Tech Talk
What are "Cutting Oils"?
Cutting oils are cutting fluids made from mineral oils, petroleum oils, marine or vegetable oils, etc., either singly or in combination. While they can be used as-is, they are usually enriched with polar or EP additives or both.
Straight mineral oils are usually limited to light-duty cutting on easy-to-maching metals such as aluminum, magnesium, brass and some free machining steels. Compounded cutting oils are typically used for low-speed machining of difficut-to-cut metals where extra lubrication is needed.