CHIP BLASTER IN SWISS

[BAD DOG]

GETTING A DEMO NEXT WEEK ON A TSUGAMI BE 20 FOR A CHIP BLASTER UNIT. WE MACHINE 316 SST AND ARE LOOKING FOR BETTER WAYS TO BREAK CHIPS.

ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH HIGH PRESSURE AND CHIP CONTROL.

BAD DOG

[MikeMc]

We use high pressure coolant on all our machines. Is there a specific question you have?

[BAD DOG]

we are looking at getting rid of chips wrapping around tools primarily 316sst.

we try to use best chip breakers but need something to get chips into the conveyor.

Also have some aluminum we want to run and need to remove a lot of mat. need chips out the conveyor not in machine.

Bad Dog

[MikeMc]

The HP coolant pump will do it. Just make sure you get one with at least 1500 psi for the stainless.

[PixMan]

Using HP coolant for chip control can be more of a "crutch" than a tool. The best chip control comes from choosing the right tooling and applying it correctly. That said, HP coolant is really useful for chip management on coolant-through drills, and on Swiss machines when you have widely-varying depths of cut with the same tool.

The Chip Blaster is a good choice because it's got a nice big reservoir of it's own and HP pumps add a lot of heat to the cutting fluid. There are other, less-costly units now that also have the reservoir.

[munish]

Originally Posted by MikeMc We use high pressure coolant on all our machines. Is there a specific question you have?

What benefits have you found by using High pressure on your machines?

[hacdlux]

getting them in the conveyor is only half the challenge the other half is keeping them out of the coolant tank, have you had any luck with that problem. if i use the slitting saw in my ss it can deposit 2 inches of sludge in the bottom of the tank in 48 hours. we have an elaborate two stage filter system involving a fish net and a piece of dacron batting. alot of maintainence but not as much as pulling the tank every two days.

[PixMan]

I haven't ever had a huge problem with chip swarf using HP coolant systems. The worst case for me was a brass drilling operation that required changing the filters about once every two weeks. Normally, the filters were good for a 2 to 3 month run.

The chief benefit of HP coolant is chip control/chip flushing in situations where a depth-of-cut (common in swiss-turn applications) overrides and insert's chipbreaker. Chip control on long turns is also possible where otherwise long chips are being produced. Another benefit is increased tool life. HP coolant is excellent for removing chips from the cutting zone, so re-cutting of the chips that can kill tools fast is less likely. It's also irreplaceable in drilling applications where you can get coolant through the tool.

What to watch out for is the over-use of HP coolant. The more time that HP pump is running, the more heat you put into your cutting oil or fluid. Moreover, the pumps have a limited life span, so the more judicious you are about when & where to use it, the longer time between pump rebuild or replacement you'll have. The good units are expensive. Because most sliding-headstock machines have fairly small coolant tanks (often 30 gallons/115 liters or less), so the HP pump heats up the supply quickly. The solution is to use HP system that have their own supplementary tank that effectively doubles (or greater) the volume. Without the increased capacity, you run the risk of running low on fluid when the pump is on for long times, and you can have cavitation and foaming problems. Those situations kill HP pumps fast.

Overall, it's a worthwhile investment if carefully done.

[ET.SC.ENG.]

Originally Posted by MikeMc We use high pressure coolant on all our machines. Is there a specific question you have?

Hello,

I have a specific Q.

I'm running a chip blaster unit on a DMG Sprint 20, and I'm grtting too much coolant going thru the spindle, I contacted S&M Hardinge and Keb about sealed TF25 collets but no luck, I have tried sealing the collets myself but the end up sticking at unclamp, has anyone had this problem? any solutions?

thanks.

[MikeMc]

I have used silicone sealant in the slots of the guide bushing and collets with great success in the past.

[ET.SC.ENG.]

Originally Posted by MikeMc I have used silicone sealant in the slots of the guide bushing and collets with great success in the past.

thanks for the reply, do you know what tipe of silicone?

[glenthemann]

Originally Posted by hacdlux getting them in the conveyor is only half the challenge the other half is keeping them out of the coolant tank, have you had any luck with that problem. if i use the slitting saw in my ss it can deposit 2 inches of sludge in the bottom of the tank in 48 hours. we have an elaborate two stage filter system involving a fish net and a piece of dacron batting. alot of maintainence but not as much as pulling the tank every two days.

We have similar issues running brass, along with the super fine particles becoming part of the coolant.