Technology Blog
The True Cost Of Coolant
There’s something swimming around in all those coolant barrels you buy. It’s something you may not see. But it’s there. And it costs you money. Maybe lots of money.
What we’re talking about are all the hidden costs of CNC coolant. While it’s tempting to arrive at your total cost of coolant (TCC) by multiplying coolant costs by usage, that approach only tells a small part of the story.
The big story also includes:
Simple cost per fill.
It costs you something each time someone has to monitor, mix, fill and report a CNC machine. Multiply this cost by the number of CNC machines in your shop, and you’ll get an idea how quickly this expense adds up over days, weeks and years.
Productivity Gains.
Machines that have the correct concentrations of coolant are more likely to run more at their maximum rate for more hours of the day. And every extra minute the spindles are spinning puts money back in your pocket.
Machine stoppages.
Machine stoppages due to low coolant are a costly source of downtime. Automating the coolant delivery process reduces the number of stoppages for each machine—keeping your uptime high.
Tooling wear.
One benefit of automatic, consistent coolant delivery with the right concentration is that your tools don't wear as quickly. Purchasing fewer tools over the course of a year cuts down on a significant expense.
Coolant concentration.
Oftentimes, machinists err on the side of using higher-than-necessary coolant concentrations in their machines. Using an automated system to keep these concentrations within the correct range means you spend less on coolant—and save money.
Opportunity costs.
While you can calculate your ROI based on all the factors mentioned above, there’s also a hidden opportunity cost associated with taking workers away from more productive activities each time they need to dump coolant into the sump. And these interrupted minutes per sump per shift add up—in some cases, to the equivalent of 15 minutes per shift per worker. Put another way, would you let each of your workers leave 15 minutes early every shift, every day?
Maximize Your ROI With Our FullShop System
The good news is you can address these hidden coolant costs with automatic coolant refill systems like the FullShop™ Automated Coolant Delivery System. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to release a series of blog posts that explore how this system can help you achieve true ROI—helping you produce year after year.
To learn more, visit www.168mfg.com
