC and as its principal lubricant and cutting fluids sponsor, our products are being used in a number of groundbreaking machining trials currently taking place,” Mr Ferrington advises. “Particularly topical at the moment are trials being conducted on machining harmonics and the machining of titanium and composite materials. Effectively, we provide all the cutting fluids for this very pioneering work.”

Tailored to perfection

Fluidcare programmes are totally customisable and flexible. At one end of the spectrum, full-time Houghton Fluidcare engineers would be based permanently at a customer’s site, carrying out constant in-process monitoring, product procurement and offering a complete onsite consultancy service. Total fluid management is the name of the game here.

However, a less intensive package could include an engineer visiting a company on a weekly basis. Fluidcare programmes are tailored to the exact needs of the customer with a package of fluids, equipment, administration and manpower to suit. Commercial terms are equally flexible with fixed price or plant output related payment options.

“The benefits of our Fluidcare service can be considerable,” Mr Ferrington explains. “From a good housekeeping perspective, rationalised inventory, the environmentally safe storage and handling of materials and the guarantee that fluids will be maintained in good condition and disposed of efficiently, means that fewer barrels will be needed on the shopfloor. From a health and safety angle, there will be fewer operator skin concerns and an improved working environment. From a productivity viewpoint, extended tool life, improved component quality, less scrap and rework and more machine uptime means that machines will be spending more time cutting metal and ultimately making money for the customer.”

Culture club

The impact of metalworking fluids on other areas of cost in a manufacturing plant is often not well understood but Houghton’s service culture is aimed at reducing the operating costs of its customers by making more efficient use of fluids. For example one of Houghton’s latest service products is Houghto-Trend – a web-based fluid management software platform which enables customers to monitor both machine lubricants usage and strength and condition of products such as water-based coolants. The package is aimed at reducing maintenance costs through more efficient lubrication and reducing metalworking fluid costs by maintaining systems in better condition. Houghto-Trend is available to all Houghton customers as part of its customer focused service package.

Houghton www.houghtoneurope.com