Peter De Bruyne, Global Business Director, Non-Ferrous at Quaker Houghton, has a wealth of knowledge and expertise from his career spanning three decades in the aluminium industry. He has shared through his candid interview with AL Circle for ‘The Modern World of Aluminium Flat-Rolled Products’ e-magazine on the fundamentals of rolling fluid and how he has helped shape the future of aluminium rolling, determining the strategic direction of Quaker Houghton.

AL Circle: Could you provide a brief overview of the function of rolling fluids in flat rolled aluminium production?

Peter De Bruyne: During the rolling process, rolling fluids serve to lubricate, cool, and remove aluminium fines from the strip surface. For cold rolling, this is usually achieved with kerosene-based oil supported by select additives. For hot rolling processes, where incoming metal temperatures can reach up to 600°C, enhanced cooling is required, and so oil-in-water emulsions are employed. These rely on either fatty acids in the case of soap-based emulsions or esters in non-soap products. 

The output from a rolling process depends on the interactions between the mill hardware, the process parameters, and the rolling fluid. Optimising the equilibrium between these influencing factors is critical to achieve good surface quality, meet rolled material specification, and to maintain high productivity levels, and minimise operating costs. For this reason, rolling fluids must be specifically formulated and optimised according to each mill’s unique process conditions.

AL Circle: What recent trends and challenges are rolling mills facing and how do they impact rolling fluid development?

Peter De Bruyne: Growing demand for aluminium in the transportation, packaging and construction sectors, driven primarily by sustainability initiatives, means rolling mills are having to adapt their products for new markets and applications, as well as keep up with increased production. This has a direct impact on the rolling fluid in use: alloys with superior strength for impact resistance, for example, require more extreme process conditions and so rolling fluids must be modified or upgraded to deliver optimal lubricity. 

In addition to supporting downstream industries, producers of flat rolled aluminium are also looking to improve the sustainability of their own operations. Reducing energy consumption, minimising human health hazards, and in particular minimising waste — which is something that our latest hot rolling fluid technology can support with. 

Reliability and resilience of supply continues to present a challenge for mill operators, with ongoing economic and geopolitical turbulence likely to disrupt supply chains for the foreseeable future. Indeed, helping rolling mills navigate uncertainty and mitigate risk is central to our unique rolling fluid development process at Quaker Houghton.

To explore the full interview and gain deeper insights into the global aluminium market and how Quaker Houghton is contributing to its growth, click here.