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.

2 comments

2 Comments

paigewood6d 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!

gavin_burns496d 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.