Lowering Cost with Castrol and Sandvik

Customers get higher quality, faster delivery and lower costs, thanks to superior tooling and an innovative coolant developed by a partnership between Melbar Engineering Castro NZ Limited and Sandvik New Zealand.

"A major reason why our productivity is high is because of our partnerships," says Peter Bevan of Melbar Engineering. "Castrol and Sandvik have helped us make sure that the Mazaks are equipped with exactly the tools we need, and that we get a longer tool life without the residue problems caused by the previously supplied product, which slowed things down."

"We help each other out, for everyone's mutual benefit. There's none of this nonsense you get when problems come up and the tool people blame the cutting fluid, and the fluid people blame the tools - and both off them leave the customer with the problem."

The high-pressure coolant system in action for a prototype in aluminium plate. Castrol's Superedge 2000 coolant is being used with Sanvik's 6-mm solid carbide end -mill at 12,000 rpm.

Trials carried out by Andrew Ryan of Castrol Industrial led to the development of a low foam Coolant - a soluble cutting fluid - that proved to be ideal for the Mazaks' high pressure coolant pumps. "We can totally recommend their coolant," says Peter Bevan. "Superedge 2000 utilises a unique extreme pressure (EP) additive package that is only active under high pressure and temperature machining operations. For normal machining at low temperatures, the EP additive remains dormant thus extending life of the coolant for tough machining operations as the EP additive is not consumed unnecessarily. The problems we used to have with residues - which can cut, stain the metal and eat into its surface - have gone. The machines are also much cleaner."

"Just one cleaning operation is enough, so we've saved the cost of a staff member to do it. Also, there's less downtime, so the saving for the customer is quite significant."

Jeff Cumings of Sandvik New Zealand is also a key player in the team Sandvik supplied 95% of the tooling on the Mazaks, including solid carbide and tip tooling.

The Mazak Integrex 200 Y Mill Turn came with a Sandvik Coromant Capto modular tooling coupling, directly onto the spindle. This was specified by Melbar Engineering, and carried out under a worldwide agreement between Mazak and Sandvik.

"We wanted to stay with Sandvik because of their technical support and local representation," said Peter Bevan. "Its great. We get rapid replacement of tools, without carrying big stocks. We phone Jeff and they come down overnight."

The Mazak Integrex 200 Y Mill Turn was ordered with a Coromant Capto C6 spindle by Sandvik.