Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 10

Contact: TROY TURNBULL tturnbull@industrialinnovations.com If your main problem is due to quality and process, these will be your main areas of monitoring once you start trialing. If your current die lubricant is causing quality issues, you will see improvement on most of your issues quickly. Third, is there a cost motive prompting you to look for a new die lubricant? The most common reason for switching or choosing a different die lubricant is to achieve cost savings. Back in the early days of die casting it was a common belief that the richer the die lubricant mixture (water to lube), the better. Today, most all die lubricants are mixed with water. This helps to dilute the product, makes it easier to apply, and aids in activating the critical components of the die lubricant so it can be properly applied to the die steels. An effective way to achieve cost savings is by diluting the die lubricant out as far as possible, yet still make a quality casting with minimal casting defects. In today’s casting environment, die lubricants are most commonly diluted 75:1 to 100:1. The die lubricant dilution ratio can be extended out further, but that depends on the product lines you are running, how the tooling is designed, and the alloy being used. To help determine cost savings, it is good to remember these critical cost points: • Cost is not determined by price per gallon; it is determined by cost at the spray nozzle. • Dilution ratio is key to cost savings if the proper die lubricant is selected and suited for the application. • Shipping is a hidden cost when it comes to price per gallon. The richer the dilution, the more product you are buying and shipping. This means you are also shipping empty totes back to the supplier at a cost as well. • Make sure you are not exceeding your tooling repair budget due to diluting your die lubricant out too far and causing premature tooling failure. There are several other critical measures when it comes to cost justification, but these are the most important to follow. Lastly, it is important to make sure when running lubricant trials that you give each supplier the exact same goals for improvement, the same expectations and the same product line for testing. I have found it best to start a trial on a simple job that does not cause much distress and to look for small successes. After that, then you can move on to one of your tougher jobs that might either show quick improvement or complete failure. You will know then and there if you should continue with the trial. I like to listen to what the machine operator and the quality inspectors 49 HOW TO have to say when trialing. Simply stated, if they are not happy, then the trial is over. Now that you have gained some traction, it’s time to consider a longer sample run, and then move on to a plant-wide trial. I highly recommend when going plant- wide that you have staff support during the off shifts to help with any unforeseen issues that might occur, and that may or may not have anything to do with the die lubricant. In conclusion, it is important that you have a team that is thoroughly invested and involved with the testing process. Establish the team goals and be sure they fit within the corporate goals. If this is not a corporate priority, it does not make sense to waste valuable resources and time on a project that will never happen, no matter the results. With everyone on-board, then it’s not just your decision to live or die by; it’s the team and you all agree to the tools being tested and the goals to be achieved. When choosing lubricant, consider if there are blisters, cracks, carbon build-up or other production issues you need to address. Final lubricant cost is determined at the nozzle, which controls where and how much of the lubricant blend is being applied.