Is there a fire risk associated with the use of neat cutting oils?
Yes. All mineral oils, as well as vegetable oils or esters, have an explosion range. For Mineral oils it is commonly between 0.6 and 6.5 vol%. Within this range there is a danger of explosion if there are ignition sources such as broken tools. The mix of oil and air in a machine tool should be kept either below 0.6 vol% by using local exhaust ventilation (LEV) units or above the upper explosion limit by heavy flooding.As the flashpoint of neat cutting oils is mostly far above 100 °C, this value usually has a smaller impact when fire occurs.
