Loading…
21
Hot take: My aluminum cut gone wrong taught me about coolant
I used to think skipping coolant on quick jobs was fine to save a few minutes. Last month, I was making some small brackets from aluminum and went without it to avoid extra cleanup. Part way in, the tool got so hot it started to smoke and left a rough surface. I had to shut everything down, swap out the tool, and restart the whole program. That delay cost me way more time than I ever saved by cutting dry. Now I get that coolant does more than just cool; it flushes chips and keeps tools from wearing out fast. I always use it now, no matter how short the run. It keeps the job smooth and stops dumb errors like that.
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
paigewood7mo ago
Last summer, I burned up a fresh end mill on aluminum because I skipped the coolant. The tool change and recut took longer than just setting up the coolant system would have. Now I never run dry, even for a single part!
7
gavin_burns497mo ago
Guess some of us just need to learn things the hard way, huh? Sounds like you and @paigewood both found out that 'saving time' can really cook your tools.
3
stella_shah897mo ago
Learned my lesson on stainless. Ran a drill too fast to get done early, smoked it in seconds. Now I check the chart every time, no shortcuts.
1