Paint Removal

The advent of water-based chemical metalworking fluids has led to some objections to their use because they can cause paint to soften and peel off the machine. This is not true of all water-based metalworking fluids, particularly the CIMCOOL??metalworking fluids. Paint does come off some machine tools that are not properly painted, causing customer complaints.

The purpose of paint on a machine tool is two-fold. First it protects the metal surfaces from corrosion and, second, serves as decor to add to the appeal of the machine. For many years the standard color for a machine tool was gray and although gray still is the predominant color, many other colors are now used. Industrial engineers assigned to plant layouts sometimes use colors to make the work environment more enjoyable for employees. They also color code the departments within the plant. For example, machines in one department may be blue and in another gray or green, etc. Paint manufacturers refer to this as color harmonics.