How MOTOREX

SWISSCOOL TRESOR PMC® hunts down bacteria the natural way...

FIRSTA WORLD!

Ladybugs (the Coccinellidae family of beetles) eat up 50 greenfly a day. These useful beetles are also bred for use in biological

pest control. TRESOR PMC® has taken its cue from this model provided by nature.

The Green RevolutionFIGHTING BACTERIA WITH PRECIOUS METAL:

Water-miscible cooling lubricants are a crucially important element of demanding metal machining processes. In nature, life cannot exist without water – but the water, mineral oil and emulsifiers used in machine tools can turn them into ideal incubators for bacteria and fungi. Up to now, chemicals such as boron, amines, fungicides or bactericides have had to be regularly used to check this persistent growth. The need for such “chemical bludgeons” is now over! MOTOREX presents a world first: SWISSCOOL TRESOR PMC® (Precious Metal Catalyst) – the first cooling lubricant concentrate that impedes and sustainably limits bacterial growth using bioactive precious metals instead of biocides.

MOTOREX TRESOR PMC®

REPORT

Drilling, milling, turning and grinding – machining

operations that send swarf flying everywhere call for

heavy-duty cooling and lubrication. Cooling lubricant is

flooded over the tool and workpiece. Water mixed with

finely dispersed droplets of oil forms an emulsion that

effectively cools and reduces friction. These emulsions

also contain additives that ensure optimum cutting

performance and high-quality surface finishes.

Ingress of foulants carried by raw materials, leakage oil

and other impurities promotes the growth of micro-

organisms in the emulsion circuit. This results in noxious

odors, corrosion, sediment and deposits, etc., that neces-

sitate changing the coolant fluid. Up until now, the only

truly effective means of countering such coolant degra-

dation were stabilizers such as fungicides and bacteri-

cides which, however, pose hazards for humans and the

environment. This is why the use of such problematic

substances has become the subject of broad debate

worldwide and faces growing, justifiable challenges

from the workplace in particular.

HOW PMC® TECHNOLOGY WORKSWhen the coolant circuit of a machine tool is filled with

MOTOREX TRESOR PMC®, a precious metal catalyst – the

patented BacCrack® from MOTOREX – hunts down and

eradicates bacteria. Tiny particulates of precious metal

that are invisible to the naked eye float suspended in the

cooling lubricant flow. Bacteria that these particulates

encounter along the way are promptly destroyed by

catalytic action. Thanks to these ever-present, finely dis-

persed precious metal catalysts, undesirable bacteria

populations never have a chance. Machine operators

can breathe a deep of sigh of relief. And because precious

metal always remains a precious metal, its catalytic

effect does not weaken over time, a feature that signi-

ficantly lengthens coolant life.

INTENSIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTChemists and engineers at MOTOREX, working in col-

laboration with external biologists and led by the ex pe -

rienced MOTOREX industrial specialist Dr. Stefan Maric,

invested numerous man-years to achieve this exciting

new development. Beginning with the initial idea and

Many areas of science and technology, including human

medicine, use the antibacterial effect of precious metals:

with TRESOR PMC®, MOTOREX has succeeded in inte-

grating this technology into an innovative cooling lubricant

with long-term action.

MOTOREX TRESOR PMC® – the green drum and what it holds take metal

machining to new dimensions!

TRESOR PMC® IN PICTURES

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continuing through development and comprehensive

field testing all the way to the finished product, every

aspect of this new development was examined and all

relevant perspectives were closely scrutinized, from

strict occupational health regulations and ecological

sustainability to the demands for high-tech perfor-

mance in machine tools. The formula for MOTOREX

TRESOR PMC® contains no substances that are hazard-

ous to humans or the environment. Not only is this cool-

ing lubricant entirely

• boron-free

• bactericide-free

• fungicide-free

• amine-free, and

• chlorine-free,

it has also been ranked in the product category least haz-

ardous to water quality, Water Hazard Class 1. This in-

novative formula already satisfies the even more strin-

gent EU biocide regulations scheduled to come into force

as of 2014.

GROUNDBREAKING PERFORMANCE AS WELLOne of the specifications driving development work was

that absolutely no compromise could be made in manu-

facturing performance. Field testing more than con-

firmed that this innovative product guarantees very

high cutting performance and very long tool life, and

thus stands entirely on a par with MOTOREX’s other,

well-known SWISSCOOL products. Its performance is

The results of bacterial colonization tests conducted on

cooling lubricants are clearly visible in the culture

growth medium: the weak bacterial colonization on the

right (TRESOR PMC®) contrasts starkly with the heavy

colonization on the left (conventional cooling lubricant).

