[JeffJensen]

We have an opportunity to land a decent job running cast iron parts. I am very nervous to run cast iron in our Citizen Machines. In my past I have been in shops where we ran cast iron in typical lathes and mills, and even though it machines nice and throws good chips, it is also dusty and dirty and gets everywhere. We always ran dry, if I run in the Swiss I would run with oil and I'm very nervous about that as well.

Anyone have any experience with cast iron in a swiss cnc?

[PixMan]

What's to be nervous about? As long as it's centerless ground rods and you plan to either change or filter your cutting oil when running (or done), you should be OK.

Do you know if it's malleable, gray, ductile or pearlitic iron?

[JeffJensen]

I'm nervous because I remember the old days and how dirty, dusty, and rusty our machines got when running cast iron. Those were big manual machines. I don't want to destroy one of our Citizens...

I searched cast iron and lubricants just to get myself back in that train of thought and every post, blog, etc was negative and talking about how the cast iron destroyed ways and spindles, and how the cleanup was horrendous and the lube filters all get clogged....nothing good to say.

I'm thinking as long as we do PM at more frequent intervals and put a daily cleaning routine in place, and add filters to our lube, we will be ok. But I can't find anyone who runs cast iron on a Citizen, or any Swiss CNC.

So I joined this group and thought I'd ask....

[JeffJensen]

oops - I didn't answer your question. It will be ductile iron.

[shay z]

ductile iron is not that bad.

I machne about 30 tons per month of cast iron (mostly grey but also ductile). all you have to do is to filter your cooling fluid (i use cotton fabric).

do not be afraid of dirt. it is not that bad.

[extanker59]

ductile iron is not that bad.

I machne about 30 tons per month of cast iron (mostly grey but also ductile). all you have to do is to filter your cooling fluid (i use cotton fabric).

do not be afraid of dirt. it is not that bad.

30 tons in a swiss? Can you be more specific about the wear and tear on the swiss after running that much cast iron?
I suspect that he's not afraid of dirt or he wouldn't be a machinist. He's afraid of what it will do to his expensive machine.
I've never machined cast iron in a swiss so I can't help in that regard.

[shay z]

not all on swiss but about 10 tons per month.

when you use alot of cooling fluid it washez the dust and keep the machine in good condition.

the biggest problem with castings is that the dust is very abressive.

[DaveG@AQE]

If you're running a mist collector on your Citizen, and it's electrostatic, and you're cutting cast iron, that's a very bad combination.

Cast Iron particles will get suspended in your coolant, and an electrostatic mist collector may develop problems due to the suspended cast iron building up around the insulators inside the collector, causing it to short the cell out. No fire hazards or anything, but there's a good chance you'll wreck your collector.

Media (throw away) filter mist collectors when cutting cast iron are the way to go.

[Craig Gortler]

Hello Everyone,

My father told me about this site. He is a machinist and currently working in Northern New Jersey. I am a Recruiter and working to get people like yourselves into the jobs that you want to be in.

I have five different opportunities in Northern New Jersey right now for CNC Programmers. One of these positions is for a CNC Swiss Screw Machine (Citizen) Programmer using PartMaker software.

All of these postitions are high paying, stable opportunities. Contact me as soon as possible to discuss in more detail. I'm also very interested in networking with all you guys. This will enable those looking for work to find their opportunities faster.

Best to all of you and your families during the holiday season,

Craig Gortler

Office Direct Line: 201.793.1025
Office Direct Fax: 201.793.1030
Email: [email protected]