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American Grown Renewable Resource
Performance BioLubes --- YouTube Features
Click on the Logo and see some video from folks who have used this product and hear what they have to say...
Majeski Machine 34410 Rosati Drive Livonia, Michigan 48150
A Gear Manufacturer in Livonia Michigan has found a money saving way to go GREEN!
“This product is its own best advertising. We got 3 times the tool life out of our hobs after filling our machine with NU Cut Plus (Soy- Based Cutting Oil) from Sterling Tool.
Before adding NuCut Plus, we had to change stations on our hobs twice a day.
Now, we change stations every other day. Consequently, we are sharpening and recoating hobs less often, saving us time and money.
Production has significantly increased due to the lack of downtime and I can confidently run my other shifts without worrying that they will run out of good hobs.
I would recommend this high performance cutting oil to anyone. Amazing results from a renewable resource that is grown in the USA!
Ted Grutza
Majeski Machine
An in-depth veiw of Elm Cost Savings at a Screw Machine House:
Soy Metal Working Fluid
Miller Products Company Osceola, Iowa
Bill Frosch billf@millerproductsco.com 641-342-2103
Number of employee: 40 Industry:
Metal Fabrication Process:
Machining Waste Reduced:
Oil Substance: Cutting fluid
Miller Products realized a 20-30% increase
in productivity and cut retooling costs 50%
by switching to soy metal working fluid.
Miller Products Company
1015 N. Main, Dept. TR
Osceola, IA 50213
http://www.millerproductsco.com
Miller Products Company, a manufacturer of
screw machine products and turned parts
located in Osceola, Iowa, began testing soy
neat oil in Spring 2006. The company is a leading
manufacturer of trailer pins with worldwide distribution.
Bill Frosch, Plant Engineer, was interested in trying soy
metal working fluids because he felt that it is important
to close the loop as a supplier to agribusiness. He was
pleasantly surprised to find that the soy product’s performance
was superior to petroleum straight oil.
Miller Products realized a 20-30% increase in
productivity and cut retooling costs in half by
switching to soy metal working fluid.
Miller Products machining capacities range in size
from 1/4" to 3-1/2" diameter bar stock. Miller Products
features multiple spindle, CNC and single spindle screw
Machines with complete secondary operations including
in-house zinc plating, centerless grinding and vertical CNC.
Contract screw machine products are available in long and
short runs. Stock items include: lock pins, hitch pins, snap
lock pins & bent pins. Founded in 1936, Miller Products has
been a reliable employer and a good community steward.
The company was interested in the positive environmental
image as an immeasurable benefit of pollution prevention.
The company has been ISO9000 certified for many years
and was interested in capitalizing on an increasingly precious
public relations commodity: green street credit.
Small Business Placement Description Soy metal working fluid
replaced straight petroleum oil in several test machines.
As the test period proceeded, additional machine stations were
converted to soy oil. The shop has a central reservoir system
so the test machines were isolated to ensure that no soy neat
oil was mixed into the central system and no petroleum make
up oil was added to the test stations. The machines were single
and multi-spindle stations. An immediate increase in tool life
(or reduction in retooling) was identified.
The product placed was Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing, Inc.
(ELM) SoyEasy UNI-Cut™, a universal cutting,way,and hydraulic fluid.
Formulated with the best- optimized USA-grown natural seed oils
and select additives, it surpasses the lubricity and performance
of conventional metalworking fluids.1 As the test period continued,
the machine feed rates were increased at each station.
A minimum increase in feed of 20% was verified with some
machines increased to 30% higher productivity than when
using petroleum oils. Overall an average of 25% increase in
feed rate (productivity) was realized. Additionally, a noticeable
reduction in the number of retooling events for each station
was documented. Previously, using petroleum neat oil, each
spindle had to be retooled twice per day for about 15 minutes
of downtime. Using soy oil the frequency was cut in half, resulting
in only one retooling event per day. This reduction in retooling
further increased productivity as well as cut the cost of retooling
by 50%, potentially saving over $66,000 per year.
Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing, Inc is the leading
provider of bio-based lubricants and greases in the United States.
These products are based on exclusive biotech-based technology,
formulated with renewable, biodegradable USA-grown vegetable oils.
These lubricants, greases, and metalworking fluids are
environmentally friendly and meet or exceed industry standards.
5 http://www.elmusa.com/
The reduction in retooling cut the cost of retooling by 50%,
saving over $66,000 per year.
Following the test period, Miller Products Company decided
to make a full conversion to soy oil based on the a 20-30% increase
in productivity and 50% reduction in retooling costs. The cost
for complete shop conversion was $23,000. The petroleum oil
could have been consumed but the plant manager was anxious
to complete the conversion to soy to realize the increased
productivity and reduced tooling costs as soon as possible.