With its innovative TRESOR PMC® (Precious Metal Catalyst)

cooling lubricant concentrate, MOTOREX has achieved

a world first in the metalworking industry. The emulsion

underwent years of exhaustive testing, and has won over

leading experts and shop-floor machinists alike.

further enhanced by the generally low concentrations

required, the resultant beneficially low rate of concen-

tration adjustment, and improved tool life. What is

more, cost-effectiveness is sustainably improved thanks

to significantly lower lubricant consumption, a reduced

maintenance requirement and the fact that supplemen-

tary chemical additives are no longer needed.

COMPREHENSIVE FIELD TESTING WITH CUSTOMERSFollowing successful field testing in 2007, entire manu-

facturing centers belonging to innovative customers in

Switzerland and abroad were filled with TRESOR PMC®.

It goes without saying that, by that point in time, TRESOR

PMC® had already successfully passed all clinical tests

and met all the objectives specified by its developers.

The number of systems using TRESOR PMC® grew quick-

ly, as even our most discerning customers were immedi-

ately convinced by the innovative concept. Demand

swiftly increased worldwide.

NEWLY ERECTED PRODUCTION FACILITIESThe sophisticated product formula of TRESOR PMC® re-

quires specialized installations and carefully monitored

processes. MOTOREX invested in new production facili-

ties with online monitoring capabilities which are used

exclusively to produce TRESOR PMC®. This serves to

ensure reliable, industrial-scale production of large

quantities and reproducible process programming. •

REPORT CONTINUED

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BG

When machining this stainless-

steel component, Lars Schmäder,

head of the machining workshop

at Enz Technik AG in Giswil, noticed

marked improvements on several

machining parameters when working

with TRESOR PMC®:

IMPROVED PERFOR-

MANCE VALUES WITH

TRESOR PMC®

AVERAGE

CONCENTRATION

LONG-TERM STABILITY

HARD WATER STABILITY Suitable for use with water of any hardness.

“We work with hard water from the municipal mains system and nevertheless achieve excellent emulsion stability with no

calcium soap formation. What is more, we have been able to reduce cooling lubricant concentration from 15 to 7% with no loss

of quality, even in very demanding machining processes!”

Bernhard Münger, head of the machining department, Ernst Roser AG, Berne

SKIN COMPATIBILITY Free of boric acids, amines and microbiocides.

“Ever since I started working with the innovative TRESOR PMC® cooling lubricant, my skin problems have disappeared – this

is a fabulous improvement!”

Anna Petrovic, employee, Wandfluh Hydraulics & Electronics, Frutigen

TRESOR PMC® IS A HIT WITH CUSTOMERS The MOTOREX Research and Development project team documented all day-to-day production parameters from real-life use by customers

and industry specialists, including cooling, filtration, concentration adjustment rates, occupational exposure to germs and machine hygiene.

The results were extremely gratifying. Here are just a few testimonials from the extensive positive feedback:

TOOL LIFE High long-term stability and substantially extended tool life.

“Precision drilling of camshaft bearing bores is an acid test by which we can measure the quality of a cooling lubricant.

Many cooling lubricants fail the test owing to their lack of lubricating effect. TRESOR PMC® scored double points in this

regard, because not only did it perform the task outstandingly, it succeeded in doing so at an extremely low concentration

level of 6%.”

Dirk Sellmer, head of testing and development, MAPAL Dr. Kress KG, Aalen, Germany

COST-EFFECTIVENESS Very good flow characteristics.

“We succeeded in lowering our concentration adjustment rate, and with it consumption by our 9,000-liter system, from 1.5 to 0.8%.

The lubricant runs off the workpiece and swarf very well.”

Jürg Haltiner, owner of Rätia Mechanik AG, Felsberg

PERFORMANCE Excellent cutting performance.

“After introducing TRESOR PMC®, the service life of the indexable inserts improved by an incredible 20% compared to the

predecessor product. The cooling lubricant also came through a three-week shutdown over the holiday season problem-free.

We were also able to sustainably reduce cooling lubricant concentration levels.“

Lars Schmäder, head of the machining workshop, Enz Technik AG, Giswil

THE FUTURE IS NOW Technology harboring good future perspectives. (The full interview online at: www.motorex.com/tresor)

“I see good future opportunities for a cooling lubricant such as TRESOR PMC®, which is free of problematic substances and inhibits

germ growth by natural means. This has been proved in comprehensive tests at reference production sites. I have already amply

alluded to the possible risks posed by biocides in use today, and the cost factor for such products that necessitate back-end moni-

toring and processing is the object of increasingly critical focus.”

