[suspension]

Hi

I want to mill various aluminium parts for DIY projects. I have never milled a serious amount of aluminium yet however. I live in an apartment so noise is a big issue.
Currently I have a 27L, 1.5HP compressor put in a purpose built sound proofing box. Compressed air comming from this compressor is connected to c cheap chinese nozzle that you can buy from ebay. Coolant input of this nozzel is connected to a collant resouvior through a regulator. This setup works well and I am able to get a pretty good stream of coolant mist through this system.
Now the problem:
My first issue is compressor noise. Although it is much much lower inside the box, still it creates a low frequency noise that inside my apartment. Although no one complained about noises yes, I am nerves when compressor is run so would like to reduce the noise further if possible.
More serious issue with this setup is heating of the compressor. Although I have a fairly powerful exhaust fan connected to the compressor box, it is not able to extract the heat from the compressor enough so after around 10 minutes of machining, the compressor overheats and shuts off. And then I need to wait for around 45 minutes for it to cool down. Obviously this is not convenient. More importantly I am worried about the safety as well. Is there a chance of compressor tank blowing off?

In any case I would like to get rid of this compressor set up due to noise and safety issues (Unless I can find proper solutions). I've read from the internet that for Aluminium milling, chip clearing and coolant is a must. What are my other options?

Thanks
S

[louieatienza]

Hi

I want to mill various aluminium parts for DIY projects. I have never milled a serious amount of aluminium yet however. I live in an apartment so noise is a big issue.
Currently I have a 27L, 1.5HP compressor put in a purpose built sound proofing box. Compressed air comming from this compressor is connected to c cheap chinese nozzle that you can buy from ebay. Coolant input of this nozzel is connected to a collant resouvior through a regulator. This setup works well and I am able to get a pretty good stream of coolant mist through this system.
Now the problem:
My first issue is compressor noise. Although it is much much lower inside the box, still it creates a low frequency noise that inside my apartment. Although no one complained about noises yes, I am nerves when compressor is run so would like to reduce the noise further if possible.
More serious issue with this setup is heating of the compressor. Although I have a fairly powerful exhaust fan connected to the compressor box, it is not able to extract the heat from the compressor enough so after around 10 minutes of machining, the compressor overheats and shuts off. And then I need to wait for around 45 minutes for it to cool down. Obviously this is not convenient. More importantly I am worried about the safety as well. Is there a chance of compressor tank blowing off?

In any case I would like to get rid of this compressor set up due to noise and safety issues (Unless I can find proper solutions). I've read from the internet that for Aluminium milling, chip clearing and coolant is a must. What are my other options?

Thanks
S

WD-40 and some disposable paint brushes. Or flood coolant

[Jim Dawson]

Your first problem is trying to do this in an apartment, but it's not impossible. Compressors like to run with proper ventilation else they will overheat. There are ''silent'' compressors that are designed to run in medical offices, new they are crazy expensive but I have seen used ones that were pretty cheap. As far as the tank blowing, that should not be a concern as long is it is operating within its normal pressure range. Isolating the compressor from the floor of the apartment will make a lot of difference in the noise, set the compressor enclosure on a mattress or other soft surface.

When cutting aluminum it is not required to blow the chips away, but it helps. Maybe just use your nozzle to occasionally blow away the chips. The main thing is to keep the tool somewhat wet with coolant to keep the aluminum from ''welding'' to the tool. Choosing the proper coolant is important. As louieatienza said, WD-40 in a squirt can or spray bottle works well. My prefered coolant is kerosene, applied at the rate of about 1/2 cup per hour for normal cutting, but this requires a lot of air to apply properly. I have also used soy oil (cooking oil) with good success, applied with a small brush.

[louieatienza]

Your first problem is trying to do this in an apartment, but it's not impossible. Compressors like to run with proper ventilation else they will overheat. There are ''silent'' compressors that are designed to run in medical offices, new they are crazy expensive but I have seen used ones that were pretty cheap. As far as the tank blowing, that should not be a concern as long is it is operating within its normal pressure range. Isolating the compressor from the floor of the apartment will make a lot of difference in the noise, set the compressor enclosure on a mattress or other soft surface.

When cutting aluminum it is not required to blow the chips away, but it helps. Maybe just use your nozzle to occasionally blow away the chips. The main thing is to keep the tool somewhat wet with coolant to keep the aluminum from ''welding'' to the tool. Choosing the proper coolant is important. As louieatienza said, WD-40 in a squirt can or spray bottle works well. My prefered coolant is kerosene, applied at the rate of about 1/2 cup per hour for normal cutting, but this requires a lot of air to apply properly. I have also used soy oil (cooking oil) with good success, applied with a small brush.

In a pinch, I've used PAM high heat with success..

[Dangle_kt]

My compressor packed in a few days ago (sorted now), I was half way through a job. WD40 saved the day, but the mess was grim.

[SchortBus]

Considered an airbrush type compressor? Pretty quiet, most have pretty decent duty-cycles. Not a lot of air but it doesn't take much to keep aluminum chips moving along. Dental / Medical offices have ultra-quiet 100% duty-cycle compressors - very pricey new but sometimes find a nice Gast or similar on CL for pretty cheap. Always looking for one to mount / install on the mill instead of drawing from the tank.


Note - Doesn't matter how large / small shop is - EVERYBODY wants to get rid of compressor noise.

[suspension]

Thanks for all suggestions. Manually spraying WD-40 is not an option for me as CNC machine is also put in a sound proofing box without direct access. I watch it through a camera fitted inside the box.
Airbrush compressor was new to me. I briefly read about it and looks like it may work in my setup. However over the last couple of weeks I ordered a new silent type compressor and put inside the same sound proofing box which I built for my earlier compressor which had 93db noise. The noise is extremely low (almost silent!) now so noise problem went away. But compressor started to heat inside the box, so had to add a new powerful exhaust fan that has around 200cfm airflow and another radiator type fan (1700cfm) close to compressor to extract heat from it. Both of these fans are powered by a 12V, 10A power supply. Altogether this set-up worked well for my last aluminium milling session.