Hangsterfer’s Laboratories and Major Tool Company help a major auto supplier reduce hazardous waste

The state of Tennessee is cleaner today thanks in part to the joint efforts of two Industrial Supply Association (ISA) companies. Hangsterfer’s Laboratories, a global manufacturer of metal working lubricants headquartered in Mantua, N.J., teamed with cutting tool distributor Major Tool Company of Knoxville, Tenn., to help a leading automotive supplier eliminate 14,000 pounds of hazardous waste per year.

As a result of their efforts, Hangsterfer’s Laboratories and Major Tool Company received ISA’s 2007 American Eagle Value-Added Partner Award. The companies were recognized for their program to improve tool life and dramatically reduce hazardous waste by replacing a cleaning solvent and cutting oil with more environmentally friendly products at DENSO Manufacturing Athens Tennessee Inc. (DMAT), an automotive component manufacturer.

Automotive components undergoing the dip wash process.

DMAT supplies fuel injectors and other automotive components for Toyota, GM and other auto manufacturers from its facility in southeast Tennessee. The company uses large automatic lathes to machine fuel injector components out of stainless steel. When the machining process is complete, workers take the finished components and dip them in a cleaning solution to remove residual cutting tool oil.

But the process created unique problems.

First, because the cleaning solution is considered a hazardous material, the dip washing process generated about 14,000 pounds of hazardous waste per year that had to be disposed of. In addition, during machining, cutting oils and gear oils in the lathes become mixed. The cutting oil has a lower viscosity than the gear oil. Eventually, the viscosity in the cutting oil becomes too high and all of the lathe oils must be drained so new oil can be added. Each lathe contains approximately 220 gallons of cutting oil, which had to be replaced every 12 weeks.

Working as a team, Doug Strait, Hangsterfer’s regional manager, and Kevin Wilson, sales manager for Major Tool Company, came up with a solution that was not only more environmentally friendly, but also improved DMAT’s manufacturing productivity.

The first step was to replace the toxic cleaning solution with Hangsterfer’s Ozonic brand cleaning solvent, which is free of chlorine and ozone depleting chemicals. The change eliminated the need to periodically dispose of hazardous waste and used oil, which saved about $800 in disposal costs per year. Strait says disposal costs can run as high as $125 for a 55-gallon drum.

“We were able to not only get rid of the hazardous solvent with a more mild one, but when the solvent was ready to be disposed of, we’re able to throw it back into the machining oil,” says Wilson.

The second step was to replace the existing cutting oils with Hangsterfer’s Hard Cut cutting oil. Because Hangsterfer’s cleaning solution and the cutting oils are chemically compatible, instead of having to discard the used cleaning solution, DMAT can recycle it back into each lathe’s cutting oil tank, where it is burned off during the machining process.

“The previous product was still leaving some residue, which was contaminating the secondary aqueous cleaning process. We were able to remove much more of the oil residue, which made their secondary aqueous process much more efficient, so it lasted longer and produced less waste,” says Strait.

Now, the waste stream is reduced to zero because the contaminated cleaning solution is recycled into the cutting oil mix.

The addition of the Ozonic product also reduced the viscosity in the cutting oil tank to the proper range needed for cutting performance. The change extended oil life in the lathes from four to six months to 12 to 14 months. DMAT estimates that it will consume about 50 percent less cutting oil as a result of the new approach.

Greater tool life
The primary benefits of the new closed loop system included eliminating disposal fees and lowering labor cost because cutting oils are changed less frequently. In addition to savings realized by reducing hazardous waste, DMAT also saw a reduction in tool breakage. Stabilizing the viscosity in the cutting oils used on the lathes caused the machines to run cleaner, which provided better protection to the cutting tools. The better quality oil reduced tool breakage by $.0075 per piece, for a total savings of about $4,500 a month.

“They were dumping and recharging every six months with the competitive oil because the viscosity climbed as a result of the tramp oils getting into the system. Over a period of several months, the viscosity would climb to the point where they were breaking tools and having surface finish issues on their parts,” Strait says.

Tests conducted at DMAT demonstrate that cutting tools are showing fewer signs of wear and lasting much longer today.

In addition to receiving the American Eagle Value-Added Partner Award from ISA, the joint efforts by the two companies helped DENSO earn additional recognition. DENSO won the Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership Award from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and also received the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry award for outstanding environmental accomplishments.

“All of the companies receiving recognition have gone the extra mile to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and to make our environment a cleaner and safer place to live,” said Wayne Scharber, vice president for environmental affairs for the Tennessee Chamber, during the Tennessee Chamber award ceremony. “They are excellent examples of how Tennessee companies work to preserve the environment.”

Wilson says being named an American Eagle award winner will help his company gain further recognition with other customers.

“Winning this award will provide recognition of what we’re able to do with Hangsterfer’s to help improve the environment,” says Wilson. “This will help us show customers what we can do to help them recycle their cleaning solution and reduce hazardous waste.”

Hangsterfer’s president Leslie Jones says earning the American Eagle award helps demonstrate her company’s commitment to the environment.

This article was prepared exclusively for ValueAddedPartners.org, Copyright 2007.

back to top                                                                       back to industry articles