Finer Finishes, Cleaner Shop: Productivity

Precision is everything at Watchtower Firearms LLC, a Spring, Texas-based manufacturer of rifles and handguns for military, law enforcement and U.S. consumers. The reported mission of the veteran-owned company is to ship products with precise tolerances and flawless surface finishes that are ready to use out of the box. Each component undergoes machining, such as milling gun frames, polishing and hand-fitting at Watchtower’s facility near Houston. Director of Operations Curtis Hearon said he closely monitors every aspect of the manufacturing process looking for improvement opportunities.

He noticed persistent problems that seemed related to the metalworking fluid in the CNC machines, problems such as less-than-optimal surface finishes on stainless steel and wrought aluminum parts. In addition, operators complained about the rancid smell of the coolant and the skin irritation it caused. Both poor finishes and odors can be symptoms of a failed coolant emulsion. When a coolant emulsion becomes unstable, the oil droplets clump together and are no longer uniformly dispersed throughout the water. The result is less effective cooling and lubrication, oil settling to the bottom of the sump or floating on the surface, and unpleasant odors.

Concerned about the impact on productivity and operator satisfaction, Hearon turned to Greg White, area sales manager at Blaser Swisslube Inc. in Goshen, New York, for a full situation analysis.

“Since no two machine shops are the same, we use a four-step process to evaluate the shop environment and application before recommending any metalworking fluid,” White said. The analysis includes testing the local water quality, understanding the types of materials to be machined and the cutting processes, and knowing about specific equipment capabilities. At Watchtower, the CNC machines process a mix of stainless steel and military-grade 7000-series aluminum workpieces.

After the analysis, White recommended Blaser’s B-Cool MC 660 based on the material mix, machining processes and the improvement goals outlined by Hearon. “B-Cool MC 660 is a semi-synthetic, water-miscible metalworking fluid that can be used for large or small series production. It performs equally well when machining steel alloys, cast iron or aluminum alloys, or a mix of those materials.”

The formula is low foaming in high-pressure systems, and its effective rinsing behavior keeps workpieces and machines clean, according to Blaser. It can be mixed with all water types and does not contain critical substances such as boron, chlorine, formaldehyde or sulfur.

Watchtower, which asked two other coolant manufacturers to vie for the company’s business, ultimately selected Blaser Swisslube.

“I was able to defeat one of my competitors simply because their coolant turned into slime in the sump and messed everything up,” said White, noting damage to the filters and high-pressure unit. “I still have the photos on my phone.”

The other competitor’s representative dropped off samples at the back door with a business card and instructed Watchtower to let him know the results, White recalled.