Metalworking fluids supplier Quaker Houghton announced today a joint venture with Grindaix GmbH, a Germany-based, high-tech provider of coolant control and delivery systems used in machining processes, including grinding applications in the metalworking sector.
Kerpen, Germany-based Grindaix’s technology helps customers precisely measure and optimize parameters such as coolant flow, velocity, temperature, nozzle angles and pressures, significantly increasing the success of coolant application.
It’s unusual for metalworking fluid suppliers to enter the business of fluid delivery equipment, and Quaker Houghton addressed in its announcement the benefits to customers of its products working in conjunction with Grindaix’s control and delivery systems.
“We see several advantages for our customers investing in system automation and optimization trends evolving from industry 4.0,” Joe Berquist, Quaker Houghton’s senior vice president and chief strategy officer, said in a news release. Industry 4.0 refers to the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. “Grindaix’s advanced capabilities enable us to deliver on our promise to make our customers more competitive, as we combine advanced product chemistry with equipment solutions to deliver an optimal package for performance, cost and quality.”
The company calls this combination “fluid intelligence,” Berquist noted. “Grindaix’s data-based approach to coolant system operation has been growing steadily in the German market, and we see an opportunity to leverage their technology across our broader solutions portfolio,” he added.
A spin-off from RWTH-Aachen University, Grindaix specializes in optimizing and modifying the coolant supply systems for machine tools, using a team of engineers to meet modern technical, economic and environmental requirements. The stated goal is to reduce waste, improve quality, optimize productivity and increase the efficiency of machining processes. RWTH Aachen University, or Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen, is a public research university in Germany.
According to Grindaix’s website, its products include a wide variety of nozzles for applying coolants; accessories, such as filters, pumps and valves; equipment and software used in monitoring coolant applications; and sensors.