VOC Free Metalworking Lubricants

REDUCING PRODUCTION VOC

V.O.C (Volatile Organic Compounds) can be can be a serious issue regarding environmental and ISO 14001 compliance. Aside from the obvious issue of release of V.O.C in the environment; worker safety, insurance premiums and longer term ISO 14001 goals can all be impacted by a facility’s V.O.C. output.

Floor cleaners, paint, rust preventatives and lubricants can all contain various amounts of V.O.C that should be recognized and accounted for. Regarding lubricants: the greatest contributor is typically “evaporative” or “vanishing lubricants”. Many of these types of lubricants are solvent based and are employed to reduce cleaning costs and for their (typically) low cost per gallon relative to many other lubricants. Mostly; these lubricants are used on light duty rolling-forming, stamping and embossing of lighter materials to eliminate having to clean parts prior to shipping to the end user/customer. One way to

improve upon many of these types of applications is to use the 313 series synthetic lubricants at very low concentrations to replace common “vanishing lubricants.”

Using IRMCO FLUIDS®  313 series products at concentrations typically between 4-10% with good quality water, one may be able to eliminate the use of “vanishing lubricants”, while still maintaining adequate part cleanliness and dryness. Even if the vanishing lubricants are comparatively cheaper per gallon, they are typically used “as received” (100%), whereas IRMCO FLUIDS® would help reduce volume of consumed lubricant as well as V.O.C. output. IRMCO FLUIDS® products also offer more tooling and shear protection than conventional vanishing lubricants.

To determine if your manufacturing process or ISO 14001 program can benefit by replacing your vanishing lubricant with IRMCO FLUIDS®, non-oil stamping fluids, contact your IRMCO representative or call 800-323-2933.