Types Of Metal Cutting Fluids And Their Composition?

Metal cutting fluid accounts for 40% to 50% of the total amount of Metal Working Fluids(MWF) and is the most typical type of MWF.

Metal cutting fluid plays the role of lubrication, heat dissipation, corrosion and rust prevention, cleaning, and chip removal in the metal cutting process.

There are three basic types of metal cutting fluids:

Pure mineral oil or mineral oil-containing metal cutting fluids, which is made entirely of deeply refined minerals or a mixture of some mineral oils and additives.

synthetic cutting fluid which is composed of water and water-soluble additives or only synthetic base fluids, without mineral oil.

solid or semi-fluid cutting fluids, such as powder, grease, etc.

What is the main composition of metal cutting fluids?

Metal cutting fluid is a liquid made of a base fluid composed of mineral oil, synthetic oil or water, and various additives. Additives include corrosion and rust inhibitors, antibacterials, extreme pressure anti-wear additives, anti-foam additives, emulsifiers, dispersants, anti-fogging additives, fragrances, and colorants.

For light or medium load metal cutting processes, some compounds that improve lubrication are added, such as fatty esters, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, vegetable oils, soaps, and other polymers.

For heavy-load metal-cutting processes, some sulfur, phosphorus, and chlorine compounds are added as extreme-pressure anti-wear additives.

Oil-based cutting fluids generally have relatively good lubricity, long service life, good rust resistance, and less skin irritation. However, they may produce large amounts of smoke under high-speed processing and high temperatures, and may even catch fire in severe cases.

High-viscosity cutting oils are denser, have larger molecules, and have better lubricity, but their fluidity and cooling ability are not as good as low-viscosity oils. They are generally used for low-speed and high-load processes, such as stamping, drawing, cold heading, and other forming applications.

Fully synthetic cutting fluid generally has good antibacterial performance and a long service life. The diluent of fully synthetic cutting fluid is transparent and has good visibility. It is particularly suitable for modern processing equipment such as CNC, especially for high-speed grinding and related applications. and fully synthetic cutting fluid has excellent cleaning properties.