Cutting & Coolant Fluids

Whether you're drilling, milling, turning or even grinding a good cutting fluid will help ensure your process operates smoothly. The Cromwell range of lubricants and chemicals features a large selection of cutting fluids from well known brands like Fuchs, Molyslip, Dormer and many more. With such a large selection you'll be sure to find the best cutting fluid for your application.

What are cutting fluids?

In short cutting fluids are fluids that are used in cutting or machining applications. Cutting fluid performs several functions cooling and lubricating the cutting surfaces involved, including the equipment and the workpiece.

Cutting fluid is necessary to increase production efficiency as it helps reduce friction and remove heat which can cause long term degradation to tooling and damage the workpiece.

Types of cutting fluids

• Straight oil - Non-emulsifying these oils are used without diluting them with water. They are mostly mineral, and petroleum based.

• Mineral oil - Typically found in machines with high metal removal rates and heavy cutting operations where their excellent lubricating properties are key. The drawback is that they cause corrosion and therefore are not suitable for copper or its alloys.

• Cutting oil - A mix of mineral and fatty oil, cutting oil functions as both a coolant and a lubricant.

• Synthetic liquids - Contains no mineral oil or petroleum and are predominantly water-based with good cooling properties. Their drawback is that the lubrication provided is weaker and the addition of water can cause corrosion.

Considerations when choosing cutting fluids

The type of machining involved - For heavier operations a heavier cutting oil will be needed.

The cutting tools involved - High speed steel can be used with most types of cutting oils, but in the case of tungsten carbide which produces a lot of heat an oil with good cooling characteristics.

FAQ

What materials do not require cutting fluids?

Aluminium alloys typically do not require cutting oils.