Cutting oil, coolant, pressurized coolant. Three common fluids in any machine shop that have one thing in common: if they reach the guides or spindles of your machine, the damage is already done.
The only way to prevent this is with protection made from the correct material for each hazard. Because not all materials withstand the same conditions, and choosing the wrong one is almost worse than not using anything at all: it gives a false sense of security while contamination works from within.
These are the solutions we manufacture at Lluis Creus for every type of environment.
Environments with cutting fluid and water-soluble fluids
Cutting fluid is the most common fluid in machining and, when properly managed, is also the least aggressive for protective elements. For these environments, we manufacture bed and guide bed bellows in technical polyurethane: a material that maintains its flexibility under intensive work cycles, resists continuous contact with aqueous emulsions, and withstands metal chips without degrading.
When the storage space is very limited or the travel distance is long, the alternative is roll-up curtains, which compress to a much smaller space than a conventional bellows and can be manufactured with fabrics specifically designed for humid environments.
Environments with pure cutting oil
Concentrated mineral oil is the greatest enemy of plasticized PVC. It swells, hardens, and eventually cracks it within months. For these environments, the preferred material is polyurethane or neoprene, depending on the temperature and intensity of exposure.
We manufacture bellows, sleeves, and compensators in these materials to protect guides, cylinder rods, and spindles in presses, lathes, and machining centers that operate with solid oil. If the movement is not linear, such as in rods with slight deviations, sleeves and compensators are the correct solution compared to bellows, which require a more controlled stroke.
Environments with high-pressure coolant
When coolant operates at high pressure, the problem is no longer just chemical: it’s mechanical. The jet directly impacts the protective material with each cycle. Under these conditions, technical fabrics have a clear limitation.
For heavy machining with pressurized coolant, we manufacture aluminum roller shutters with a winding drum and guides, sized specifically for each machine. Where roller shutters don’t fit due to space or geometry constraints, high-strength polyurethane bellows with internal reinforcements are a viable alternative.
Environments with high temperatures and aggressive vapors
Paint lines, curing ovens, surface treatments. In these environments, PVC and polyurethane degrade rapidly. The solution is fiberglass bellows with a PTFE or silicone coating: virtually inert chemically and stable at temperatures where any conventional synthetic fabric fails.
Environments with abrasive metal shavings
Cuando la viruta es gruesa, abundante y abrasiva —fundición, acero, materiales duros— ningún tejido sintético iguala la resistencia mecánica del cuero industrial técnico. Llevamos 150 años trabajando el cuero en Lluis Creus y somos los únicos fabricantes de cuero industrial en Cataluña. Para entornos con viruta muy agresiva, el cuero es la protección que más dura.
Para agresión mecánica extrema con impactos directos, las espirales metálicas y las persianas de aluminio son las únicas opciones que tienen sentido a largo plazo.
Not sure what material your machine needs?
Tell us the fluid it uses, the operating temperature, and the type of machining. With that information, we can tell you the right solution and when we can manufacture it.