Oil mixing leads to smelly problem
OPERATORS of the automatic variable tapping machines at the Nunawading plant of Ajax Fasteners in Melbourne were noticing unpleasant odours emanating from their machines.
“It was something we wanted to get fixed, but the intermittent appearance and inconsistent nature of the odour meant it was not a straightforward exercise,” Ken Robson of Ajax Fasteners said.
“We felt the problem related to the water-soluble cutting oils being used in the machines.
“But we were purchasing oils from four different suppliers, so a precise and quick identification of the problem was not a straightforward matter. We didn’t know who was responsible,” he added.
Ajax’s team decided the best way forward was to involve an industrial oils specialist as well as concentrate the purchasing with one supplier who would then be expected to manage the site’s use of cutting oils and other industrial lubricants…taking responsibility for quality.
“We received a number of proposals and Fuchs Lubricants came up trumps, so we decided to go with them.”
The odour problem was quickly identified. It arose because of the inconsistent mixing of the water-soluble cutting oils by Ajax Fasteners’ staff and biocides not being added where appropriate.
“Our independent testing indicated that the manual mixing of the water-soluble cutting oil was showing variations in concentration from as low as 5 per cent and up as high as 35 per cent,” explained Vilma Grech, solutions manager at Fuchs Lubricants.
“The appropriate level of concentration should be in the 8-10% range,” added Vilma.
As a result of the wide variation in concentration, the odours were occurring and cooling on the cutting face was not being achieved, thus reducing cutting efficiency.
8-Mar-2001