Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Coolant control.

"Fitch R. Williams" wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> I'm new to this list, but not to some of the people who post here.
> For those I've not met yet I have (for a month or so now) a 1984
> vintage LAGUN FTV-2 mill with 2-1/2D Anilam Crusader II control. The
> mill has a Hitachi SJ100 VFD for the motor that is not connected to

<snip>

> OK. The Problem De jure - containing the flood coolant. I'm working
> on containing the flood coolant on my mill. Its harder than it was on
> the manual mill because once the thing starts cutting, it just keeps
> going and it can build up chips really fast! I need to squirt a lot
> of oil at it to keep them clear and preserve the surface finish. I
> have a back splash shield already on the table - it helps a lot.

<snip>

> With regard to coolant control there are two current problems:
>
> 1) The coolant channels on the vise are laughably small compared to
> the coolant flow required for adequate chip clearing. On the manual
> mill I built up the edges of the coolant channel to give it more
> capacity, but this is really not a good long term solution.
>
> 2) Splashing off the front of the table, or slinging off the front of
> the table if using a carbide cutter at high rpm.
>
> I have two reasonably sizable pieces of plexiglass (?? Its clear
> plastic stuff - I can cut it with the band saw if I'm careful) (12" by
> 30" or so, some sheet metal (furnace duct gage) and sheet metal tools
> that will work furnace duct gages of sheet metal, and a couple of
> magnetic bases from old imported indicator stands to work with. So
> I'm shopping for ideas before I cut up the metal or the plexiglass.

I made up a big 'box' that would enclose most of the vise, and taper back
to the table, to contain the coolant and send it back to the T-slots.
It didn't work really well, but I think I could improve it. The best thing would
be to have doors in the upper part. The bigger problem is that the coolant
tends to pool where it feels like, and I really worry when it starts to drip down
the sides of the table. If the ways are really full of oil, it won't seep into the
way surfaces, but I have caught that happening on a couple of occasions.
The best mechanism I've found is to put a piece of 2" clear vinyl tape (sold
at the hardware store mostly for vinyl furniture repair) on each side of the
plexi, hanging mostly over the edge, and then stick the two sticky sides of the
tape together. This forms a pretty simple 'gasket' that lays flat against the
table, and will direct the coolant inward to the slots. This works pretty well
except at the corners. I haven't come up with a fix for the corners, yet.

There was an operation that I did once with a 4" side cutter making a row
of shallow slots in aluminum plates. This thing created more chips in a second
than I've ever seen a Bridgeport do! It was incredible! Anyway, the big box
was essential for that job, or I would have had to do a total cleanup every slot!
So, if you do jobs like this, the 'box' may be the way to go.

But, mostly, I don't use the box, because it is just too much in the way.
I made 2 plates of plexi that have a stair-step sort of cutout in the middle
to clear the front and back of the vise. I put these in at an angle, leaning
outward from the 2 outermost table slots. If the operation is really slinging
coolant all over the place, then I put some random pieces of plexi at the ends
to complete the enclosure. Usually, that is not needed.

I should mention that I have a throttling valve in my coolant setup, so I can
get just the amount of volume or force needed. The more coolant flow, the
more splashing there is, I've found.

Jon