Michael Rocker, chemical engineer, Berufsgenossenschaft Metall Nord Süd (BGM), Mainz, Germany

MOTOREX magazine: What confirmed triggers of skin

disorders are associated with the use of coolants?

Michael Rocker: Skin disorders caused by coolants – contact

eczemas, as they are known – are generally multifactorial in

nature. Depending on the damaging factors in each case, we

refer to allergic, toxic, irritant or degenerative changes in the

skin, and mixed forms are common. The period between first

contact with the coolant and the appearance of a skin disorder

can range from a week to 30 years.

Allergic contact eczemas are characterized by the fact that

the skin reaction persists throughout life, in many cases forc-

ing the sufferer to give up their job if the allergen cannot be

avoided. Common allergens such as nickel, cobalt or chro-

mium ions enter coolants from the workpiece. In such cases

substitution is generally not possible. Other relevant aller-

gens are biocidal substances such as formaldehyde deposits

or isothiazolinones. In this case, action can usually be taken

by replacing the triggering allergen.

Toxic irritant contact eczemas develop as a result of skin con-

tact with substances with powerful effects, e.g. machine-

cleaning or system-cleaning agents, or coolant or biocide con-

centrates. This type of disorder can be avoided by wearing

suitable gloves (which must be specified in the safety data

sheet).

Degenerative contact eczemas occur as a result of many

years of contact with cutting oils or cooling emulsions or so-

lutions. They develop through the slow but constant drying

and defatting of the skin and the disruption of the equilibrium

at the skin surface. This destruction can be avoided by opti-

mized skin protection measures (skin protectant plus skincare

product). However, care must be taken to ensure that coolant

specifications such as working concentration and pH meet

the manufacturers’ recommendations.

Interview with Michael Rocker, chemist,

Berufsgenossenschaft Metall Nord Süd

(BGM), Mainz, Germany,

in the MOTOREX magazine.

Berufsgenossenschaft Metall Nord Süd

Prevention Division

Health Protection Departement

Wilhelm-Theodor-Römheld-Strasse 15

D-55130 Mainz

www.bg-metall.de

NEW PERSPECTIVESCOOLANTS OF THE FUTURE OPEN UP

What are the costs incurred by industry in Europe each year

as a result of productivity losses due to skin disorders?

A wide variety of figures are bandied about, and I only have a

rough overview for Germany from the standpoint of the acci-

dent insurance companies. Reliable figures are difficult to

establish due to the mixture of direct costs (e.g. for treatment

or retraining) and indirect costs (sick leave, production losses)

that is involved. A survey conducted for the years 2002 – 2004

has produced direct cost figures of between 600 million and

2 billion euros a year and estimated indirect costs some five

times higher, giving an estimated cost figure of 3 to 10 billion

euros a year for Germany.

Extrapolating this estimate to Europe produces a sum well

into the double-digit billions. That’s reason enough to replace

skin-damaging substances wherever technically feasible.

How do you view the future development of biocide-

containing coolants?

This is a complex issue. The current standard practice is to

pre-preserve coolant lubricants or to subsequently add bio-

cides. The possible risks have already been described. Coolant

lubricants that are naturally biocide-free and physical decon-

tamination systems are also known. Minimum-quantity lu-

brication and dry machining are other options that avoid bio-

cides. My guess is that users will continue to give preference

to biocide-containing coolant lubricants for the foreseeable

future because of the need to suppress microbiological degra-

dation. Innovation will always be needed when negative

aspects such as skin or respiratory disorders get out of control.

What will future regulations mean for industrial companies

and operators?

I would feel happier if I could predict the expected positive

implications of REACH and GHS. Basically, manufacturers will

be increasingly responsible for investigating the harmful ef-

fects of their chemicals on humans and the environment. This

will initially focus on raw materials, then spread to finished

products for industry, skilled trades and private users. Com-

munication between the various manufacturers will also be

regulated.

The next step is to identify which particular application-spe-

cific conditions, such as intensive skin contact, aerosol forma-

tion during open use or risks associated with transport, lead

to which particular requirements in terms of protective

measures. The outcome of such an analysis might mean that

certain applications need to be restricted or even banned al-

together in individual cases, for example if they are carcino-

genic or environmentally hazardous.

BG

This will be a protracted process, and REACH will not be

fully implemented before 2018. But at least then there

should no longer be any applications where we do not

know the extent of the risk to employees, and we will be

able to optimize protective measures. I am assuming that

the standard of occupational safety will be higher and that

there will be no unpleasant surprises because constitu-

ents that have been used for many years but have not

been adequately investigated “suddenly” prove to be es-

pecially dangerous.

