Kompetenzzentrum Kühlschmierstoffsysteme Stuttgart

The Stuttgart Competence Center for Processing Media (PM) for forming and machining – metal working fluids, forming fluids, minimum quantity fluids, multifunctional oils – puts decades of experience at your service. We are happy to support you on analytics, maintenance and application issues.

We support both the fluid development and optimization and its operational maintenance. Optimization of cutting, milling and grinding processes may include AI supported tool and product analytics. Cleaning and subsequent painting or glueing steps are evaluated and quality assured.

The cooling lubricant market is in a state of upheaval between technical requirements, legal guidelines, and new basic materials (e.g. mineral oil substitution by biobased basic materials). The introduction of the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) regulation has severely restricted the permissible number of additives and approved biocides and triggered a realignment in the product portfolio of manufacturers.

The restriction and the increasing specialization with regard to new materials such as CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) has led to uncertainty among users about the possible and correct use of cooling lubricants in the process chain as well as questions regarding occupational health and safety (e.g. alveolar fine dust).

The process chain must also be monitored in accordance with occupational health and safety and TRGS 611 guidelines.

For this purpose, we at the Competence Center for Processing Media (PM) are working on adaptive and AI-supported solutions for continuous control and monitoring. The development of microbiological hygiene concepts in combination with optimized filtration and recirculation ensures sustainable cost-minimized production.

The effective cleaning of components after the machining process guarantees the quality of subsequent coatings and the bonding processes. Here, the entire process chain can be simulated and optimized at Fraunhofer in the pilot plant model so that, for example, substances that interfere with paint wetting (LABS, silicones, etc.) are reliably removed.