My new TAIG and enclosure...also flood cooling ?'s

[VTX]

Hi, I just wanted to share some pictures of my new TAIG mill and the enclosure that I built for it.

This enclosure is built using the 8020 product. From the outset I intended to go with a flood cooling system. Since the room I have my mill in is used for other projects I needed to have it entirely enclosed to keep chips and coolant from flying around.

This presented me with an interesting problem. The bottom of the enclosure needs to be sealed to keep the coolant from leaking out all over my workbench, but with the 8020 product the bottom piece of plastic is in the T-slot, so it is suspended off the bench by about 1/4". That means I can't just set the mill down in the middle of it because it would bow the plastic in the center of it and all the coolant would pool there. I could put the drain in the middle, but that would mean I'd have to cut a hole in my workbench and I didn't want to do that.

So, I came up with what I think is a unique idea. It's a little hard to tell from the pictures, but the mill is suspended on three t-slot rails spanning form front to back inside the enclosure. I did the deflection calculations and consulted with an 8020 supplier to make sure this would be strong enough and vibration free to run the mill. Everything seemed plenty strong, so fingers crossed! With this design it means the bottom piece is one solid piece and I don't need to drill holes in it to mount the mill, which will minimize leak problems. The mill is mounted to the enclosure and then the entire enclosure is mounted to the workbench.

Here is the first picture:



Then, I made sure to put a rubber gasket on the bottom and back of the plastic panel and another at the top in front. Plus I also used some shims underneath the plastic panel. These both make sure that the plastic panel slopes slightly towards the front of the enclosure where I will install drain holes to drain the coolant. Since the enclosure overhangs the workbench in the front by about 4in I don't need to cut any holes in the workbench there.

Picture #2:



A neat added benefit of this design is that it allowed the mill mount to be very adjustable. I can slide the mill front to back and side to side to make sure it's positioned just right so my servos and table will clear in all directions, before I secure it down.

Picture #3:




So, now I just need to figure out the details of the flood coolant system.

Any advice on how you think I should set up the flood cooling system?

I was thinking of putting a drain towards the front of the bottom panel, then I'd have a hose running down to a bucket. The bucket would contain the coolant and a pump, which would pump the coolant back up into the enclosure.

I've heard that some people have had success with some inexpensive fish tank pumps. What pump would you recommend?

What about a filter? I assume that I need to filter chips out so they don't ruin the pump or get pumped back into the enclosure.

What other parts do I need?

I'd appreciate it if anyone has any good links to some websites that have details on building a flood cooling system.

Thanks!

[in2steam]

You are going to have problems with the coolant and the lower section of your 80/20 you might consider a subfloor/subbase now, like a drain catch for a wash basin and then raise up the 80/20 little, you will need slope of around 1 in 48 or 1/4" per foot other wise you will get pools and then swarf build up and then stink(uck).

The 80/20 flexes some in my experierence with machine guarding, so a very good silcon should be used, I have a personal prefernce to GE silcone II clear myself.
chris

[VTX]

Originally Posted by in2steam You are going to have problems with the coolant and the lower section of your 80/20 you might consider a subfloor/subbase now, like a drain catch for a wash basin and then raise up the 80/20 little, you will need slope of around 1 in 48 or 1/4" per foot other wise you will get pools and then swarf build up and then stink(uck). The 80/20 flexes some in my experierence with machine guarding, so a very good silcon should be used, I have a personal prefernce to GE silcone II clear myself. chris

Yes, I planned on putting a drain the the base and the coolant will drain below the entire enclosure into a container of some sort.

The bottom panel slopes towards the front of the enclosure and the enclosure overhangs the workbench, so my plan was to put at least one drain up in the front of the bottom panel. Probably more all along the front edge.

It sounds like maybe I need more of a slope though?

[in2steam]

Originally Posted by VTX Yes, I planned on putting a drain the the base and the coolant will drain below the entire enclosure into a container of some sort. The bottom panel slopes towards the front of the enclosure and the enclosure overhangs the workbench, so my plan was to put at least one drain up in the front of the bottom panel. Probably more all along the front edge. It sounds like maybe I need more of a slope though?

I think in large diameter open pipe 1/8" is condsidered min. but you will have swarf in there so I doubled it, I looked at some wash tube basins at home depot today and they would work well, in your case I would be drilling alot holes in the bottom, maybe 1/4" or less, and screeening them to catch the swarf. You could also cheat and tilt the whole assmebly or the bench, some as you don't want coolant to sit in the open terribly long. Another word of caution with 80/20 as I strolled into work this evening one of the guards around a machine that I have came loose, apparently the mounting, and t-nut wore through, as there is small pile of alum dust at that corner, shut the whole dammed thing down as its saftey interlocked and the switch pulled out enough of its keeper. Now I have to try and weld(not so much fun) or remount that bar(its not gusseted because of room)so watch your mounting on the mill!

