Article

New Grinding Coolant Prevents Rust Buildup in Grinding Machines

Monday, December 01, 2008

Griffin Wheel, Keokuk, IA, a manufacturer of railroad wheels, had been struggling with corrosion and cleanliness in its hot wheel-grinding application. The firm uses an inhouse-designed machine to grind off the risers and outside ring from each wheel. Throughout the grinding process, it was experiencing a severe buildup of rust and corrosion inside the machine that required biweekly cleaning.

Relief came with the recent switch to RPA 560, a water-dilutable corrosion inhibitor from Chemtool Inc., Crystal Lake, IL. After running RPA 560 for a couple of weeks, as a rust inhibitor and coolant, Griffin Wheel noted a dramatic change inside the grinder—significantly less buildup inside the machine, eliminating the need to perform any inside maintenance on the grinding machine. Also, Griffin uses RPA 560 at only a three percent concentration. In the end, the switch saves the firm $12,000 in labor and $20,000 in solution annually.

Chemtool Inc.: 815/459-1250; www.chemtool.com