A key element of accelerating and expanding its development of metalworking fluids for modern manufacturing, is Master Fluid Solutions continued investment in the latest production machinery for testing.
A new acquisition for this purpose is a vertical Makino PS105 CNC machining centre with through-spindle cooling, high-pressure capability and 30-tool storage capacity. It also provides many measurement tools to help Master Fluid Solutions collect vital data, quickly and efficiently, to guide the product development process.
The company relies on validated functional tests and amongst these is a statistically-validated, on-machine method to evaluate lubricity, one of the key performance metrics of any metalworking fluid. Having the ability to control all interactive functional parameters, such as substrate, tooling, machine settings and, of course the metalworking fluid itself, allows for an improved ability to optimize performance.
Dr. Steven Florio, Chief Technology Officer for Master Fluid Solutions, added: “We can also utilise our CNC to develop data that is more relevant to the customer, in their language and using their key metrics. Tool life, surface finish and optimisation of machine parameters will be fully developed for all new-to-market products.”
He continued: “Key, in-machine performance characteristics such as foam, rust prevention and metalworking fluid stability will be vetted as part of our development process. The ability to establish functionality, troubleshoot and conduct in-machine product evaluation for our customers is also a critical advantage.”