Vlaeminck Metalworking is a Belgian family-run business that began with only a single machine in their garage. That was in 1968, and since then they have expanded their business steadily over 50 years and now with the company still family-run, they offer machining services to long-time clients and even individual hobbyists.
Brothers Aryton and Jarno Vlaeminck work together to run the day-to-day business and train employees to operate the machinery as well as work on the lathes themselves. Since 1996, they have been operating out of a state-of-the-art workshop in Beernem, where they use modern machinery to offer the ultimate flexibility for their clients.
Arjen Vlaeminck explains. “There are still jobs here that follow routine patterns—and they’re done by people who have been with us for years. If you believe in it and put in the work, the results will follow. With the right technology, the sky’s the limit.”
The problem
The smell! Build-up of bacteria and fungi on the metalworking fluid causes foul odours as well as affecting the efficiency of the fluid itself. Even with the best machinery and operators in the world, without the proper metalworking fluid driving the work, efficiency will suffer. “We often had problems with foul smells, but change doesn’t come easy. Bondis convinced us to look at things differently,” says Jarno.
Vlaeminck Metalworking pride themselves on offering a service second-to-none and a highly competitive price-quality ratio, as such they need the best metalworking fluid to help them achieve this. Working with Bondis they were able to fix their issues by switching to Q8 Brunel XF 741, a metalworking fluid specially designed for high-speed machining, perfect for the work Vlaeminck Metalworking carries out on a daily basis.
The solution
To gain the most optimum performance for their fleet of machines, Vlaeminck Metalworking turned to Bondis, the Q8Oils Partner for metalworking fluids in the Benelux region. With their guidance, they decided to test Q8 Brunel XF 741, a metalworking fluid specially designed for high-speed machining, which aligned perfectly with the demands of their daily operations. With a battery of tests run in 2024 they confirmed that switching to the new oil from Q8 was the right choice to solve their problems. What started as a test for one machine very quickly became the metalworking oil used for all of their machines.
“We used to have to run the ventilation systems all day due to smoke and odours. Today, we work in a fresh-smelling workshop. We no longer deal with bacteria or fungi,” says Ayrton. Q8 Brunel XF 741 represents a huge step up in the quality for the coolants used by Vlaeminck Metalworking, and as they continue to grow, they need to be sure their machinery keeps on running as optimally as possible.
The outcome
Working with Bondis they replaced all their metalworking fluid with Brunel XF 741. To do this effectively, they needed to ensure that the alkaline fluid was completely free of biocides and remains so. With a strict maintenance schedule and the incredible properties of the new coolant, they are confident that their days of working in a smelly fume-filled workshop are over.
“There’s less foam formation, and we consume less fluid overall. We only need a concentration of 4.5% to 5%, compared to 10% before. Bondis guided us perfectly through pH testing and optimising the bath,” says Jarno. The composition of their fluid is checked every month, which is important to ensure its continued effectiveness.
Using Brunel XF 741 as their main metalworking fluid coolant there are no more unpleasant odours, no skin problems, and less downtime from maintenance issues and Aryton tells us, “With Brunel XF 741, we couldn’t have made a better decision. If we could turn back time, we’d make the switch even sooner.”
