Industry Trends Views: 22

Waste fluid and used tool handling plus environmental rules: Waste fluid: 1) Cutting fluid waste contains oil, additives and metal chips - hazardous waste; never pour into drains or the environment (water/soil pollution); 2) Handling - a) certified hazardous-waste companies collect and treat (charged by barrel/ton); b) reuse - purification equipment (centrifuge, filtration, sterilization) extends fluid life and reduces waste; c) reduce - use fluid reasonably, right concentration, no waste; 3) Storage - dedicated labeled containers in leak-proof areas; 4) Records - generation, storage and transfer records per environmental requirements. Used tools: 1) Worn, chipped or scrapped tools contain HSS, carbide, coatings - they have scrap value; 2) Recycling - a) HSS scrap - sell to scrap dealers; HSS contains tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium; b) carbide scrap - more valuable (tungsten, cobalt), special buyers, far higher price; c) we recycle - volume customers' used tools can be returned to us - ask; 3) Do not discard - sharp edges injure people and resources are wasted; collect for recycling. Environmental rules: 1) national hazardous-waste regulations - violation is fined or even criminal; 2) environmental assessment requires compliant waste handling; 3) ISO14001 - certified companies need complete waste disposal processes; 4) customer requirements - many large customers (especially automotive, electronics) require environmental qualifications and waste records. Recommendations: 1) sign a long-term contract with a certified hazardous-waste company; 2) collect used tools and sell to recyclers for extra income; 3) use purification to extend fluid life; 4) keep records to stay compliant. Environmental rules are tightening - prepare early to avoid fines.