[Bob La Londe]

The Tormach flood coolant system may not be enough for carbide milling in steel. Its a split camp at all. If you read the guys over at Practical Machinist some say, "Oh we run flood on carbide in steel all the time, and others say "THERMAL SHOCK! THERMAL SHOCK! THERMAL SHOCK!" They are both right. The guys running flood aren't running fractional horsepower pumps with just two nozzles rated in gallons per hour. They are running big VMCs with giant pumps and giant coolant reservoirs half dozen nozzles and delivering coolant at a staggering rate that keeps the cutting edges completely buried in coolant in spite of incredible cutting and chip flinging forces trying to blow the coolant away. For serious cutting they are also running through cutter coolant which has to carry away chips as it exits the cut.

If the cuts are well planned and I get everything just right I can cut steel dry on my Hurco Mill (currently has a major problem in one lead screw), but I got better tool life and tool evacuation by setting up an air blast. Air does act as a coolant, but it doesn't cool enough fast enough to cause thermal shock generally. The air also helps clear chips. I don't see (within its horsepower limitations) why the Tormach would be any different. Both machines have similar size coolant pumps (I also have a 3 phase pump on the shelf out of the base of the Hurco) The coolant tank I am using on the Hurco is slightly smaller, but the useable volume is about the same.

Now, an interesting aside. On my little Speedmasters (don't buy one unless you like fixing new machines) which also have similar capacity coolant systems I did run coolant for 4140HT with small cutters (1/16 -1/32) when making embossing press dies. Very smaller cutters even at 24,000 rpm were not able to fling the coolant away. Tools lasted for hours. Larger tools just aren't really up to steel cutting on those machines.

I'm sorry I have not yet had time to work on this project and report back. Unfortunately customers want me to actually work on their parts. They won't just give me money and let me do whatever I want. With the Hurco down (sorta, I used it some yesterday) The Tormach is taking up the slack which is primarily why I bought it.

[BIRDTOOL]

(currently has a major problem in one lead screw)

Bob is your hurco direct drive from the servo? When ours experienced your issue it was just the belt between the servo and ball screw.