Page 98 - MetalForming October 2015

Chlorinated Paraffins
laboratory. Costain shipped to ICC samples of the stamper’s most diffi- cult alloys along with a sample of the chlorinated lubricant.
Refined Nonchlorinated Lube Proves Successful
Following a battery of tests, an analysis was made available to NHS for review as summarized in the accompanying two tables (see Analysis of New Hampshire Stamping Samples).
The two primary data points, Umax and Pmax, denote the depth of the draw and the applied pressure, respectively. The data show that ICC 2801-DL and the chlorinated lubricant perform the same. In many cases, it is difficult to replace chlorinated products with those that are nonchlorinated, but this analysis demonstrates that ICC 2801- DL is a viable alternative.
Costain studied the data and deter- mined that NHS would like to begin utilizing the nonchlorinated alterna- tive. He also requested that ICC per-
form occasional testing of used lubri- cant to ensure that the formulation does not break down during manufac- turing, or degrade via the drum-top filtering process that NHS had recent- ly installed in an effort to reduce lubri- cant consumption and disposal costs. Subsequent testing has revealed no degradation of ICC 2801-DL.
However, two problems stubbornly persisted:
1) Discoloration of sensitive alloys, and
2) Galling while working primarily with stainless steel.
ICC shipped two additives to NHS that could be blended onsite with the filtered oil and used immediately in the presses. The additives proved suc- cessful at eliminating the problems, but treatment rates needed to be final- ized for production.
Over the course of a year, NHS and ICC continuously tweaked and tested ICC 2801-DL to find the perfect balance of viscosity, boundary lubrication, stain
inhibition and cleanability. In Sep- tember 2014, the final, customized ver- sion was made available to NHS, now called ICC 2801-NH. It includes an additive specifically engineered for draw performance on stainless steel, and a metal passivator to prevent dis- coloration of sensitive alloys. But most importantly, this nonchlorinated straight oil contains a synthetic sulfu- rized component that provides equiv- alent, and in some cases, superior per- formance to that of chlorinated oil, without the many operational and environmental problems associated with the use of chlorinated lubricants.
Chlorinated oils quickly are becom- ing yesteryear’s technology—despite a good run, their presence in metal man- ufacturing is coming to an end. Now is the time to turn the page on chlori- nated lubricants and find effective alternatives...before it’s too late. MF
Article provided by International Chemical Co., Philadelphia, PA; 888/CALL-ICC; www.e-icc.com.
96 MetalForming/October 2015
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