Is the boron-free range really REACH-clean?

Yes — the boron-free range uses synthetic-ester and phenoxyethanol-based chemistry that sits outside the Repr. 1B classification triggered by boric acid at or above the 0.3 % generic concentration limit. Substances in the formulations are tracked against the ECHA SVHC Candidate List on a quarterly cadence. Article 33 notifications are issued where applicable. See /industrial/regulatory for the operational detail.

Can the chemistry be tuned to our plant's water + metals?

Yes. Custom-formulation tuning runs on a 14-day SLA from signed brief to first qualified sample. The brief template covers water hardness, metal-alloy specifics, machining type, throughput, and performance targets. See /industrial/custom-formulation.

What's the plant-trial protocol?

4-6 weeks: tank cleaning → fresh fill at supplier-recommended concentration → normal production with metric tracking → stress tests (hard-water dosing, contamination simulation) → A/B vs old chemistry if line capacity allows → decision to scale. The full protocol is documented in /insights/boron-free-metalworking-fluid-migration-checklist.

N&T Industrial · Metalworking

Metalworkingfluids

Water-miscible coolants, neat cutting oils, grinding fluids, EDM dielectrics, and MQL formulations across boron-free + standard chemistry. 32 catalogue formulations covering machining, forming, and grinding.

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What this sector covers

Procurement challenges this catalogue solves

32 formulations in catalogue plus custom-formulation support against specific plant conditions.

Boron-free migration (CLP 17th ATP, December 2022)

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/849 (17th ATP to CLP), applicable from 17 December 2022, removed the specific concentration limit for boric acid — mixtures at or above the generic 0.3 % limit are now classified Repr. 1B. That triggered a wave of MWF substitution: most water-miscible coolants on the EU market in 2022 contained boron above the new threshold.

Boron-free water-miscible coolant range across synthetic-ester and phenoxyethanol-based chemistry classes. Drop-in alternatives with documented plant-trial protocols.

Fluid life and dosage economics

Per-litre price is the headline number procurement screens on; per-tonne-machined cost is the number that determines actual budget impact. Long-life formulations win on the second.

Catalogue formulations specified for 8-14% extended fluid life vs industry baseline, validated through plant-trial data across multiple sectors.

Hard-water tolerance and foaming control

Hard-water supplies (high CaCO₃) destabilize many MWF formulations — foaming, calcium-soap formation, dosing complexity. A formulation that works on soft water fails on hard.

Hard-water-tolerant formulation variants pre-tuned for CaCO₃ ranges up to 400 mg/L; custom tuning available to specific plant water profiles via 14-day custom-formulation SLA.

Multi-metal compatibility

Plants machining aluminium alloys + cast iron + stainless need formulations that don't stain aluminium, don't pit cast iron, and don't promote galvanic corrosion at mixed-metal interfaces.

Multi-metal-compatible synthetic-ester formulations specified for mixed-machining operations; alloy-specific variants for aluminium-only or stainless-only plants.

Top catalogue formulations

32 products in catalogue

A sample of the sector's catalogue. Full TDS bundle ships within one business day on qualified request.

MWF water-miscible boron-free

Water-miscible coolant, semi-synthetic

General-purpose machining; mixed-metal lines

MWF synthetic-ester aluminium grade

Synthetic-ester emulsion

Aluminium alloy machining (5xxx, 6xxx, 7xxx)

Neat cutting oil — high-alloy steel

Neat oil with EP additives

Heavy machining of stainless and tool steel

Grinding fluid synthetic

Synthetic grinding fluid

Precision grinding, low foaming

EDM dielectric fluid

Dielectric fluid

Electrical-discharge machining; low flash point

MQL formulation (oil + ester)

Minimum-quantity lubrication blend

MQL machining (aluminium / steel)

Case study

CNC machining plant boron-free migration

Problem: Plant running boron-containing semi-synthetic MWF across 24 CNC lines. The December 2022 CLP boron reclassification triggered a customer-quality audit requirement to swap chemistry. Constraints: same machining performance, same fluid life, no plant re-qualification audit.
Solution: Drop-in boron-free synthetic-ester replacement matched to existing line conditions. 6-week phased rollout: 1 line trial first, then ramped to full line bank over 4 weeks. Iteration cycle on foaming control resolved in week 3.
Result: Tool life and surface finish parity with prior product; fluid life slightly improved (~12% longer between full replacement cycles); meaningfully lower disposal cost (no boron-containing waste stream). Net cost neutral per tonne machined; net cost positive once disposal savings factored.

Industry vs N&T

Benchmark comparisons

Reference values per parameter, no competitor names. Numbers from operational track record, not marketing targets.

Parameter	Industry typical	N&T	Delta
Fluid life (between replacements)	8-10 weeks typical	9-12 weeks (boron-free synthetic-ester)	+12-20%
CLP classification (boron status)	Many formulations Repr. 1B classified	Boron-free range fully Repr.-unclassified	Cleaner regulatory profile
Hard-water tolerance (CaCO₃)	200-300 mg/L typical	Up to 400 mg/L formulation-tuned	+33-50% headroom

32 years at source (since 1993)1,000+ proprietary formulasISO 9001:2015 · 14001 (manufacturing site)REACH registration evidence99.2% on-time delivery

Frequently asked

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CNC machining plant boron-free migration

Problem

Plant running boron-containing semi-synthetic MWF across 24 CNC lines. The December 2022 CLP boron reclassification triggered a customer-quality audit requirement to swap chemistry. Constraints: same machining performance, same fluid life, no plant re-qualification audit.

Solution

Drop-in boron-free synthetic-ester replacement matched to existing line conditions. 6-week phased rollout: 1 line trial first, then ramped to full line bank over 4 weeks. Iteration cycle on foaming control resolved in week 3.

Result

Tool life and surface finish parity with prior product; fluid life slightly improved (~12% longer between full replacement cycles); meaningfully lower disposal cost (no boron-containing waste stream). Net cost neutral per tonne machined; net cost positive once disposal savings factored.

Parameter

Industry typical

N&T

Delta

Fluid life (between replacements)

8-10 weeks typical

9-12 weeks (boron-free synthetic-ester)

+12-20%

CLP classification (boron status)

Many formulations Repr. 1B classified

Boron-free range fully Repr.-unclassified

Cleaner regulatory profile

Hard-water tolerance (CaCO₃)

200-300 mg/L typical

Up to 400 mg/L formulation-tuned

+33-50% headroom

Metalworking fluids

Boron-free migration (CLP 17th ATP, December 2022)

Fluid life and dosage economics

Hard-water tolerance and foaming control

Multi-metal compatibility

MWF water-miscible boron-free

MWF synthetic-ester aluminium grade

Neat cutting oil — high-alloy steel

Grinding fluid synthetic

EDM dielectric fluid

MQL formulation (oil + ester)

CNC machining plant boron-free migration

Need the metalworking catalogue?

Metalworking fluids

Boron-free migration (CLP 17th ATP, December 2022)

Fluid life and dosage economics

Hard-water tolerance and foaming control

Multi-metal compatibility

MWF water-miscible boron-free

MWF synthetic-ester aluminium grade

Neat cutting oil — high-alloy steel

Grinding fluid synthetic

EDM dielectric fluid

MQL formulation (oil + ester)

CNC machining plant boron-free migration

Need the metalworking catalogue?

Metalworkingfluids

Metalworkingfluids