[photomankc]

Anyone know of a mist compatable coolant that works well when cutting 5052? So far KoolMist is not getting it done. It seems to work ok for drilling but the minute an end mill is involved there is so far only one solution and that is WD-40 and LOTS of it. As long as I bathe it in WD-40 it cuts nicely but as soon as that stops there is vibration, heavy burrs, and tool breakage if you let it continue with just mist.

I'm taking the feeds-n-speeds from G-Wizard and so far I have not found any combination that is signifcantly better.

I'm doing a ton of thin plates (1/8" or thinner) as brackets for my robot and the place I get my Aluminum from locally only has this bubble gum crap 5052 for anything less than 3/16" thick but for what I need it works fine once cut. I'd hate to have to start ordering and shipping all the plate but if I can't find a way to make cutting this stuff less butt-puckering I'm going to have to. 6061 cuts great with KoolMist

[WOTDesigns]

What concentration are you running the kool mist at?

[photomankc]

I believe I mixed it to about 2X the normal ratio.

[wizard]

Aluminum can and does weld/stick to your cutters but it also has an affinity for creating types of coatings. I'd suggest looking in the tool catalogs for end mills made specifically for aluminum. Avoid any plated tools that are not indicated usable on Aluminum.

Finally seriously consider flood cooling instead of mist cooling.

Frankly I end up damaging more tooling in Aluminum than steel due to this issue so I know where you are coming from. Generally lots of coolant, and a fast spindle speed helps.

[WOTDesigns]

What Wizard said: It stats with the cutter. I am willing to bet a data flute ARF end mill with their C5 (ZrN) coating would knock your socks off.

I use kool mist but I use about 5:1 mixture (W A Y HIGHER than their BS recommendation that promotes rust on my vices and parallels) which works GREAT for 6061, 5052, steel, brass, copper and I have even used it with plastics.

When I switched to Data Flute I got over building a liquid proof enclosure for my small cnc because with a little planning, my problems with chip welding are gone. I also hooked up a check valve on the coolant line, and wired a solinoid valve to the air with a separate reg and kill switch wired to a relay switched by my spindle. So when the spindle turns on so does the kool mist unless the kill switch is flipped. That way the pressure status consistent and predictable and a slight turn of the reg knob gives me easy adjustment from puddles to air only (thanks to the extra pressure needed for the check valve)

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Frankly I end up damaging more tooling in Aluminum than steel due to this issue so I know where you are coming from. Generally lots of coolant, and a fast spindle speed helps.

Actually TOO MUCH spindle speed is the MOST common cause of this! Chip welding occurs because the tool gets too hot, which is caused by having too much RPM/too little feedrate, most commonly the latter. There are some aluminums that are just "gummy", and there's not a lot you can do about it, but increasing RPM is pretty much the worst thing you can do. The most important thing is maintaining a high chipload, as that causes most of the heat to be carried away by the chips, rather than building up in the cutter. Increasing RPM or reducing feedrate makes the problem much worse. If the chips are not coming off HOT, or the tool is getting hot, then you NEED to reduce RPM and/or increase feedrate.

Regards,
Ray L.