Disposal of used cutting fluids causes significant environmental contamination. Global annual consumption of cutting fluids is estimated to exceed 2 billion litres, although the actual amount of cutting fluids waste is assumed to be up to 10 times higher, as most fluids are diluted before their use. Cutting fluid treatment and their release to the environment leads to significant oxygen depletion and nutrient destruction in surface waters.

Aurion Machining Technologies is pioneering a clean-tech solution that utilises ionized air for parts manufacturing. Fully compliant with modern sustainability regulations, it addresses the critical challenge of reducing carbon emissions from metalworking fluids on a global scale.

The core of the technology rests on ionized air which generates an electrochemical process resulting in electron loss and atomic level transformation of Aurion gas medium at the cutting surface. The electrochemical process acts as a dry lubricant in the cutting process, penetrating the cutting zone and optimising the interaction between the tool edge and the workpiece. This process accelerates oxide layer formation and significantly reduces friction, thermal stress and tool wear.

No special safety precautions

The Aurion system consists of three components – ionizer, controller and air-cooling unit. The system is connected to the factory compressed air network and machinery CNC. There is no need for any special safety precautions as ionized air pressure remains at 2 – 3 bar and temperatures in the -10°C to +10°C range during machining operations.

This technology is the result of years of industrial research and development work. Its technical properties have been proven in thorough tests conducted by authoritative institutions and industrial partners. Most recently the respected Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) of the University of Sheffield in England achieved excellent results in titanium milling trials.

Economically Compelling
Aurion reduces manufacturing costs and cutting lead times in workshop processes. Thousands of validation runs have proven that the technology delivers at least the same machining quality and performance as cutting fluids – measured by cutting speed, tool life and surface quality. Ionized clean air is safe for its operators and the relevant machinery and meets the highest standards for workpiece residuals.

Easy to use and integrate

The technology is suitable for all machining applications and materials. It is easy to integrate to both into existing and new machines, either by using the external piping to the cutting zone or by using existing coolant channels in standard toolholders and tools.

High integration flexibility and the possibility to use existing machine tool features minimises the up-front investment and limits the transition costs for introduction of the Aurion technology.  The payback for the  system is typically 3-6 months.

www.aurion.fi

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