Automatic Oiler for Taig Mill

[Bob La Londe]

Not what I expected.

"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieuQLbS33lQ"]Taig CNC Mill Homebrew Automatic Oiler - YouTube

[underthetire]

All I can say is wow.

[Bob La Londe]

Anybody else ever do an automatic oiler on their Taig mill? I am taking mine apart today or tomorrow to put new screws and nuts in it. I figured I could drill and mill it while its apart for oil channels. It looks to me like the XY ways could both be oiled through the Y saddle. As to the nuts, I've been debating Drilling them and injecting oil directly into them vs spraying oil on the screw next to them. I think injecting oil directly into the nut is more efficient use of oil. Then I just need a bunch of tiny hose barbs. LOL.

[underthetire]

All cnc force lub machines lube directly in to the nut. I've actually been thinking of cheap DIY setups since you posted that video. Windshield washer pump? Capillary pump, similar to ones used in medical? Pressurized air over oil?

[underthetire]

Like this

Masterflex Dialysis Pump,Surgical Medical Pump,Cole Parmer Co.

[cameraguy]

i'd just build a small peristaltic (positive displacement) pump and use a small capillary tube. they are actually as easy as you could possibly imagine to build - three little rollers and a rubber tube. if its accurate enough for micro delivery of drugs, it accurate enough for an oiler.

sample animation;
Technical Resource Library from Masterflex

i use a larger peristaltic pump (ex-medical blood pump) to recirculate coolant. because there is no contact between the pump parts and the pumped fluid in a peristaltic, it works for us for exactly the opposite reason it does in medical use; it was originally designed to keep the fluid in the tube (in that case blood) from touching or being contaminated by the pump parts, i use it to keep the pump parts from touching or being contaminated by the grit in the fluid. no reason a small one couldn't deliver oil.

[Bob La Londe]

Well, I need to plumb air around my shop anyway, so I was thinking something else entirely. A regulator set to about 5 PSI (adjustable of course) and an electric valve on the output side of an oil reservoir. Have a 6060 board open the valve every so many seconds. Keep the reservoir pressurized.

I could adjust the oil delivery as needed by two different methods. Pressure and time.