Maintenance is often misunderstood in metalworking operations. The extremes are familiar: some assume doing more always keeps systems safer, while others defer maintenance to cut costs. Both approaches come at a price in increased waste, unplanned downtime, and impacts on tool life and operator health.
The key lies in balance. Right-sized maintenance is not about doing every task or skipping checks. It is about doing the right steps at the right time. Let’s explore the myths, clarify often overlooked truths, and offer a practical, data-driven approach you can use right now.
Myth 1: “If I perform maintenance more often, I’ll avoid every problem.”
Reality: Excess maintenance may add cost without delivering clarity. Frequent dumps and unmeasured chemical additions can disrupt operations, raise waste handling expenses, and mask underlying issues like tramp oil buildup or bacterial activity.
A precise, measured approach focused on concentration, pH, and contamination readings prevents unnecessary actions and keeps systems healthy.
Myth 2: “Skipping maintenance saves money.”
Reality: Inadequate upkeep often costs more down the road. Signs like odor, corrosion, mist, or declining tool life point to underlying failure risks. Waiting for failure or ignoring micro growth trends puts production, health, and quality at risk.
Timely checks and contamination control are both protective and cost-effective.
Balancing Monitoring, Maintenance, and Management
1) Monitor with a concise scorecard
Place it at each critical machine to collect objective data, not impressions. Key metrics to watch:
Concentration (via refractometer) ensures optimal performance and tool protection.
pH indicates alkalinity drift and potential corrosion, operator discomfort, or skin issues.
Conductivity or alkalinity total offers quick stability signals.
Microbial load (using dipslides or lab tests) guards against silent growth.
Tramp oil presence accelerates emulsion breakdown and microbial growth if left unchecked.
Standard Master Fluid Solutions support includes lab reporting and data interpretation assistance through your distributor or District Manager.
2) Maintain on a defined cadence
Start with:
Daily: Check concentration and pH, top up only with premix, never plain water, skim when you see foam or sheen.
Weekly: Remove tramp oil, empty collection containers, run dipslides, or send samples.
Monthly: Review conductivity trends, examine strainers, and clear fines.
When needed: Conduct controlled sump cleanouts, especially post-biocide treatments. Ideally, do this off shift to minimize operator exposure.
3) Manage root causes, not just symptoms
Regular tramp oil removal prevents emulsion destabilization.
Tailor the frequency of checks to machining complexity and alloy type.
Protect operators by coupling fluid health with mist capture and machine sealing.
A Master Fluid Solutions Case Study You Can Trust
A drivetrain components manufacturer running large central coolant systems switched to TRIM® SC620, a low foam semisynthetic coolant. The results were immediate and striking:
$186,000 in annual coolant spend savings (from $386,000 down to $200,000)
22 percent increase in tool life
Cleaner machines with no foam or airborne smoke irritants
All achieved through measured maintenance, tramp oil control, and fluid adjustment support provided as part of ongoing service.
This case shows how balanced maintenance does more than reduce costs. It raises tool life, improves working environments, and protects uptime.
Quick Self-Diagnosis Quiz: Over or Under-Maintaining?
Answer yes or no:
Do you add chemistry more than once per week without corresponding changes in concentration, pH, or micro levels?
Do you dump sumps on a rigid schedule even when chemistry and contamination are stable?
Do tramp oil layers reappear within days of being cleaned away?
Do odor or microbial counts remain high despite recent treatments?
Take action accordingly: remove tramp oil, correct chemistry, and then only add chemistry based on measurement, not habit.
The Strong Business Case for Balanced Maintenance
A balanced approach reduces chemical and disposal costs, extends fluid and tool life, and lowers operator exposure. In many facilities, even preventing a single unplanned shutdown, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour, justifies disciplined maintenance for the year.
Take Action Today
Pick five key machines. Track their concentration, pH, micro load, and tramp oil visually for four weeks.
Reintroduce or reactivate tramp oil skimmers and enforce weekly skimming.
Set the concentration to the product recommended band, typically 8% to 10% for many Master Fluid Solutions fluids.
When data seems off, use lab support to interpret results and guide next steps.
This article was previously featured on Master Fluid Solutions blog.