Technology Description (P2 Application) Metal working fluids
basically come in two types: water-soluble coolants and
neat (straight) oil. Neat oil is required for difficult processes
that require the highest level of lubricity. Neat oil is the most
expensive metal working fluid due to the high volume of
product used. Therefore, is only used in shops only when
specialty work requires it.
The use of soy oil for metalworking began as an alternative
to conventional products (petroleum-based, synthetics and
semi-synthetics). Soy oil, like many other ag-based oils, exhibits
superior lubricity in many industrial applications. Additionally,
many companies are interested in biodegradable products,
especially those developed from renewable resources that
help agribusiness.
Specifically, soy oils have the following advantages over
conventional products:
1) produce less smoke and mist for reduced inhalation problems
2) contain no chlorine or sulfur
3) reduce or eliminate dermatitis issues
4) reduce retooling costs
5) increase productivity (or feed) rates.
Several steps are necessary to convert metal ores into
useful metal products. These steps are conducted by
businesses in the metal working industries; specifically
classified by Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) Codes 3400-3499.2 The fabricated metal industry
shapes products from stock material through one or more
machining processes. Metals may be shaped by using
heat-treating or cold pressure methods. Cold pressure
methods shape the work piece by applying direct
physical pressure to cold metal. Shaping operations include
shearing (e.g. punching), forming (e.g. spinning or drawing),
and machining processes. Machining operations require the
use of machining tools to refine the shape of the work piece
by removing small amounts of material. Examples of machining
processes include drilling, milling, turning, planning, sawing and
grinding. Machining processes use various products in the
processes such as cutting fluids, lubricants, hydraulic fluids,
cooling or quench oils, and possibly cleaning solutions.
Machining involves high-pressure, metal on metal moving
contacts between tool and work piece. To reduce the heat
and friction caused by these operations, metal working
fluids (MWFs) are circulated over the work surfaces.
These fluids are used to:
- Control and reduce the temperature of tools and work surfaces;
- Reduce friction and vibration by acting as a lubricant;
- Wash away chips and metal debris;
- Improve the quality of the machined surface; and
- Inhibit corrosion and rust on newly exposed surfaces. Environmental, Health, and Regulatory Background
(Environmental Benefits) Neat oils contain additives
to improve performance and inhibit rust and corrosion.
Traditionally, petroleum products contain wetting agents
to increase lubricity as well as extreme pressure additives
such as sulfur and chlorine.3 These additives enhance the
anti-welding properties and improve lubrication. However,
neat oils have poor heat dissipating properties and therefore,
increase fire risk. They may also create smoke in the shop
that results in a poor work environment. Petroleum oils can
cause folliculitis and oil acne by blocking skin or hair follicles.
4 Soybean oil has a higher molecular weight and flash point
when compared to petroleum oil. These properties help soy
oil bond well with metals serving as an effective
friction reducer (lubricant). They also decrease heating,
minimizing smoke and mist problems by not burning off at
high temperature points such as the tool-to-part contact point.
Soy oil also include reduction or elimination of dermatitis
due to its compatibility with natural skin oils and the lack
of harsh chemical additives.
The reduced wear on tools and machinery
is an environmental benefit by enhancing
the longevity of these durable goods.
One of the most obvious environmental benefits of soy is
that it’s a biodegradable product that comes from a
renewable resource. Regulatory Using straight oils
for machining in this shop eliminated spent metalworking
fluids as a waste stream since all of the product
(whether soy or petroleum) is consumed in the process.
During the conversion from petroleum-based MWFs to
the ELM soy product, used oil was generated. The used
metalworking fluid was recycled by a local used oil
marketer under the Used Oil Management Standards
(40CFR279). Disposal is not usually an issue with the
neat oil in this shop. The central reservoir system is
equipped with a centrifuge that removes the metal
fines and continually recycles the oil. The soy oil is
being used in the same recovery system without any
modification. The metal fines are recycled.
Outcomes Pollutant Reduction Outcomes
Every industrial process has inputs and outputs.
Material that is not incorporated into the finished
product eventually becomes a waste. Implementing
pollution prevention can increase industrial efficiency
and potentially decrease costs.
Hazardous material reduced in pounds per year:
5,000 pounds per year The shop’s increase in
productivity by an average of 25% equates to a reduction
in material usage of 5,000 pounds per year.
Environmental & Health Outcomes The health and
safety benefits of soy MWFs include reduced dermatitis
issues and reduced smoke that causes inhalation problems.
Soy oil’s superior adhesion properties also reduce safety
concerns by not creating slippery work surfaces.
