Lube2010

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THE EUROPEAN LUBRICANTS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE ISSUE No. 100 December 2010

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This article is an abridged version of apresentation given at the 2010 UEILVienna Congress

Whilst markets are recovering from theglobal decline of fluids sales in 2009, themetalworking fluids industry is facingunprecedented new challenges. Thefuture key drivers of the market come inthree major areas: regulation, applicationand innovation.

Regulation in the metalworkingfluids marketThe ever-increasing regulation is agrowing burden to our industry, butshould be seen as an opportunity forinnovation and differentiation in thehighly competitive market place.

Further to this, a number of cases havebeen reported, where metalworking fluidproblems were highlighted to the Publicand Governmental bodies. The two bestknown being the outbreak of lungdisease at Powertrain UK in 2004, andthe MWF mist exposure leading to courtfines being imposed to Koyo UK in 2009.

What are the key regulations we canexpect to have an impact on ourindustry?

REACH (Registration, Evaluation andAuthorisation of Chemicals) is probablyon everybody’s agendas and when youare reading this article, a number ofdeadlines will have just passed or needto be respected in the near future.

CLP is the European Regulation onClassification, Labelling and Packaging ofchemical substances and mixtures. Thelegislation is based on the UnitedNations’ Globally Harmonised System(UN GHS). This came into force on 20thJanuary 2009 and applies across theEuropean Union. CLP is replacing theDangerous Substances Directive (DSD)and the Dangerous Preparations Directive(DPD) in a step by step approach.

Within REACH an authorisationprocedure is in place. During October2010, 79 substances (among othersformaldehyde) were intended to besubmitted either by the ECHA (EuropeanChemicals Agency) or EU member state

authorities. 38 substances (e.g. boricacid) were on the candidate list, and 7substances (e.g. SCCPs) are on an ECHArecommendation list for authorisation.

Biocides currently in use must beextensively tested for any dangers theypresent to humans or the environmentor both. Since 2006, no biocide may besold which has not been extensivelyevaluated. A new Biocide Directive willenter into force on 1st January 2013,and will incorporate the activeinvolvement of the ECHA. The two-stepauthorization process will be retained,biocidal products based on new activesubstances and low-risk biocidalproducts will have access to an ECauthorisation, instead of current authori-sation at EU member state level. Datacollection should become easier, and testresults may be shared. Environmentalcriteria still need to be added to the newdirective.

By 2020, the OECD estimates, we couldbe generating 45% more waste than in1995. The EU’s Sixth Environment ActionProgram identifies waste prevention and

Trends inMetalworking FluidsAre you ready for 2020?

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management as one of four toppriorities. The European Union'sapproach to waste management is basedon three principles: waste prevention,recycling/reuse and improving finaldisposal/monitoring.

All of these regulations have an impacton the MWF market, such as• Reduced variety of fluids in the

market• Higher cost of raw materials, higher

finished product prices• Apparently ‘more dangerous’ labelling

of products, although compositionsunchanged

• New product formulations aretriggered by replacement of rawmaterials due to standardisation

• Real innovation needs to be ‘out ofthe box’

Challenges from the applicationWhat are the key trends in metalworkingapplications and their impact on thefluids?

The automotive industry is forecast togrow significantly in this decade. Arecent study indicates an increase ofglobal light vehicle sales by +46% (2015vs. 2009), where most of the growth isexpected to come from Asia and theAmericas. The engine type in new carswill move away from solely combustionto hybrid and electrical. The InstituteCAR of the University of Duisburg-Essenforecasts a 31% share of hybrids andelectrical engines in global new cars by2020, increasing to 65% by 2025. Thiswill obviously have a great impact, astoday 80% of automotive metalworkingfluids are in engine and powertrainproduction.

In 1995, there was an average of 73 kgaluminium in a car. This has more thandoubled to 157 kg in 2010. Morealternative materials such as plastics andceramics will replace metals wherepossible. Even so, more exotic materialswill be used such as Platinum (fuel cell),Zinc, Palladium, Gallium, Copper,Magnesium, Aluminium, Titanium andCarbon.

In the aerospace industry a movetowards composite ‘intelligent’(transparency on command!) materialsand lightweight carbon fibre for

increased fuel efficiency can be observed.Fabrication of Titanium fan/compressorstructures and Nickel-based turbinestructures, realised through advancedcomputer weld modelling, makes them10%-15% lighter than conventionalsingle-piece castings. Smaller castingscan be more ‘near net shape’, whichmeans less machining and smallermachines. Productivity will increase dueto use of high pressure and ultra highpressure fluid delivery systems. Whenmachining turbine casings, you normallyhave to remove large quantities ofdifficult-to-manufacture materials(Inconel and Waspalloy) through a roughmilling process. Ceramic turn/millinginserts offer opportunities to run 20 to30 times the speed of Carbide, althoughat lower feed rates, resulting in produc-tivity gains.

More generally, in metalworkingmanufacturing a number of trends arevisible already today. New and to acertain degree existing processes may bedone by dry machining where possible,this is, however, limited by chip removaland tool life. Microlubrication can alsosignificantly reduce fluid consumption,but is limited to certain applications.Near net shape casting will allowproducers to reduce cycle time and saveon waste as well as fluids. High-speedcutting in order to increase productivity,at the same time machines and

metalworking fluid systems are gettingsmaller, and the coolant pressure higher.These will present key challenges tofuture fluids. New processes such as flowforming and hydro forming are gainingground. Flexible multi-tooling machines(vs. fixed production lines) are going tobe the picture of future shop floors. Lowcarbon manufacturing (to minimize CO2

emissions) is on the manufacturers’agenda. The machine tools industry’scommitment to ‘eco-design’ from 2012,aims to make machine tools more energyefficient. Last but not least, MWF userswill probably have closer monitoringschemes and/or full fluid managementprogrammes in place, as fluids and theirrelated cost are representing an ever-increasing cost and Health, Safety,Environment impacts.

