Warning: I ran the same part with two different coolant mixes last week

We had a big run of 316 stainless parts, about 500 pieces. For the first 250, I used our shop's standard 8% coolant mix. The finish was okay, but we had to stop and clean the tool every 30 parts or so because of built-up edge. For the second half, I bumped the mix to 12% like an old timer at a trade show told me to try. The difference was huge, lmao. We ran the full 250 pieces without a single stop, and the surface finish was way better. Has anyone else found that a slightly richer mix makes that much of a difference on tough materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

paul_ramirez935d ago

Honestly, you got lucky that worked out. Isn't that a lot of extra coolant concentrate you're burning through for a marginal gain? Tbh, I've seen richer mixes just make a sticky mess that causes more problems, especially with tramp oil. It seems like your tool or your speeds and feeds were off to begin with if you were building up edge that fast. Fixing that is usually better than just dumping more coolant in.

cooper.reese4d ago

Wait, you think tramp oil is the main issue with a rich mix?