I am not a real big fan of 80/20 esp when its touching the machines, other companies make better stuff. The boss ordered some 80/20 the other day thats considerably more hefty, but at its price for the jig we are making I could have welded steel and it would have weighed nearly the same at around 1/3 the price. Its flat on the back side with four t slots on the other, its very stiff but also weighs a ton.
but I digress
chris

[VTX]

Originally Posted by in2steam I think in large diameter open pipe 1/8" is condsidered min. but you will have swarf in there so I doubled it, I looked at some wash tube basins at home depot today and they would work well, in your case I would be drilling alot holes in the bottom, maybe 1/4" or less, and screeening them to catch the swarf. You could also cheat and tilt the whole assmebly or the bench, some as you don't want coolant to sit in the open terribly long. Another word of caution with 80/20 as I strolled into work this evening one of the guards around a machine that I have came loose, apparently the mounting, and t-nut wore through, as there is small pile of alum dust at that corner, shut the whole dammed thing down as its saftey interlocked and the switch pulled out enough of its keeper. Now I have to try and weld(not so much fun) or remount that bar(its not gusseted because of room)so watch your mounting on the mill! I am not a real big fan of 80/20 esp when its touching the machines, other companies make better stuff. The boss ordered some 80/20 the other day thats considerably more hefty, but at its price for the jig we are making I could have welded steel and it would have weighed nearly the same at around 1/3 the price. Its flat on the back side with four t slots on the other, its very stiff but also weighs a ton. but I digress chris

Who makes better stuff than 80/20? I'd be curious to look at their websites. Thanks.

[mgamber]

The forces that will be generated with the TAIG should not be more than the 3 extrusions he has it attached to. If vibration is a problem all he needs to do is get a chunk of cast iron and bolt it in between the TAIG base and the extrusions. The TAIG is a very smoothe and vibration free machine to begin with.

A removable catch basin may not be a bad idea to put right under the 3 front-to-back extrusions, let it touch the bottom of the extrusions at the back and slope down to touch the bottom plastic at the front. Put the drain holes along that front edge and have the catch basin stop just before it gets to the drain holes. This will give more slope and would be replaceable in case it gets really nasty, saving the nice bottom you already have installed.

[mgamber]

Originally Posted by in2steam Another word of caution with 80/20 as I strolled into work this evening one of the guards around a machine that I have came loose, apparently the mounting, and t-nut wore through, as there is small pile of alum dust at that corner, shut the whole dammed thing down as its saftey interlocked and the switch pulled out enough of its keeper. Now I have to try and weld(not so much fun) or remount that bar(its not gusseted because of room)so watch your mounting on the mill!

Was the cause of the failure improperly installed or tightened fasteners? I have 8020 on my mill enclosure and in two years have not had any problems. We also use it at work and those machines run 24/7. I have not heard of a single issue. YMMV

[Burn]

Overall, can you itemize your build list and include prices? I am looking into doing a similar build myself, but don't know where to begin!

[digits]

It is a fine looking enclosure, but IMHO unless you have a large drain in it, you will be forever sweeping out soggy chips by hand. My last enclosure had a 1.25" dia drain which regularly clogged up with chips (drill swarf makes it's own all-metal filters in the pipes ) - so my new table has a hole about 4"x3" with a small sheet of aluminium mesh in it to act as a table-top chip screen - much easier to empty than one under the table

A good slope on the coolant table is also vital if you want the chips to wash themselves away to the chip basket.

[VTX]

Originally Posted by digits It is a fine looking enclosure, but IMHO unless you have a large drain in it, you will be forever sweeping out soggy chips by hand. My last enclosure had a 1.25" dia drain which regularly clogged up with chips (drill swarf makes it's own all-metal filters in the pipes ) - so my new table has a hole about 4"x3" with a small sheet of aluminium mesh in it to act as a table-top chip screen - much easier to empty than one under the table A good slope on the coolant table is also vital if you want the chips to wash themselves away to the chip basket.

I plan on putting a large drain in it. I have about 4in of overhang on the front of the bench, so I can fit at least a 4in diameter drain. I was actually thinking of putting more than one up front.

I may end up adding a piece of lexan in the bottom and shimming it to add more slope than is currently in there, but that shouldn't be a problem and I can easily seal around it.

[frank02189]

Hi VTX
Yes that is a nice setup.
Looking at the pictures I would mount the Taig on a 9x12 granite surface plate I have done this and contains the vibrations from the machine.
Im not sure how flexible the bottom panel is on your enclosure but I think 1/4
inch slope from the center to the perimeter would give good drainage.
What I would do is to have a plate under your panel same size as the surface plate and sandwich the granite surface plate on top of your panel and base plate with a lift for drainage.you could also use 1/8 thick rubber matt to help
level the machine.
I use a 12v boat bilge pump 360 gph and tubing reducers for my coolant.
this gives good pressure.
Also for my drain try a thru hull fitting and a dirty sock for a filter that works
for me lol.
Thanks
aim frank02189
yahoo im frank02189

[VTX]

Originally Posted by Burn Overall, can you itemize your build list and include prices? I am looking into doing a similar build myself, but don't know where to begin!

I'll see what I can do about that tomorrow. I left my invoice at work.

It isn't cheap though, but if you can find the parts on ebay then you can probably cut costs significantly.