Concentration is the Key to Savings at Extreme Machine and Fabricating

It's not always just the cost of the coolant it the concentration of the product!

This past September we visited Extreme Machine & Fabricating, Inc.  Located in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, it was founded in 1995 by Richard Wanchisn.  In 1998 he partnered with Jerry Taafe, and through the following years, EMF has become one of the north coast's premier full service machine shops, servicing customers worldwide in the steel, aluminum, railroad, mining, transportation, power generation and nuclear industries, as well as other capital equipment industries.  EMF offers its customers state of the art CNC machining, engineering, fabrication, assembly and inspection services.

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In September of 2019 we where asked do an evaluation of a competitors product. Some times it does come down to the price but it's not always the price per gallon of the coolant.  It's the concentricity of the mix.  Take a look the comparison below:

​Current Product – Trim SC 230 CG
Category – Synthetic
Refractometer multiplier – 3.3 (The higher this number is, the more water in the base product)
Cost per Gallon – $22.09
Cost per mixed gallon -  $.48

ACS Product – Delta Cool 120
Category – Synthetic
Refractometer multiplier – 1.5 (less than half the water content as Trim)
Cost per gallon - $22.19
Cost per mixed gallon - $ 0.24

During our visit we checked concentration on a couple machines.

• First reading – 4.7 brix, multiply by 3.3 = 15.51% concentration
• Second reading – 5.3 brix, multiply by 3.3 = 17.49% concentration

We where told that this level of concentration was necessary and that during drilling and tapping the concentricity levels where even higher. ​

The cost savings from converting to comes from Delta Cool 120 being more concentrated: 1.5 compared to Trim at 3.3 with our recommended Brix reading of 5.8 which converts ate a Concentration of 8.7 % .
 
One of the often ignored but very important factors is the difference between "working" concentration and "make-up" concentration. The fluid in your tank is the working solution and should be at the recommended concentration. But when adding make-up fluid to the tank, you must allow for evaporation of the water over time from the working solution.

​Typically, the makeup should be added at 1/2 the recommended "working" concentration. But there are many variables which affect this relationship, and every machine in the shop will be different. So, the best course of action is to monitor the fluid in the tank with a refractometer and adjust the makeup fluid leaner or richer to maintain proper working concentration in the tank.
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Maintaining the proper concentration of your cutting fluids can save you money! 
With Delta Cool 120, Extreme Machine & Fabricating, Inc. was able to eliminate "rich" solutions that waste coolant, leave sticky residues, and possibly cause operator health problems. 

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