Cutting Oil
What is Cutting Oil?
Machining metal generates heat, which damages the cutting tool and the machined part. Cutting oil, also known as cutting fluid, dissipates the heat generated during machining.
The oil also reduces the friction between the cutting tool and the machined surface, extending tool life.
Cutting oil is widely used in turning, milling, saw-cutting, gear hobbing, and other machining processes.
Need to Recycle Cutting Oil
Oils are expensive to buy and sometimes even more expensive to dispose of. Environmental regulations are becoming demanding, with laws banning the “wear-out and throw-away” approach.
In other words, companies today must keep their oils in service for as long as possible. With an industrial centrifuge, they can – sometimes indefinitely!
Fine metal particles contaminate cutting oil during the machining process. These particles can cause an imperfect surface finish of machined parts and reduced tool life. It is essential to remove these particles to reuse the oil.
Cutting Oil Centrifuge
An industrial centrifuge specially modified to recover used cutting oil is known as a cutting oil centrifuge. It separates metal sediment contaminants and water (if any) from industrial cutting oil.
The machines on this page are Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuges, mostly the MOPX 205, MOPX 207, MOPX 209, and MOPX 210. Dolphin Centrifuge is the independent specialist in Alfa Laval centrifuges: remanufactured machines, turnkey systems, parts, and service, built on 40+ years of Alfa Laval experience and led by Sanjay Prabhu, MSME. Apart from Alfa Laval itself, Dolphin is the reliable source for quality Alfa Laval machines, each one stripped, rebuilt, balanced, and test run in Warren, Michigan before it ships. Dolphin is an independent remanufacturer and is not affiliated with or authorized by Alfa Laval.
Operation
A cutting oil centrifuge removes fine metal particles from the oil used to machine ferrous and non-ferrous components. The high centrifugal force (7,000 Gs) exerted by a disc-stack centrifuge separates small metal particles (0.5 microns) from the cutting oil.
The centrifuge self-ejects the separated particles periodically.
Clean cutting fluid recovered by the centrifuge is reusable, thus saving replacement oil and disposal costs.
Benefits
Centrifuges offer several benefits for industrial fluids. Some of them are listed below.
- Reduced purchasing and disposal costs for oils.
- Reduction in cutting tool replacement cost.
- Reduced downtime of auxiliary equipment such as pumps.
- Consistent machined parts quality.
- Filtration-related media and labor cost reduction.
Specifications
| Centrifuge Model >> | Alfa Laval MOPX 205 / WHPX 405 Dolphin module DMPX-014 | Alfa Laval MOPX 210 / WHPX 410 Dolphin module DMPX-042 |
| Application | Copper Broaching Oil | Aluminum Machining Oil |
| Viscosity | 40 cSt @ 50 C | 14 cSt @ 50 C |
| Separation Efficiency | 0.5-Micron Metal Particles | 0.5-Micron Metal Particles |
| Max. Capacity | 12 GPM | 25 GPM |
| Sludge Space | 0.6 Gallons | 1.5 Gallons |
| Oil Cleanliness | 0.01% Solids in Clean Oil @ 5 GPM | 0.01% Solids in Clean Oil @ 10 GPM |
| Oil Cleanliness | 0.025% Solids in Clean Oil @ 10 GPM | 0.025% Solids in Clean Oil @ 20 GPM |
| Motor Drive | 4 HP | 10 HP |
| System Features | VFD Feed Pump 5 Micron Polishing Filter Sludge Tank & Pump | Clean Oil Tank w/ VFD Pump Sludge Tank & Pump 60 kW Electric Pre-Heater |
Material of Construction
The Alfa Laval MOPX 205 Cutting Oil centrifuge is designed for mineral oil and fuel separation applications. Therefore, the material used in its construction is well suited for such uses. The following table lists the various components of the centrifuge and the material it is made of.
| Bowl Body & Bowl Hood | 316L Duplex Stainless Steel |
| Disc Stack | 316L Duplex Stainless Steel |
| Distributor or Disc Carrier | Marine Grade Bronze or 316 Stainless Steel (Special Order) |
| Top Disc | Marine Grade Bronze or 316 Stainless Steel (Special Order) |
| Top Covers (Collecting) | Silium (Aluminum Alloy) |
| Frame | Nodular Cast Iron |
Draw Oil Centrifuge
Draw oil reduces the friction between metal-forming dies and the formed metal. It is a high-viscosity oil that sticks to the drawn metal and drawing die surface, providing essential lubrication during the stretching process. Sheet metal parts, metal extrusion, wire drawing, etc., all use drawing lubricants.
The severe friction between the die and drawn metal causes wear on the forming raw metal surface. These wear particles contaminate the drawing oil reducing its useful lifespan.
Traditionally filtration is the way to remove these fine particles from drawing oil. However, considering filters' media and labor costs, the industrial centrifuge is often the most cost-effective option.
Operation
A draw oil centrifuge is a high-speed disc centrifuge that separates small wear metal particles from the drawing oil. An industrial centrifuge generating over 7,000 g-force removes all fine metal particles down to 1/2 micron level consistently from draw oil.
The higher viscosity of drawing oil reduces the throughput capacity of the centrifuge. Increasing the drawing oil temperature through a heater reduces the viscosity, increasing the centrifuge efficiency and throughput.
Aluminum wire drawing is a typical application where large amounts of very fine aluminum powder contaminate the drawing oil. An Alfa Laval self-cleaning centrifuge produces high enough centrifugal force to clean the drawing oil to a reusable level effectively.
Multiple aluminum wire drawing companies run draw oil systems built by Dolphin around remanufactured Alfa Laval centrifuges. The skid, controls, and auxiliary systems are Dolphin engineering; the centrifuge inside is Alfa Laval. Contact us for capacity and performance details.
Rolling Oil
Forming plates and sheets of metal by squeezing large billets between two rollers is known as rolling. Rolling is a standard process in manufacturing sheets from steel, aluminum, copper, and other metals.
Rolling oil is a lubricant used to reduce the friction between the rollers and the rolled metal. The lubrication facilitates smooth processing and the desired surface finish of the sheets produced.
The hot rolling process causes scaling on the surface of the feedstock that contaminates the rolling oil. It is imperative to separate these solid particles from the oil for their resue.
Again, filters are used to remove these slag or scale particles from rolling oil. The cost of filtration media and related labor adds up over time. Mechanical separation with an industrial centrifuge is worth considering, especially in high rolling oil volumes.
Cold rolling of steel and copper alloys uses oil emulsion. This emulsion is a specific blend of water-soluble rolling oil with water. Rolling oil emulsions get contaminated with fine metal debris and oil from the rolled metal.
Separating water-based emulsions from undesirable oil and particles is the perfect application for our machine coolant centrifuges.
Rolling Oil Centrifuge
A high-speed, disc-stack centrifuge is ideal for recovering rolling oil by separating metal particles from the oil.
Given the higher proportion of solids, a ‘self-cleaning’ type centrifuge can remove all solids down to a half-micron level from the rolling oil.
They are thus extending the useful life of the oil multiple times, saving replacement and disposal costs. For answers to common disc centrifuge questions, see our disc stack centrifuge FAQ.