Titanium fires
High tolerance machined titanium parts are always in demand in the aerospace and medical industries. Unfortunately, many shop owners refuse to turn titanium because they are convinced, it presents a constant and serious fire danger. This is in large part a misconception. While a small percentage of machine fires are sparked by the titanium, the vast majority of fires actually begin in the coolant oils, where the flash point is typically less than half of the flash point of titanium. Once the oil catches fire, it can grow until it becomes hot enough to auto-ignite titanium. The real key to preventing titanium fires is to detect and suppress oil fires quickly, before the heat can build to the titanium flashpoint.
How to contain the threat of Machine fires
Adding an automatic fire detection and suppression system is a reliable and cost-effective way to protect your CNC machines from the threat of fire and the inevitable losses caused by machine downtime. However, not all fire protection systems are equal. The trick is to bring the fire detection and suppression apparatus into the microenvironment of the machine itself in order to quickly detect and extinguish a fire at its source.
One solution, pioneered by Firetrace, relies upon heat-sensitive pressurized tubing as detection and delivery device. The tubing can react to a fire in less than 10 seconds and deliver total suppression in less than 15 seconds using a clean agent such as Novec 1230.
With a Firetrace system, a machine oil fire is quickly detected and suppressed, inhibiting the ignition of the metal work piece. Additionally, the clean agent used requires no cleanup and will not contaminate the coolant oil. After rectifying the cause of the fire, most CNC machines can be immediately returned to service.
Adding Firetrace capability allows for a constant presence within the machine and a "24/7 fire watch." Even if your machine operator is away from the machine or you are running lights out, a Firetrace automatic fire detection and suppression system provide round-the-clock protection for your machine.
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