STLE wrote the book on MWFs
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report March 2010
Also technical articles, journal papers, education courses, sourcing guides and credentialing program. And we didn’t stop there!
STLE offers members more than 25 MWF technical articles from past issues of TLT that are available for free download on our Web site.
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It’s a fair question. In an issue of TLT magazine that spotlights the work of MWFs experts from around the world, what can a non-expert like me contribute? The answer is fairly simple, because this month’s content only scratches the surface of what STLE provides. So while I’m not a MWFs expert, I can spot expertise, and STLE is the place to find it.
Books still serve as the foundation for knowledge in a given field, even in today’s digital world, so let’s start there. One of the key MWF references, often referred to as the bible for the industry, is published by STLE in cooperation with our CRC Press/Taylor & Francis group partners.
Metalworking Fluids, Second Edition, offers 19 chapters and 480 pages of fundamental knowledge in one reliable handbook. As one reviewer stated, “It is one of a few books that covers the broad range of topics important to the industry such as MWF technology, application, maintenance, testing methods, health and safety, governmental regulations, recycling and waste treatment.”
While this book provides a comprehensive look at the subject, there are always more details to explore and new technologies to consider. STLE offers members more than 25 MWF technical articles from past issues of TLT that are available for free download from the STLE Web site. There are, in addition, more than 30 peer-reviewed MWF technical papers that were originally published in
Tribology Transactions, STLE’s scholarly journal. Members also can download a copy of any or all of these through the STLE Web site at no charge.
For those who want more depth on the subject, STLE sponsors education courses and presentations at local section meetings throughout the year and during our Annual Meeting & Exhibition, which this year is May 16-20 in Las Vegas. The Vegas program includes two one-day education courses: MWFs 115: Metal-Removal Fluids and MWFs 125: Health, Safety and Microbiology. In addition, there are 14 MWF technical papers presented by researchers and practitioners from around the world.
Attendees at the May meeting also will visit the STLE exhibition, where some 70 exhibitors offer products and services, many of which help support the MWFs industry. If you are not attending the show but are a formulator with material-selection needs, remember that you can access the new Lubricants and MWFs Cybrary at
www.stle.org.
One other valuable way to spot expertise, especially if you are a MWFs user, blender or marketer, is through STLE’s Certified MWFs Specialist (CMFS) certification program. The CMFS credential is awarded to those individuals who have met minimum standards of experience, knowledge and written examination requirements as established by STLE’s MWFs Certification Committee. You can find a directory of the 56 people who hold this designation on the STLE Web site.
STLE’s commitment to the MWFs industry reflects the fact that there are more than 2,000 individuals in our database who’ve identified this as their primary area of interest or expertise. We’re proud to provide this segment, as well as the more than 20 other technical disciplines represented in the society, with the relevant and valuable technical programs and resources they need to be top performers in today’s world.
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.