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Used to hate flood coolant on aluminum but that shop in Phoenix changed my mind
I was dead set against using flood coolant on aluminum for years. Always thought it was messy and unnecessary for 6061. Then I spent a week at a production shop near Phoenix last month where they run Haas VF-2s. Their parts came off the machine at 85 degrees and the finish was mirror smooth with no chip welding. Took me 3 days of watching their cycle times to realize I was wrong. Now I run coolant on my aluminum jobs and my tool life doubled overnight. Anyone else fight against going wet on non-ferrous for too long?
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the_thomas12d ago
Back when I was just starting out I had a guy tell me never to mix water with aluminum. Said it caused corrosion and ruined the finish. So I ran dry for two years. Then I got a job where the customer wanted 500 parts per hour. Had to try something different. Flood coolant made the chips fall off instead of sticking to the tool. Never looked back.
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the_ray11d ago
Hey @the_thomas, I hear you on getting the chips out, but doesn't flood coolant on aluminum just turn into a soapy mess that makes a giant puddle on the floor? I've found mist works way better for keeping chips moving without having to mop up the whole shop every shift. Guess it depends on the part geometry, but I'll take dry with a strong air blast over coolant any day.
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