ROCOL Cuts Coolant Consumption at Brown & Holmes

As a precision machining subcontract manufacturer and workholding specialist, Brown & Holmes supply high-quality services to blue-chip companies and Tier 1 suppliers throughout the UK, Europe, Asia and the US. With decades of experience delivering machining services to the automotive, aerospace, machine tool, construction, power generation and nuclear industries, the Staffordshire Company relies on cutting fluid solutions from ROCOL to keep its machine shop running at optimum levels.

With a plant list that includes milling, turning, grinding, jig boring and grinding, 3D printing and wire erosion, the Tamworth company applies machines from XYZ, Mazak, Doosan, Myford, Jones & Shipman, Colchester, Sodick and many others to machine an equally diverse range of materials. The challenge with such diversity is selecting a suitable cutting fluid that can perform on all types of machine tools and materials – this is where ROCOL steps in.

As a company that places quality and environmental sustainability at the top of its priority list, Tamworth based Brown & Holmes is an ISO: 9001, AS: 9100D, ISO: 14001 and OHSAS: 18001 certified manufacturer. With such an emphasis on quality, selecting the right cutting fluid is essential. As Brown & Holmes CNC programmer Michael Gulliver says: “We are a global precision workholding company and we also work closely with prestige companies like Rolls-Royce. We have been using ROCOL fluids for almost 10 years now and their products are excellent. We have a great relationship with ROCOL and if we have any concerns regarding our fluids, they are immediately on-site curing any problems we may have.”

Applying the ULTRACUT EVO 250 long-life soluble cutting fluid throughout the Tamworth site, Mr Gulliver continues: “The ULTRACUT EVO 250 is excellent and it has made a significant improvement to our tool life. We have used various other products in the past, but the performance and longevity of the ULTRACUT EVO 250 fluid are significant, it makes a very clear impact on our tool life performance – increasing our tool life and cutting data significantly.”

With the ever-increasing introduction of high-speed machining and the onset of coolant evaporation, Mr Gulliver adds: “As well as improving machining performance, the ROCOL ULTRACUT EVO 250 demonstrates a noticeable difference with evaporation. Previous fluids would easily evaporate within the machine envelope and the wider work area, this is not the case with the ROCOL fluid. Our shop floor team have also noticed a difference with the smell in the machine shop. There used to be an odour in the machine shop from our cutting fluids, but this is now a thing of the past.”

As a manufacturer with a huge emphasis on environmental sustainability and employee health and wellbeing, the application of ROCOL ULTRACUT EVO 250 is paying dividends for Brown & Holmes. Suitable for use with a diverse range of ferrous and non-ferrous materials, ULTRACUT EVO 250 provides a long and predictable sump life and is installed throughout the machine shop at Brown & Holmes.

This prolonged sump life and the elimination of shop floor odours is down to several factors. Firstly, the high-performance fluid rejects tramp oil which when removed/skimmed off eliminates the main food source for cutting fluid born bacteria. The fluid itself is inherently resistant to degradation thanks to the biostable makeup of the product. Also, it contains no biocides or skin sensitisers which makes this particular cutting fluid very operator friendly. ULTRACUT EVO 250 is suitable for both individual or centralised cutting fluid systems and it is both pleasant and safe to use. However, what sets ROCOL apart from its rivals is the Ultracare service and support.

With experienced Ultracare service engineers that cover the UK to provide a world-class cutting fluid service package, Ultracare service engineers have been extensively trained in the care and maintenance of cutting fluids to keep fluids in optimum condition. This service includes a unique customised care and maintenance programme that ensures all cutting fluid requirements are achieved. The productivity results of the Ultracare service are reduced fluid consumption, extended tool life, reduced machine downtime and significantly reduced waste disposal costs – all factors acknowledged by Brown & Holmes. Plus, Ultracare service helps towards HSE compliance and provides a safer working environment for all Brown and Holmes employees.

As Mr Gulliver concludes: “We have Ultracare engineers that come to us every month – and we find this very comforting. It gives us peace of mind that the product is being looked after and it's one less thing that we have to worry about or check on, as ROCOL engineers do it all for us. They will inform us of any problems and they will resolve them immediately to ensure our fluid is always in prime condition.”

The Ultracare service provided to Brown & Holmes sees engineers checking machine tools on a monthly basis to ensure optimal machining conditions are maintained at all times. This service includes the checking of everything from the materials being machined and the cutting tool consumption to initially determine the most suitable fluid for the respective machine and application.

With UK laboratories based on the outskirts of Leeds, ROCOL will test existing fluids and neat oils in the machine tool before recommending a solution. This includes performance, bacteria and fungal tests. Once a machine has been filled with ROCOL fluid, the Ultracare team regularly conduct site visits that encompass everything from fluid levels, dilution rates, pH levels and complete reporting with a programme that has been tailored to each end-user with all recommendations and corrective action undertaken. With complete reporting, this service enables quality and environmentally conscious companies like Brown & Holmes to remain compliant with Health & Safety regulations.