The aim of GHS is to set global standards, i.e. even those

manufacturers that have not primarily been affected by

REACH to date will be compelled to classify and label their

products.

How do you view the future prospects for a product such

as MOTOREX TRESOR PMC® 100, which is free of boron,

amines and biocides and that limits microbial growth by

other means?

Assuming that the technical performance and service

lives have been confirmed in reference facilities, I think

that its prospects are very good and that it will probably

be used increasingly. I have already talked enough about

the possible risks associated with biocides, but the focus

for future products will increasingly be on the cost factor.

Although the current discussions about boric acid are not

based on particularly firm ground, they influence buyers

– albeit unconsciously – nevertheless.

What about the current position concerning coolants

containing boric acid with regard to the Biocides

Directive in 2014?

Looking ahead is always an uncertain business. Boric acid

is not currently listed as a biocidal substance in the Bio-

cides Directive, so while this situation continues (because

its anticorrosive effect remains the prime consideration),

the requirements of REACH will continue to apply. Discus-

sions within the EU are currently focusing on whether

boric acid should undergo the authorization procedure,

which would again entail additional costs. There is also a

risk that certain applications will not pass the authoriza-

tion procedure, or to put it plainly, will be banned. That’s

why the future for boric acid will be uncertain, even

though not a single case of illness has been documented

to date and the latest studies indicate that even highly

exposed workers in the boric acid manufacturing industry

are not affected by disease.

Why are all the relevant ingredients of coolant lubri-

cants listed meticulously in the safety data sheets and

labeled, whereas in real-life, biocides are sometimes

handled naively? For example, TRGS (Technical Rules

for Hazardous Substances) 611 stipulates that pH,

concentration, nitrite and temperature have to be

measured every week. However, the biocidal content,

after additions, is a parameter associated with a high

degree of risk but is hardly documented at all.

What do you think about this?

The main problem is that the requirements arising from

the legal areas of “placing on the market” and “activities”,

i.e. use, differ widely. For the purposes of placing on the

market, the properties of the traded product are consid-

ered, this is usually labeled and therefore subject to the

requirements of the Preparations Directive (from 2015:

GHS). Manufacturers implement these obligations, com-

pliance is (relatively) easy to monitor and violations are

subject to substantial fines.

Differing levels of risk apply to the use of products, depen-

ding on each case on the working concentration, i.e. the

degree of dilution. So we have individual company-spe-

cific or production-specific scenarios. Certain individuals

are responsible for establishing (i.e. estimating in many

cases) the level of risk during use, and that’s where the

problem touched on in your question arises. Large fac-

tories have suitable individuals (e.g. safety engineers,

works doctors, foremen) with the appropriate expertise to

implement the requirements, yet the smaller a company

is, the more difficult it is to identify problems and come up

with a suitable solution.

Monitoring compliance with the latest rules or regu lations

also becomes more difficult with decreasing company

size. It is no secret that some companies have not been

visited by accident insurance companies or regional au-

thorities for a decade or more (and they are certainly not

unhappy about this).

This problem can be resolved only by clarifying the risks,

informing the relevant company personnel (line man-

agers and specialists) about their responsibility, developing

appropriate protective measures in the form of informa-

tion sheets and seminars and, in particular, encouraging

them to create a healthy working environment.

Finally, I should like to look specifically at biocides. As a

result of the EU Biocides Directive, more products than

ever before now have to be investigated and authorized

and the fact that users sometimes handle biocides more

carelessly than they should has been taken into account.

There is now a need to make users aware that biocides are

dangerous or potentially dangerous products, depending

on the specific application, and to familiarize them with

the risks of corrosive burns, poisoning or chronic skin dis-

orders. The rules are strict enough, users just need to take

them seriously and adopt them in practice. This they can

do with the aid not only of the manufacturers, but also of

accident insurance companies and the authorities. • www.motorex.com

“Prospects are very good”

D 4

/10

3 E

HE LOVES DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS. IT’S MORE FUN TO EXCEED THEIR EXPECTATIONS.

Just how much Fischer’s products are in demand is clear from the moment you visit the company’s website: apart from English, French and German, there are also versions in Chinese and Japanese. No wonder: the precision spindles developed by Technical Director Thomas Frisch are among the best in the industry. Striving to attain international standards: that’s something MOTOREX also stands for. And why we are precisely the right partner for Fischer. Find out more about how our oils are helping com-panies from a wide range of industries establish leading positions for themselves: www.motorex.com

Thomas Frisch, Technical Director Fischer AG Precision Spindles

WHY DO YOU THINK HE SWEARS BY US?