Vent: I ran the same job with two different coolant mixes and the results were night and day

Last week I was cutting a batch of 4140 steel parts. The first half I used our shop's standard 5% mix. The finish was okay, but I got some built-up edge and the inserts wore out after about 30 parts. For the second half, I bumped the concentration to 8% like an old timer suggested. The finish was way cleaner, the chips broke better, and I ran 50 parts before even thinking about the tool. Has anyone else found a sweet spot for coolant concentration on tougher materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy_reed795d ago

Try a refractometer to check your mix. That 7-10% range works great for heavy cuts.

the_gray5d ago

Wait, you ran 50 parts on one set of inserts? That's crazy, I'd be lucky to get half that.