Castrol introduces Alusol XT to RKB

Citation

(2003), "Castrol introduces Alusol XT to RKB", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 55 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.2003.01855bad.001

Castrol introduces Alusol XT to RKB

Castrol introduces Alusol XT to RKB

Keywords: Castrol, Fluids, Coolants

In the competitive world of sub-contract manufacturing every product and every supplier comes under the microscope that is used to drive costs out of the business. In this case study, Castrol responds to a cutting fluid problem with a saving of more than 50 per cent on consumption, representing an estimated annual saving of 18,000!

At RKB Precision Products in Sandy, Bedfordshire, "slow" is a word that is not often used.The company offers a One-Stop- Shop engineering service that includes casting, machining and paint finishing. Its engineering workshop manufactures specialised filter bodies for a leading supplier to the telecoms industry, producing up to 1,000 units per week from extruded 6082 aluminium. The workshop employs 20 operators and is equipped with horizontal machining centres operating at speeds up to 20,000 rpm on 24/6 shifts.

It is, says engineering manager Steve Pope, the harshest environment imaginable for cutting fluids. "We don't do slow!", he says. "So machines, tools and coolants work to the limit of their performance with very little time for maintenance."

The combination of an expensive coolant, rising consumption and foaming problems that caused flooding in the workshop, prompted a review of the company's current coolant supplier and, during a visit to a major engineering exhibition, RKB's managing director visited a number of other coolant companies, including Castrol.

After considering the options, Castrol and another leading supplier were selected to run trials on two machines each for a 3 months period. Following an audit of its two machines and the local water supply, Castrol recommended Alusol XTH, a high performance semi-synthetic soluble metalworking fluid specially formulated for machining aluminium and its alloys in hard water areas (Plate 1).

Plate 1 Alusol XT in action in a high performance machining application

Steve Pope says: "When the results were compared Castrol was the clear winner with its product and service." Alusol XTH immediately reduced our coolant consumption and took everything we threw at it during the trial. And by the end of 3 months it was showing a saving of 50 per cent over the previous coolant!

"We've also worked with Castrol to improve a number of our own housekeeping activities, including recycling and swarf bailing, that have further reduced our coolant costs."

He reports that the foaming problems have been eliminated, making the working environment much cleaner, and says that Castrol has also introduced regular machine checks to maintain peak coolant performance.

He concludes by saying: "We are a very satisfied customer. Castrol's service has re-affirmed our belief in coolant manufacturers and Alusol XTH has halved our annual coolant bill and taken the pressure off a real problem area."

For further information contact: Cliff Thrussell, Castrol. E-mail: thrussc@castrol.com