Rust on metal parts can turn a successful shipment into a costly headache. For many small machine shop owners and shop foremen, questions like "Why are our parts fine when they leave the shop but rusty when they arrive to my customer?" or "What factors lead to rust in my machine shop?" are all too familiar.
No matter what your machining process may be, you’re likely using a variety of metalworking fluids to increase tool life and preserve your machined parts. But when is the last time you reviewed your fluid selection? Using the ideal cutting fluid for your application can drastically extend your machines’ operation. In combination with the proper cleaners and rust preventives,the parts you produce will remain preserved for as long as needed. Quaker Houghton offers the full package of metalworking fluids and can help you make the right choice based on your needs.
Is your shop in need of a new hydraulic fluid? Have you decided that it’s time to upgrade to something with fire resistance and better performance than your traditional oil? If so, Quaker Houghton’s QUINTOLUBRIC® 888 series may be the right fit for you.
Running a high-performing, profitable shop requires excellence in many areas. Focusing on just two—customer retention and shop performance—can make the most significant impact on your business.
When it comes to customer retention, quality and consistency come to mind. There’s no room for error when your customers are trying to shave milliseconds off their racing time. When your customers know that buying from you means one less thing to worry about because your product performs every time, your shop will become—and stay—their go-to option.
A lot of things are “set and forget” these days. Unfortunately, the water quality in your shop doesn’t work that way. Setting and forgetting it leads to a host of costly problems and headaches.
That’s why it’s so important to be proactive about testing your water quality. Let’s dive in.
The right tools make all the difference. In metalworking, cutting fluids, or metal removal fluids, are one of the most important tools in your arsenal.
What are cutting fluids? They cool and lubricate tools and carry away chips and other debris from the work zone. They’re indispensable for efficiently delivering high-quality products
your customers expect.
Without them, high heat, friction, and debris can quickly damage expensive equipment and lead to rework and throwaways
Unfortunately, itchy, red, scaly, painful skin on the hands and arms is common on the shop floor. Called contact or occupational dermatitis, it’s caused by exposure to everyday chemicals found in your shop and is often overlooked as a workplace hazard. However, your shop employees are particularly susceptible because they work with these products all day, every day.
Running a shop is a rigorous job. Budgets, employees, productivity, quotas. You’ve got a lot of plates in the air. The right hydraulic fluid makes your life, and lives of your employees, a whole lot easier. And it’s much easier on the bottom line.
Summer is the season for lots of things—going to the beach, growing plants and veggies, mowing the lawn, and cranking up the A/C. But summer is also rust season—especially when it comes to infrastructure and metalworking.
Why? Rust and corrosion are active all year, but summer’s additional moisture and humidity create the perfect breeding ground, priming the proverbial pump to wreak havoc on infrastructure and metalworking shops.
Using the wrong fluids for the job is like never changing the oil in your truck. Possible? Sure. A good idea? No. It’s expensive, painful and there will be downtime. Using the right cutting fluid for your machine shop can extend your equipment life, avoid workaround hassles, and keep microbes under control.
