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April 8, 2023How can lubricating oils impact process efficiency in forming processes?
Case study demonstrates the impact of lubricating oil in the process efficiency of sheet metal drawing and blanking operations.
Deep drawing is one of the most convenient sheet metal forming process, widely used to produce cup, box, hollow shaped and other complex -curved metal objects of high precision in large volumes. However, during cold forming processes, the act of forcing metal into a given shape can cause a host of possible problems due to the amount of pressure and stress generated. Die wear, wrinkling, tearing of sheet metal, poor surface finish, scratches and cracks on the drawn product or on the edges of punched-out pieces are some operational challenges that manufacturers encounter regularly.
The effectiveness of a deep drawing oil generally depends on its ability to form a lubricating film of sufficient strength. This resilient film forms a ‘boundary,’ preventing direct metal-to-metal contact under the conditions of extreme surface pressure during deep drawing and blanking operations.
Regular oils with poor lubricating properties can cause heating and breakdown of the lubricating film. This further leads to abrasive wear of the tool and workpiece, resulting in higher rejection rates and production downtime. Beruform MF 155 C is a specially developed forming oil with excellent lubrication properties recommended for cold extrusion, sheet forming, piercing, punching, blanking and drawing operations.
Below example illustrates how Beruform MF 155 C replaced multiple forming oils used for drawing and blanking operations of varying sheet thicknesses.
Customer: A leading Indian manufacturer of precision bearing cages and stamped components in terms of capacity and operations. The technology driven company has an extensive production infrastructure comprising of manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic machineries. The company supplies to diverse industries including automotive and engineering across the globe and has its processes certified to ISO and IATF standards.
| Product: | Bearing roller cages |
| Material: | Bearing steel |
| Machine: | 1000 T press |
| Drawing length: | 150 mm to 260 mm |
| Application(s): | Deep Drawing and blanking |
The Production team used different drawing oils for different sheet thicknesses.
Brand “X” with a viscosity of 171mm²/s for 2 – 4 mm and brand “Y” for 4 to 12.5 mm sheet thickness.
Issues faced during production process:
- Scratch marks and dull surface finish observed on the product being drawn
- Odour generated during the drawing process
- Different lubricating oils required for different sheet thicknesses. The production team had to closely monitor fresh issue and usage of the drawing oil to avoid mix-up
- Rust formation observed on the drawn products within 48 Hours of drawing operation
Considering the operational parameters, Bechem’s Application Engineering team recommended straight drawing oil Beruform MF 155 C.
Bechem’s neat drawing oil ‘Beruform MF 155 C’, has been specially developed to ensure seamless drawing and blanking operations.
Trial observations:
- No drawn line marks observed, excellent surface finish
- Single product utilization for a range of sheet thickness from 2 mm to 12.5 mm
- During prolonged exposure to normal temperature, drawn products remained rust-free
- Manual application process can be replaced through spraying.
Result:
Having observed performance of the product in optimizing production process efficiency and minimizing rejection rates during the trial period, the satisfied customer switched over to ‘Beruform MF 155 C’.
Beruform MF 155 C helped increase process efficiency as well as better surface finish of formed components.
Why “Beruform MF 155 C”?
- Formulated on ultra-refined base oils and superior quality additives, Beruform MF 155C provides optimum lubricity for a longer span of operations
- Developed with extreme pressure and anti-wear additive package, Beruform MF 155 C forms consistent lubricating film and prevents metal-to-metal contact under high load conditions. The forming oil provides intermediate rust protection to dies and workpieces
- Beruform MF 155 C has low-fume characteristics even at a very high-speed drawing speeds
- Due to the excellent lubrication performance and maintenance of dies and equipment, Beruform MF 155 C improves safety quotient of the work environment significantly with minimum man and machine interference
- Beruform MF 155 C is compatible with both ferrous and nonferrous metals like steel, stainless steel, aluminium, copper, brass etc.
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