The evolving landscape of metalworking fluid industry

A lot of innovation is happening in the metalworking fluid (MWF) industry in the direction of balancing performance needs and environmental impact. Major players are continually working towards developing sustainable and more eco-friendly formulations. Shweta Nanda of Machine Tools World takes a comprehensive look at the growth drivers, impact of rising trend of dry machining and the way ahead for the industry

The MWF segment has been on the steady rise and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down soon. Several market reports also point to the rapid growth prospects of the industry. As per a report by research firm, Global Market Insights, the global market for MWF is pegged to exceed $15 billion by 2025.

When we look closer home, India is one of the key regions contributing to the growth of the segment, with promising future prospects. As MWFs are used across a spectrum of manufacturing processes to cool or lubricate workpieces when they are being machined, they play a critical role in machining. With rapid growth in manufacturing activities in India, metalworking fluid industry too is riding the tide.

Auto sector, undoubtedly, is the prime driver of MWF growth in the country, with India moving towards becoming global sourcing hub for many auto companies, leading to more auto component production in India. That said, some other sectors are also adding to the demand rise. Experts believe that India still has big head room to grow on aviation component, which could be future growth engine in India for MWF.

“While, most of the growth comes from automotive and auto component manufacturing, aerospace, defence, infrastructure and FMCG also contribute to this growth. India is a huge market and one of the major consumer of MWF in the world and we are seeing lots of new investments coming to India, which will further improve the potential for MWF,” shares Yatendra Kumar, Business Head – MotulTech India.

Echoing similar emotions, Rebecca Samotra, Marketing Manager, D.A. Stuart India Pvt Ltd. (A Houghton Company) says, “The market is expected to be driven by the rapidly growing automotive sector for which the metalworking fluids are used during the manufacturing of automotive parts and other equipment. The metalworking fluids market has been segmented based on end-use industry into transport equipment, primary ferrous, primary non-ferrous, machinery and metal fabrication industry. The main industries linked with transport equipment are automotive and fabricated metal industries which are involved in the manufacturing of boilers, radiators, engines, and other equipment, hence driving the overall metalworking fluids market.”

In the recent years, MWF technology has advanced considerably so much so that the right fluid for a particular process has the potential to significantly increase efficiency and process productivity. “The machine shop industry is core to the manufacturing sector. The Indian manufacturing sector is turning a curve—we are witnessing a focused and continuous effort on part of manufacturers to not just increase productivity and cut costs, but also adopt sustainable processes and technologies for a greener business. As newer technologies in the machine shops gain momentum, the lubricant industry is also gearing up to meet the need for customised specialty products,” asserts Shankar Karnik, General Manager, Industrial Lubricants, ‎ExxonMobil Lubricants.

MFWs are segmented into four different product types, namely, removal fluids, forming fluids, protection fluids, and quenching fluids. The removal fluids are used to remove the metal chips produced during the drilling and milling of metal pieces. The forming fluids are used as rolling oils, forging fluids, and hydroforming fluids and are used in metal fabrication and machinery industries.

“Removal fluids are currently dominating the market share and the dominance will continue due to the high use of coolants, cutting fluids, and grinding fluids during the various machine processes in manufacturing, says Samotra.

The Increasing Shift towards Dry Machining

While MWFs continue to be extensively used in machining industries, advanced processing technique, such as dry machining are also gaining popularity. MWFs are expensive to use and even dispose and have been under constant scrutiny for safety and environmental hazards. Thus, the discussions around dry machining and near dry machining come to the fore time and again.

Dry machining works well in applications, such as milling, where the tool only makes intermittent intervention in the material. “Dry Machining provides a cleaner, hassle-free working environment. Manufacturers use vacuums to remove chips and air to clean fixtures, leaving no coolant mist or waste to dispose of,” shares Samotra.

On the flip side, dry machining does not offer all the advantages of MWFs and they are acceptable only when the part quality and machining times achieved in wet machining are equalled or surpassed. According to industry experts, dry machining does offer advantages for niche markets but it won’t replace traditional metalworking fluid technology anytime soon.

Sustainable MWFs: Need of the Hour

A lot of innovation is happening in the MWF industry in the direction of balancing performance needs and environmental impact. Regulations and safety and health concerns are fuelling the need for chemical reformulation in MWFs.

Regions, such as North America and Europe, have already laid down strict policies to ensure the usage of eco-friendly products. Stringent regulations ensure that only manufacturers that have the ability to develop sustainable fluids are allowed to operate. Given the rising awareness, other regions too are expected to tighten regulatory norms. Thus, sustainable MWFs are the way forward. For maximum impact, the whole value chain needs to be taken care of. This essentially means that not only oil but other components used in MWF need to be eco-friendly.

“End users give due consideration on the composition of metalworking fluids as altering it may change the range of functions these fluids can perform. In addition, it is imperative for manufacturers in the global metalworking fluids market to give attention to the safety profile of the base oil used in metalworking fluids, such as evaluating their allergen content, compatibility with humans, and emission behaviour. These factors are expected to drive advancement in products,” elaborates Samotra.

MWFs today are available in three broad categories, including non-water-miscible oils, water-miscible (emulsifiable) concentrates and fully synthetic, oil-free products. Given the ever-growing thrust on utilizing green solutions that reduce environmental impact, market is drifting towards semi-synthetic and synthetic products. MWF producers are also showing inclination in developing semi-synthetic/synthetic formulation as they get better value for their product. Given the market demand, experts predict that synthetic fluids from the entire metalworking fluids range will be the fastest growing segment by 2025.

Kumar from MotulTech asserts that sustainable products are the need of the hour and we need to work on this with sense of high urgency. “Customers should also look to work with the lubricants manufacturers, who has such technologies and ready to invest further to make the world sustainable. Since sustainable products are high in cost, not many peoples in India, are ready to accept these products and we need to change this for our own survival,” he says.

Kumar stresses on the importance to innovate products which not only enhance performance but also reduce the fluid consumption. “MWFs needs to be disposed very effectively with minimum harm to environment. Hence, it is most important for us to innovate the products that not only give optimum performance in machining or any other metalworking operation but also help in reducing overall consumption. This saves the cost of disposal as lowest quantity needs to be disposed, as well as reduces carbon footprint and environmental hazards,” he says.

“Rigorous environmental regulations have compelled manufacturers to implement recycling programs. Cost reduction from recycling fluids can be significant,” agrees Samotra.

More and more companies are continuously focusing on R&D to prepare environmentally friendly formulations for metalworking fluids. A case in point is MotulTech, which has a fully biodegradable MWF to be used as minimum quantity lubricants (MQL) used in near dry machining. Similarly, Houghton is developing new products using novel chemistry and state of the art tribology equipment, guided by the principles of Design of Experiment (DOE) statistical analysis.

“Houghton continuously works with our supply chain and customers to identify safer and effective components for product formulations and to ensure that all identified hazards and properties of component ingredients are considered in the product risk assessment, classification and product end uses. Houghton’s risk assessment processes evaluate inherent chemical risks such as toxicity, corrosivity and flammability within the context of product end uses,” shares Samotra.

So, what does the future look like for the MFW industry? Well, the opportunities are galore owing to rapid growth of the growing manufacturing and metal fabrication segments in the country. However, there is a strong need to not only develop environmentally friendly products but also to raise awareness in customers regarding their benefits.