How To Decide to Replace or Save Your Industrial Fluid After a Shutdown
For those of you who have experienced either a partial or total shut-down over the last 2 months, leaving your coolant sitting idle a great deal of the time, this is a reminder for you to evaluate your coolant to determine if it is in good working condition. The main concern with idle coolant is rancidity, which is caused by bacteria that can grow in the coolant if it is not maintained properly.
Holiday downtime
This is even more important with the long Memorial Day weekend coming up. Be sure to take care of your coolant this week so that you will not have rank, rancid coolant welcoming you and your coworkers back to work next Tuesday after Memorial Day.
Should you save or dispose of coolant?
Contact your local Blackhawk Industrial Account Manager to discuss and evaluate your coolant. Determine if it is relatively fresh and clean. If not, can it be treated, or should it be thrown away? If the decision is to dispose, consider leaving the sump dry until machining starts again.
Best practices when saving coolant
If the decision is to save, run coolant concentrations on the rich side during the downtime. Try to leave space in the sump for adding water (to lean down percentage) when production restarts.
On individual machines, spray and wipe the outlining areas with a light rust-preventive, after raising coolant concentrations.
Remove as much tramp-oil as possible to allow coolant to breathe; circulate daily. Keep your CNC’s doors open to allow air to circulate and reduce humidity in your CNC’s. Remember to observe all safety protocols, wear appropriate PPE, follow lockout/tagout procedures and dispose of all waste fluids responsibly.
Contact BlackHawk Industrial fluid specialist for assistance
Before starting back up, call your BlackHawk Industrial fluid specialist for recommendations on your particular system. We are ready to take your questions and offer expert assistance with your fluid exchange needs. We are happy to arrange a visit to your facility. Contact information for your BlackHawk regional specialist is listed below:
Chris Rubino
860-209-5043
(Eastern Region)
Anders Kauserud
630-768-2629
(Western Region)