Using T-Slot Gantry as Spindle Water Cooler?

[Zuni]

I have no clue about hydrodynamics, so I was wondering if anyone sees any reason I couldn't pump spindle coolant through the two smaller internal chambers that run the length of a 3060 t-slot gantry, using the gantry as a big heat dissipator?

I think it would be pretty simple to pump the coolant into one of the ports on the end cap, pictured below, then out through one chamber and back through the other then to the spindle and finally back to the pump. This way, plumbing would be minimized and other radiators would be eliminated.

I know it's a bit of overkill pumping the coolant through 120" (60" out and 60" back) of aluminum, but I want the ports to be on one side of the machine only.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

--Mark



The end plate on the left would have one line connected to the pump outlet and the other line connected to the spindle inlet. The other end cap would be on the opposite end of the gantry and simply plumbs one of the smaller inner chambers inside the gantry to the other:

[Baxy]

It should work very nicely, although you need to be careful with the coolant selection to make sure that you don't have any corrosion issues.

[AssassinXCV]

If anything, the extra travel would be good. My above ground pool is heated by running water through a ton of black pipes that the sun rays heat up, and then the water travels back to the pool. It works quite well; so this should to.

[diyengineer]

Should work very nicely, as long as you can keep it leak free.

[restless1]

you might need rubber gasket material on the mating plates!

[Herbertkabi]

Perhaps I do not understand what you are doing but ...
My older cnc router there I did filled all these profile gaps and lacunas with epoxy/sand mix - machine did come much more rigid, less vibrations, no resonance.
Spindle cooling I decided also by own way - milling coolant (spec. oil/water emulsion) comes first of to the Spindle, cooling the Spindle and then through spindle to coolant nozzle. Coolant collector, filters, pumps are under the desktop. Filters are two, first is like sieve inside collector, second is fine filter, 20 micron water filter.
Works perfect!

[Zuni]

Originally Posted by restless1 you might need rubber gasket material on the mating plates!

Yeah. I didn't show it, but I was thinking of a 4"x6" piece of flat inner tube rubber sandwiched between the end plate and the gantry on both ends.

Originally Posted by Herbertkabi Perhaps I do not understand what you are doing but...

I'm simply pumping coolant down one passage inside the gantry and back up through another passage to cool it:

Originally Posted by Herbertkabi Spindle cooling I decided also by own way - milling coolant (spec. oil/water emulsion) comes first of to the Spindle, cooling the Spindle and then through spindle to coolant nozzle.

That's quite a good idea, since you already have the coolant in the area of the spindle anyway.

Unfortunately, my machine won't have a cutting lubricant/coolant system, so I was just trying to come up with an extremely simple method to keep the spindle water cool using as few extra components as possible.

[Zuni]

Originally Posted by Baxy It should work very nicely, although you need to be careful with the coolant selection to make sure that you don't have any corrosion issues.

Good point. What do folks do when they use those aluminum computer-cooling radiators with a spindle cooling system? They must have some sort of corrosion-inhibiting coolant that is suitable for running through aluminum radiators and steel spindles.

[wcarrothers1]

I would position the inputs and outputs of the tubes toward the bottom and top corner of the square opening to reduce air bubbles in that chaimber.

b.

[jsheerin]

You might want to figure out how much weight you'll be adding to the gantry with the liquid and make sure your motors won't mind pushing it around.

[Drools]

I have seen a companies use the internal chambers of 80/20 for compressed air lines so using them for a water reservoir should work fine.

[svanommen]

Neat idea but sounds a little overkill and could cause more problems than fix (weight, leaks, etc).

I thought I had read these Chinese spindles don't need much in the way of cooling. Most folks just circulate some water into a 5 gal bucket with a small pond pump. Right?

At work our water-cooler had a slow leak in the cold water tap so they were gonna toss it. I rescued it with the idea of possibly chilling my spindle water 'just for kicks'.