Stemming The Flood
Messes surrounding the use of flood coolant for metal cutting can be frustrating to manage. Aside from putting down a floor drying agent to absorb the coolant, changing pairs of gloves and wiping off cut material, there’s the chore of lugging around jugs to top off coolant reservoirs. Switching to a mist-based lubrication system not only eliminates those shop headaches but also prolongs blade life and saves manufacturers money. Therma-Tron-X Inc., Sturgeon Bay,Wis., switched each of its four band saws and one cold saw to the Saw Blade Lube System, a minimum quantity lubrication solution from Unist Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich.
TTX is a manufacturer of custom industrial finishing systems for OEMs such as Toro and Freightliner, along with several international clients. Its turnkey paint systems coat everything from entire truck bodies down to small nuts and bolts. All the structural parts for its conveyor systems, for example, are cut on its saws. For these custom systems,TTX processes mostly low-carbon steel in the form of structural tubing from 11⁄2 inches to 10 inches in diameter, plus square, rectangular tubing and angle. Often, the cutting is done in bundles, says Rick Rankin, facilities leadman at TTX. Two of the company’s saws are automated for production, while the rest are in the shop.