Resource-saving coolant supply during grinding?

The question of how to save energy and resources along the process chain has been the subject of intense discussion for many years, and not just since the Russia-Ukraine war and the associated increase in energy costs. In addition, companies are having to deal with the challenge of significantly reducing CO2 emissions and producing in a resource-efficient manner. In the current climate, more and more companies are paying attention to their own ecological footprint. The goal: by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by as much as 55% compared to 1990 levels. The only question is how this can be achieved without having a major impact on production.
This topic has been on the agenda of many national and international conferences and conventions in the past. Industry experts are addressing the question of how energy and resources can be saved along the entire process chain. For years, the focus has been on resource-efficient production, but especially on saving resources during grinding.
While companies were able to ignore the problem in the 1990s, they can no longer do so today. The government and also the customers are placing more and more value on sustainable and resource-efficient production. The rising energy and raw material prices, coupled with the expectations of the customers and the legal requirements by the government, ensure that energy efficiency is critically scrutinized, especially in grinding.

Grinding is a manufacturing process that is characterized above all by high dimensional and shape accuracy. In contrast to other manufacturing methods, it is an energy-intensive process for comparatively little material volume with high effort. Compared to other manufacturing processes, grinding requires a significantly higher specific energy to machine a volume of material. It is therefore important to ensure adequate lubrication and cooling, especially at high material removal rates, to avoid undesirable structural properties in ground components.
Likewise, many companies also have the problem of having outdated machines. This does not necessarily have to have a negative impact on energy savings. Consequently, maintaining or retrofitting the machine would reduce the costs that would arise in the case of a new purchase.

By installing sensors, for example, the processing times, the utilization of the machine or the energy consumption can be identified. As mentioned above, an analysis of the “actual state” should be carried out to ensure that the upgrade of the machine with the installation of sensors and optimized cooling lubricant supply systems makes sense. When this data is available, a strategy can be developed for where and what type of upgrade should be implemented on the machine. The data obtained is used for process and plant monitoring and ensures improved quality assurance and is expressed in a general process optimization.
The advantage of this is that the existing machines can be integrated into a digital system at low cost. This has a positive effect on the service life of the machines. The machines are therefore used for a longer period of time, which also benefits the company's cost savings. Likewise, the retrofit is integrated into the existing system and thus the general production process is not changed. Furthermore, retrofitting reduces machine downtime, lowers production costs, ensures compliance with legal requirements and collects previously unknown data. All these advantages help the machines to optimize the process, since the upgrade can be used in the right place to get the most out of the process. This means that there are no high investments for the purchase of new machines and no additional training for employees. As a result, savings in resources, money and time are achieved, which can then be put to good use elsewhere.
Retrofitting gives companies the opportunity to collect machine and process data that can then be used to increase energy efficiency, product quality and improvements to the entire process. Thus, an increase in production volume and plant efficiency can also be a possible advantage of a digital retrofit. But not only processes can be optimized, but also the cooling lubricant supply systems can be adapted. This can result in significant savings of cooling lubricant, which has a positive effect on the company's ecological balance. This consequently also increases the productivity of the machines. Grinding burn can be avoided and the number of rejects reduced by controlling the supply of cooling lubricants. This is then reflected in the quality of the products. Furthermore, this optimization can also reduce the number of maintenance procedures, which consequently enables reproducible results and creates a robust process.

Digitization enables companies to significantly reduce their consumption of resources. It helps companies to optimize their processes while keeping energy consumption low. The data on coolant consumption is statistically evaluated and thus the real consumption data and component-related performance indicators are identified. This digital assistant helps to reduce the consumption of operating materials and can be used in all grinding machines. If the operating materials are supplied to the production equipment in a constant quality (physical and chemical conditions) and in the right quantities at the right time, this can lead to enormous savings in resources.

Grindaix is designed to support companies that want to reduce their environmental footprint in the future. Large quantities of coolant are often used in industry at high discharge velocities and pressures to ensure a safe and high-quality grinding process.
Users tend to prioritize too much coolant rather than too little. A component with a damaged surface zone due to thermal overloading is to be considered scrap. The pump and filter technology required for the high pressure is not only expensive, but a high energy input is also needed.

With the help of adapted cooling lubricant nozzle technology, the quantities of cooling lubricant and energy requirements can be significantly reduced. A needs-based control of the supply through sensor and machine signals also contributes to the fact that the respective quantities and pressures are only applied for the required time. In addition, environmentally friendly oils with a low CO2 footprint are increasingly being developed, which make a further contribution to reducing the environmental impact. For several years now, Grindaix has been able to achieve enormous savings in resources for customers with the first process-adapted cooling lubricant nozzles. This success has gained even more relevance in times of the energy crisis. By using optimized and process-adapted cooling lubricant nozzles, we achieve a reduction in cooling lubricant consumption of over 60% for our customers.
The result clearly shows the success in saving resources. By identifying the system-specific operating conditions and optimizing the cooling lubricant supply, you as a company can contribute to sustainable production. The targeted use of cooling lubricants can have a positive influence on the dimensional and shape accuracy, surface quality and edge zone properties. Due to the emerging regulations on the part of the government, the demand-adapted
and process-optimized use of nozzles is increasingly becoming the focus of companies. Other factors are also increasing the focus on the use of cooling lubricants. In addition to technical performance, economic, ecological, safety and health aspects also play a decisive role.