Substitution of a petroleum product with a biodegradable
product manufactured from a renewable resource that
benefitsagribusiness has many known environmental benefits.
“Businesses can improve the work environment for their
employees by using biochemicals and thus reduce health
and safety risks. Plant matter-derived chemicals are typically
lower in toxicity, flammability and corrosivity than their
petrochemical counterparts.”5 Economic Outcomes Increased
productivity and reduced retooling costs are the most
significant economic benefit of this pollution prevention
application. The cost benefit analysis provided here is
an extrapolation for an entire production year based on
the data collected during the test period. The shop rate
was based on an average rate for the industry. This shop
preferred not to publish an exact shop rate as their rates vary.
The cost calculator developed to estimate the benefits
of switching to soy oil is available at
http://www.iwrc.org/netsb/.
Cost of Petroleum Product................. $6.49 per gallon
Cost of Soy Product.... .. $11.53 per gallon
Average shop hourly .......... $75.00
System capacity.................. 1500 gallons
Annual make up................ 1000 gallons
Cost of Petroleum MWF annually at $6.49 per gallon........ $16,225.00
In-house sharpening of high-speed circular form tools
was conducted twice per day for about 15 minutes for
each spindle (40) on 252 production days per year.
0.25 hours X $75 shop rate X 40 spindles X 252 days = $132,300
Retooling cost annually with petroleum..................... $132,300.00
Annual cost of using petroleum at baseline production rate....... $148,525.00
Cost of Soy MWF annually at $11.53 per gallon...... $28,825.00
Retooling cost annually with Soy
(doubled the life of the tools).... $66,150.00
Annual cost of using soy............................... $94,975.00
Annual savings of using soy MWF................... $53,550.00
Estimated increased productivity by 25%................ $1,058,400.00
Projected total cost savings & estimated increase in productivity........ $1,111,950.00
http://www.elmusa.com/products/data_sheets/pdf/soyeasy_unicut.pdf located on the manufacturer’s website at http://www.elmusa.com/index.html. For the Material Safety Data Sheet see http://www.elmusa.com/products/MSDS/pdf/soyeasy_unicut_msds.pdf. 2 Guyer, Howard H., Industrial Processes and Waste Stream Management. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1998, Chapter 14. 3 Cutting Fluid Management for Small Machining Operations: A Practical Pollution Prevention Guide, 3rd Edition. Iowa Waste Reduction Center, 2003. http://www.iwrc.org/downloads/pdf/cuttingFluid03.pdf. 4 “Prevention of Skin Problems when Working with Metal Working Fluids” Technical Report 55-7-2001, July 2001. Washington State Department of Labor and Industry. http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Research/Dermatitis/files/mwf_skin.pdf. 5 Institute for Local Self-reliance website for The Carbohydrate Economy Clearinghouse at http://www.carbohydrateeconomy.org/html/biochem.htm#anchor2. New Environmental Technologies for Small Business, of the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa, is funded through the US EPA Region 7 grant number X-98753501-0. For more information contact the IWRC at 319-273-8905 or www.IWRC.org/NETSB
Success Story
Another reason to Go Green
ELM Soy-Based Lubricants
Product: NuCut Plus Soy-Based Cutting Oil
Process: Gear Shaper / Tool Sharpening
Savings: $24,000.00
Background
The world’s leading international manufacturer of
agricultural, construction, forestry, and lawn and turf
care equipment was seeking ways to improve productivity,
reduce cost and improve the environmental
sustainability of their operations.
Situation
The Company desired to reduce the maintenance
cost of cutting tools, specifically the High Speed
Helical Shaper Cutter. The operation was using
Henkel Circlene FG20 petroleum-based metalworking fluid.
It required 60 minutes to re-sharpen the dull tool
at a cost of $34.80 per tool.
Solution Recharged the system with
NuCut Plus Soy-Based Cutting Oil.
Benefits NuCut Plus dramatically extended tool life.
The number of pieces cut between tool changes
increased from 29 to 44 pieces, a 52% increase.
NuCut Plus reduced grinding time from 60 minutes
to 35 minutes, a 25 minute reduction. This represented
a savings of 42%. NuCut Plus improved the tool performance
because the tool held its cutting edge, performed better,
reduced sharpening error and improved finish.
NuCut Plus is Soy-Based so the company was able to
use a product manufactured from a renewable resource.
It is biodegradable so it is friendly to the environment.
Annual Savings Current Cost: $51,956
Savings: $24,800
Percentage Saving: 47.7%
Payback Period: 2 Months
Your company can see these same cost reductions
by using this Bio-Based Technology. Give us a call.
Toll Free 1-866-929-7200
GO GREEN!!!