Water represents 90 to 95% of the fluidmix in a water-soluble metalworkingapplication. It is already today a criticalresource, especially in coastal areas,developing countries, but increasingly inindustrialised countries. Increasing fluctu-ations in water quality, for example afterfloodings, can pose an obstacle in themanufacturing process. MWF users maybe less reluctant to invest in watertreatment facilities in the future, thiswould allow them to benefit through theincreased quality of fluids and a morestable manufacturing process, resultingin a lower total cost.

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What do all these trends mean formetalworking fluids?

Obviously, future fluids need to be evenbetter performing in all aspects. Newapproaches, such as multi phase productsystems, in use especially in theautomotive industry, will probably evolvefurther. There will also be an increasingdemand for new technology syntheticproducts. Due to the productivity gainsand other trends, an overall lowermarket volume will be observed. This willpartly be compensated by increasingoutput in some regions and industries.

Innovation as key driverThe above trends in regulation andapplication will make innovation in themetalworking fluids business essential inthis decade. Only looking at two rawmaterial areas, base oils and biocides,reflects well the challenges our industryis facing.

As to mineral base oils, reduced APIGroup I capacities are already leading tohigher prices and substitution by APIGroup II or III oils, but having lowersulphur content, thus triggeringcomplete reformulation of products. Onthe other hand, new engine oil specifi-cations make it more problematic to stillinclude Group I oils. And new capacities(Group II and III) in Asia and the MiddleEast are in place, reducing these regions'need to tap Group I exports fromEurope. Europe today is still home to 44base oil plants, that primarily makeGroup I. It has zero Group II capacity(aside from a few re-refiners), and someGroup III volumes only.

Re-refined oils are on the rise. The globalsupply in 2009 was 1.6 million tons,whereas according to Kline and Co. thiswill increase 3 million tons by 2019, andthe potential market today is 7 million tons.The current regeneration technologiesallow re-refiners to produce high qualityAPI Group I base oils and in some instancesGroup II quality base stocks.

Biocides are undergoing ever-stricterregulation. In order to guaranteesatisfactory bio-stability levels in water-miscible metalworking fluids, definitely,new ways of working need to be found.

A recent study on endotoxins in MWF

conducted by the HSE in the UKcompares the bioconcept fluidtechnology with conventional (i.e. usingbiocides) technology. It concludes that inbioconcept fluids regular adjustment ofconcentration and pH is needed, and the‘lead germ’ is only dominating, when thefluid is well managed. High concen-trations of endotoxins were found, evenwhen the fluid is well managed.Conversely, conventional MWF remainedstable even when badly managed, asignificant contamination by bacteria wasobserved only after a longer period andafter adding excessive levels of tramp oiland swarf. Very low endotoxin levelswere detected in the stable period.

An entirely new approach might be touse bacteriophages. They are smallviruses that infect bacteria and kill themby multiplying and essentially filling thebacterial cell to bursting. They have beenused for over 60 years as an alternativeto antibiotics in the former Soviet Unionand Eastern Europe and are seen as apossible therapy against multi drugresistant strains of many bacteria. InAugust 2006 the US Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) approved usingbacteriophages on cheese to kill aspecific bacteria, giving them GRASstatus (Generally Recognised As Safe). InJuly 2007, the same bacteriophages wereapproved for use on all food products.

Other methods being looked into are,silver coatings and nanotechnology.Currently, research is being conductedinto biocides using nanomaterials thatprevent biodeterioration when employedon the machines, these may be removedeasily so they are compatible withsubsequent biotreatment. There are novelnanomaterials which enhance the killperformance of conventional biocides.Hybrid methods which combine microbialbiodegradation with advanced oxidationmethods might be future options too.

ConclusionWhether it will be triggered by newregulation, evolving manufacturingapplications or new fluid technologies,the metalworking fluids industry is facinga decade full of changes and challenges.Fluids manufacturers have to followclosely the trends, and adapt theirstrategies accordingly. No doubt, it istime for ground-breaking innovation,

and those who go first will probablyfinish first.

Christian EylerGeneral Manager France & NW-Africa,Cimcool Europe BV

Sources and useful linksCAR (Center Automotive Research)University of Duisburg-Essen -http://www.uni-due.de/carECHA (European Chemicals Agency) -http://echa.europa.euEuropean Commission Environment -http://ec.europa.eu/environmentHSE (Health and Safety Executive) UK -www.hse.gov.uk/metalworkingUEIL (Independent Union of theEuropean Lubricants Industry) –www.ueil.org

BiographyChristian was born in Germany and has abackground in Production Engineering &Management. Following his earlyeducation in Germany he now holds anMBA in International Business, followingstudies at the Universities of Hamburg,Nuremberg and HEC Paris.

During this period of study he gainedfirst hand experience in the petroleumindustry with Shell Aviation and ShellUpstream in Central Africa. Following hisstudies he started his full time withCastrol Industrial, where he held a varietyof positions in local and internationalsales management.

Since 2005 he has been working forCimcool Europe as General ManagerFrance & NW-Africa. Christian is theChairman of the HSE&REACHcommission of the French LubricantsAssociation CSNIL, and a member of theUEIL H&E Committee.

Christian is married with two youngchildren and is 41 years old.

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