ABSTRACT
Metalworking fluid chemistry and its uses have gone through many changes over the years. With the greater performance requirements for both direct metal removal attributes and indirect functional attributes, upsets in metalworking fluid integrity will impact performance. The application of ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, or reverse osmosis is generally not applied to in-plant metalworking systems. These filtration regimes are used in selected processes, such as incoming water preparation and metalworking fluid waste treatment. The newer machines used in the manufacturing processes have been designed to require less metalworking fluid. This requires less volume of fluid and therefore, with better filtration, cleaner metalworking fluid can be returned to the machine. Newer installations use computer numerical control (CNC) machines in lieu of transfer machines and these require much less fluid flow per machine, resulting in a smaller overall filtration size. The metalworking fluid being recirculated in the filtration system is subject to varieties of outside contaminants.
