Can Nanotechnology Redefine Metalworking Fluid?
Rick Steinard’s coolant is full of onions. However, there is no smell to speak of at his small CNC machining side business in Madison Heights, Michigan – not of onions, nor of rotten eggs, which might surprise many because Mr. Steinard never adds biocides. In fact, his metalworking fluid is formulated to kill bacteria (which causes the rotten egg smell when coolant sits in sumps for too long). “Maintenance is pretty much nil,” he says. “I check the concentration, but that’s about it.”
The key ingredients in this formulation are the aforementioned “onions” — specifically, sub-micron-sized particles of carbon known as “nano onions” that provide an alternative to bacteria-attracting chemical combinations for cooling and lubricating parts. Beyond reduced maintenance, Mr. Steinard says tool life increased by about 30 percent immediately upon switching from coolant to nanofluid. In some applications, the gain has been more than 100 percent. Parts are visibly smoother and shinier, including repeat work on the same machines with the same tooling and programming.
Most of Mr. Steinard’s work is in aluminum, but the nanofluid formulation was originally developed for more difficult-to-machine materials. Michigan Tool & Gauge, a prototyping and job shop in Howell, Michigan, reports similar results on an Inconel forging die application: visibly improved surface finish, and significant increases in parts per cutting edge. At 200 pieces per order, “We were going through a whole box of inserts,” says Jason Kile at Michigan Tool. “Now it’s just one insert, or maybe two.”
“Before I was getting 30, 40, maybe 50 pieces per edge, but now I get 200 or 250 without changing the tool.” – Rick Steinard, machinist and owner of SPI Racing Wheels.
These relatively small shops are not the only manufacturers with eyebrow-raising stories about Tool-X, their metalworking fluid of choice. In fact, various plastic injection mold manufacturers and other, larger businesses declined to lend testimony to this article. However, one of the largest manufacturers of all, General Motors (GM), published a research paper last year that says the nanofluid is “ideal for tough-to-machine material such as heat treated gears,” citing improvements in chip control; flank wear and edge buildup (which are cited as good metrics by which to evaluate coolant performance); and surface finish. In one hardened steel gear-making application, tool life reportedly improved by more than 150 percent.
The nanofluid technology is not new. Its provider, Tool-X LLC, was formed in 2012. The essentials have not changed since then: Submicron-sized particles formed by exploding carbon cylinders and carried in an oil- or water-based solution flush heat from the cutting zone; smooth friction at the intersection of tool and metal; and polish surfaces. However, what appears to be changing is the extent to which this technology is practical and accessible for increasing numbers of machine shops.
Lessons Learned
Although Jim English is president of Tool-X, he does not call himself a businessman. “I’m a scientist,” says the former GM chemical engineer. As such, he was part of the team that first adapted the nanotechnology, which was originally used for wound-treating salves, to metalworking applications. Development was driven by interest from the Department of Defense (DoD) in its potential for materials such as titanium and hardened steel.
After initial success with DoD suppliers, capitalizing on the technology with manufacturers serving other sectors proved to be more challenging than expected. Efforts to spread the word paid off, but “we weren’t prepared to handle the demand,” Mr. English says, adding that many potential distributors feared that carrying the line would cut into cutting tool sales.
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