Agent and method for machining metal and for cleaning metal or anticorrosion treatment

This invention relates to metal machining and involves mechanical cutting of metal, followed by cleansing and/or anticorrosion treatment. A 'metal cutting' procedure is to be understood to be a process in which the shape of a metal item is altered by removing material from the piece being machined with a machining tool. Examples of such a metal cutting procedure are drilling turning, milling and grinding. During these processes, the tool and the piece being machined have to be washed with a liquid cooling lubricant (cutting compound). This serves to lubricate the tool in order to avoid welding and overheating, to dissipate the heat being produced and to remove the turnings or other metal particles which are produced. The cutting compound has to be formulated in such a way that it prevents corrosion of the piece being machined. A process for metal cutting using a water-mixed cutting compound and subsequent cleansing and corrosion protective treatment wherein an oil in water emulsion is used as a cutting compound which contains;(I) an amount emulsifier system consisting of:(a) ethyoxylates/propoxylates of fatty alcohols having 8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alcohol, which contains 2 to 6 ethylene oxide units and 4 to 8 propylene oxide units;(b) fatty alcohols and/or fatty alcohols propoxylates having 12 to 24 carbon atoms in the alcohol and 0 to 3 propylene oxide units and/or distillation residues of such fatty alcohols;In a ratio by weight, a:b=1:0.2 to 0.2:1;and(ii) corrosion inhibitory; and an aqueous solution or suspension is used for cleansing an anti-corrosion treatment which contains the same emulsifier system and the corrosion inhibitors as the cutting compound. The cutting compound and the cleansing and corrosion protective treatment material comprise a systems for treating the metal during cutting and cleansing.