Whether you are using a refractometer or titrating both become increasingly inaccurate based on contamination. Titrations can be inaccurate as alkaline and acid contamination enters the system. Refractometers can be inaccurate when excessive contamination starts to impact the refractive index.

A refractometer will measure the  "percent solid", the concentration of a solid substance in water or other fluids. Light slows down or speeds up as it enters a fluid, depending on the density of the sample. By sending light through a fluid sample, a refractometer can be used to determine the speed of this refracted light and report it using various scales .

Advantages using a refractometer versus a titration:

• Versatile – Use on a variety of Industrial Fluids that are water dilutable
• Inexpensive – Low initial Cost and low levels of Maintenance
• Immediate Results – Have results immediately and can react immediately
• Operation – Easy and Portable!

In the end, it is important to develop a consistent process that works for your individual plant.

Coolants are a necessary component of running many machining businesses. But using a sub-par product can lead to problems like bad odor and employee skin issues. Rathburn, a local tooling and manufacturing company, learned this the hard way with many employees breaking out in rashes after coming into contact with their coolant product.

In their effort to address the issues the coolant was causing employees, Rathburn researched alternatives and found Fusion Chemical Co. Mark Dennis, Maintenance Manager at Rathburn, describes the results like this:

"As we moved forward in our search to better serve the environment and our employees, we came to find Fusion Chemical. They promised to do all we needed at a significant drop in cost while eliminating the need to add harmful chemicals. From my experience, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. However Fusion Chemical offered to give us some of their product as a trial run to see if it wasn’t indeed what they claimed. We had two machines that ran the same part, so we left one with the old coolant in it and tried the new coolant in the second one. Three weeks later we had no rust on the parts we ran, no odors, and no noticeable change in tool wear. A longer test would be needed in order to be sure of the longevity of the product, but the initial test coupled with the fact that the new coolant cost less was enough for us to commit to a longer engagement."

Read the full story behind Rathburn's switch to Fusion's coolant.

Explore Fusion's coolant products.